re: Is there a wood window repair company in BR?

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We're talking about this kind of putty work, WHICH IS a dying art (even more so is the 2" by 1" steel sash that takes about a pint of putty for each lite)

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I see this kind of stuff fixed all over the gulf coast on a daily basis. Especially these older homes in many historical areas all over the south and eastern seaboard. We aren’t talking about splitting atoms here. Matter of fact we have an office in Milwaukee and I see that kind of work being performed all over Milwaukee, Chicago and the other cities around the Great Lakes.

Thanks for the detailed info. Reason I ask is I need to rebuild an old somewhat ornate picket fence that was previously built out of the amazing virgin cypress. Now that its unavailable I was leaning toward Spanish Cedar because that is what is/was being used here in La to make repairs in place of the good cypress. But after talking with some carpenters who said they haven't been impressed with SC starting about 10 years ago. This was because like you said its coming from fast grown plantations in africa. I will look into the species you suggested. Speaking of, can you tell me how feasible it will be to get those species in about 13' long 2"x5" thickness?

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I'd try finding an old window and reusing the muntins out of it. Try habitat restore store.

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This SIL and my daughter are rebuilding a very old house with wood windows. They fixed them their self. Bought some old windows for parts off craigslist.

Sadly most of the old big cypress trees full of heartwood are gone. The ones that are left generally are in places so wet you can’t log them. The sinker cypress has gone by the wayside to because people have found all the good logs that sunk in a river or were blown over by a hurricane. The sapwood would rot off and nothing was left but heartwood. People find sinker logs but to me these days most look like new growth cypress trees. The ones I’m referring to that were good were found mainly in the panhandle of Florida. They had a greenish tint and some boards had a reddish purple look to them. Those cypress logs were very durable and could range anywhere from 100 years old to 5,000 years old.

If this restoration job does not require painting I would go with this species we import from Brazil called Ipe. It has the density of water so it sinks, Class A fire rating, won’t rot particularly in a vertical application and the bugs don’t like it. The stuff is so hard you can’t drive a nail through it nor do you have to keep stain on it if you don’t mind it turning a silver patina looking color. Cumaru is another less expensive option that’s very durable. We sell it primarily to customers that build very high end decksbut often it’s used in a T&G applications for porches or shiplap siding. However, I’ve seen plenty of fences built out of it. If you are wanting to paint it I would go with Sapele or Sipo. If it’s not exposed directly to the weather and you want to stain it Sapele and Sipo are prettier than South American Genuine Mahogany. African Mahogany looks amazing when stained but it’s hard to work with particularly on the quarter sawn boards. Far as an idea on the cost I really need more detail on the application you are trying to achieve. You are correct though these new growth cypress trees will rot faster than the pine that most fence builders use and the African Spanish Cedar the jury is still out on its durability.

Can you please shar the contact info for the company or individual you used for this?


Thanks,