Directory of Traditional Building Skills - Mourne Heritage Trust

5 JOINERYOf all building elements windows, doors, their fittings and embellishments can usually tellmore of the history of a building than any other. Unfortunately many Georgian terraces,Victorian houses and Edwardian villas have had their picture rails, deeply moulded skirtingsand architraves removed, but fashions change and many people now want to restore some ofthe character of their buildings.Wood is still the most versatile construction material known and for interior fittings isunsurpassed. Good joiners can make anything from a drawing, a scrap of the original or evena photograph. There are ranges of standard mouldings, in many cases these will be appropriate,but local and regional variation is important and particular mouldings may be specially cut. Itis usually not much more expensive to do this particularly when long runs are involved. Thescale and proportion of the room should determine the complexity of the mouldings otherwisethe joinery becomes grander than the building. For replication purposes examples may befound from other houses of the same period which have not been altered or from museums orphotographs. Sometimes details on the outside of the building were replicated inside. Oftenmouldings were covered up rather than torn out and may be found tucked away under the stairsor in the attic.Windows deserve a special mention as they are probably the most important factor in theappearance of a building. Timber sliding sash windows, the glazing often divided into smallrectangular panes, are the most common traditional window type in Ireland. They lookmarvellous and give efficient ventilation control and ease of escape in the case of a fire.However, they have a reputation for being draughty and hard to maintain. These problems areexaggerated by salesmen of PVC-U replacements who claim their reproductions look the sameand as a result, a rash of replacement windows is sweeping the country. Sometimes thin stripsare inserted between two panes of a double glazed unit in an attempt to replicate the pattern ofglazing bars, but they fail miserably, fool nobody, are awkward and clumsy, an insult to an oldhouse and stomach turning pastiche in a new one. In addition, there is growing concern overthe environmental implications of the use of PVC-U and the toxic waste it can give off in fires.It is always preferable, and often cheaper, to repair rather than to replace original windows;exact replacements of fine glazing bars and mouldings can be made. Details like the width offrame showing around the window on the outside are of historical importance and should befaithfully matched. Traditional sash windows can be fully draught proofed, easily andinexpensively, with a comprehensive system of brushes and seals. Fitting ‘Simplex’ sash hingesallow the windows to be cleaned from the inside. In the event of decay, hardwood sections,painted to match the original, can be inserted as in many cases it is only small areas of the sash,usually the cill member, that have decayed.Weights, sash cords and pulley wheels can be overhauled and replacements are also available.Some very small windows never had weights, instead a piece of wood jammed the sash open.Modern spiral balances are an appropriate replacement in some circumstances but in listedbuildings the original system should be replicated.Leaded windows have also been in use since very early times. In the late eighteenth centurysome of the simpler forms of leaded windows were copied in cast iron but these forms are rarein comparison to the vertically sliding sash windows.92