WPSC Window Standard Form

    This form is used to fill out and submit a new Window Standard.

    Criteria:

    A well-written Standard outlines a work method addressing the process of a specific maintenance, repair or upgrade made to an existing window.

    • All submitted standards will be placed under review by a rotating panel of window professionals. Once your submission has been reviewed, the panel may ask for adjustments or edits. After the requested edits are complete, the panel will notify the author regarding the acceptance of their submitted Standard.
    • You do not need to have invented the method or independently developed it. However, if you learned the method from someone else, then you must acknowledge them in your submission, as “credit where credit is due” is an ethical necessity. If the method has been previously published (in print or online), please cite your source(s) in the “References” section of your submission.
    • Please be sure all the text and photos you submit are your original work. With photos, this means that you were the one who clicked the camera shutter. If you want to submit text, drawings, or photos from others, get their written permission before submitting them to the WPSC, and include their full contact information so it is easy for our review committee to seek necessary confirmation and permission from them.
    • Do not submit any methods that are currently protected by patent, are trade secrets, or are proprietary information. It is OK to submit methods from lapsed patents that have run out, since lapsed patents are in the public domain, and please do your due diligence.

    Please see an example of a standard at the very bottom of this form for reference.

    Provide your contact information if the panel needs to contact you about the submission.

    Class of Treatments

    The Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties describes four overall approaches for the treatment of historic buildings: Preserve, Rehabilitate, Restore and Reconstruct. The five tactics identified in the Secretary's Treatments to Preserve are: Identify, Stabilize, Protect, Repair and Replace in Kind. Out of these Secretary of the Interior Standards these four classes of window work are derived:

    Identify: formally recognize and distinguish the window's character and condition, typically resulting in written notes or a formal written report.

    Stabilize: this consists of preliminary temporary measures that do not prevent future effective treatments. Examples include “L” plates on weak sash joints, tape or sealants on open wood or glass joints, wood blocks to hold up a sagging upper sash, etc.

    Maintain: routine treatments to clean and protect. Typically includes glass cleaning, painted surface cleaning, spot paint maintenance, spot putty maintenance, lubricating moving parts, etc.

    Repair: fixing individual parts or systems. Typically includes rebuilding a rotten sash joint, replacing a broken piece of glass, part-by-part renewal, use of matching materials, etc.

    For the purpose of the Standards publication, we have added two more categories:

    Upgrade: improve performance in regards to durability, energy efficiency, or both. Examples include applying a preservative to prevent wood decay or installing weatherstrip to reduce air infiltration.

    Exception: anything that does not fit into an existing standard. This allows for innovations and types of work that exceed the existing standards, specifically to allow for the continuing refinement of one of the most highly effective building systems that has been developing over the past four centuries.

  • Types of Treatments

    Contemporary: developed or commonly used after 1940. For example: wood-epoxy repairs, stainless steel fasteners, acrylic paints.

    Traditional: in common use during all pre-1940 eras. For example: spot paint maintenance, wood dutchmen repairs, part-by-part renewal.

    Conservation: places the highest premium on keeping original material. For example: keeping all paint in good condition, continuing to use all parts in good condition, repairing the cracked corner of a glass pane instead of replacing the whole pane. Guidelines for conservation are more stringent and include the following:

    • Formal recognition of a window's cultural and/or historical value and significance.
    • Original or significant material is retained and not irrevocably or irreversibly affected by either previous treatments or proposed treatments.
    • Reversibility of treatments, so the object could be returned to its pretreatment state or condition.
    • Documentation of the examination, investigation, and treatment of the window with permanent written records and reports.
    • Following formal guidelines for conservation practice and a code of ethics, such as those developed by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.

  • Description

    Briefly describe the treatment in your own words in the Description below.

    Include the following:

    • when this method or treatment is appropriate
    • how you learned about the treatment
    • how long you have been using this method
    • approximately how many times you have performed this treatment
    • how long it typically maintains its integrity
    • why it is successful
    • conditions under which it might fail
    • recommended maintenance or follow-up.

  • Quality of Results

    Describe the criteria by which the quality of the completed work can be judged for each of the categories below. Factors related to aesthetics, performance/functionality, and assumed longevity of the method employed will determine what qualifies as “Best,” “Adequate,” or “Inadequate” work.

  • Example of a Standard

  • Author: Duffy Hoffman

    Contributors: Bob Yapp, John Leeke


    Title of Treatment: Clean Old Glass

    Class of Treatment: [ ] Maintain, [ ] Stabilize, [x] Repair, [ ] Upgrade, [ ] Exception

    Type of Treatment: [ ] Traditional, [x] Contemporary


    Condition to be Treated:

    Old glass panes have hard putty and paint along the edges.


    Description:

    Old glass must be cleaned before use in reglazing. This is a soak and wet-scrape treatment that focuses on the surfaces of the pane near the edges. When using this treatment, further glass cleaning will be needed after glazing and painting.


    Typical Procedure:

    1. Soak glass vertically in a container big enough to allow complete immersion. Fill the container with water and a small amount of detergent. Allow glass to soak until all the old putty and paint is soft enough to remove.

    2. Scrape off the old putty and old paint with a plastic putty knife or plastic automobile windshield scraper to avoid scratching the glass.

    3. If necessary, scrape carefully with a single-edge razor blade in a holder. First wet the glass, then scrape. Never scrape dry glass because it can scratch the glass surface.

    4. Wipe off the pane with a soft cloth and set the glass aside to dry.


    Materials:

    Detergent, biodegradable, degreasing (do not use any products with the words "oil soap").

    Single-edge razor blades

    Soft cloths


    Quality of Results


    Best Work: Glass pane is clean around edges. There may still be soiling in the middle of the pane. No additional scratches were added from removal of putty and paint. Glass was handled carefully with no breakage.


    Adequate Work: Glass pane is clean with slight hazy residue around outside edges. No additional scratches were added from removal of putty and paint. Glass was handled carefully with minimal breakage.


    Inadequate Work: Glass is not clean with substantial residue left around outside edges. Additional scratches were added from removal of putty and paint. Glass was not handled carefully causing breakage.

  • Should be Empty: