Every window has a story.
We keep it in the frame.
A workshop where craftsmen coax warped sashes back to true, reglaze century-old wavy glass, and rebuild rotting sills — until a 1920s double-hung operates like the day it was hung.
Work done
on your block.
Every project anchored to a real address. Real costs. Real warranties. No stock photography.
17 Chestnut Street
Victorian Italianate · 1892 · 22 Windows
Diagnosis
Paint-sealed sashes, failed glazing compound on 14 panes, sash rope parted on 9 windows.
The Work
Full sash removal, steam-stripped to bare wood, hand-mixed linseed-oil putty, re-roped with waxed cotton cord, reinstalled with bronze weatherstripping.
"The contractor said the windows were beyond saving. Mullion had them running like new in three weeks. My heating bill dropped $180 the first winter."
42 Elm Street
Colonial Revival · 1924 · 18 Windows
Diagnosis
Rotted sill horns on 6 windows, warped upper sashes, original wavy glass cracked in 4 panes.
The Work
Sill horn splices in Honduran mahogany, steam-bent replacement muntins, sourced period-match wavy glass from salvage stock, full re-glaze and prime.
"I was on the preservation board for eight years and I've never seen anyone treat old glass the way Mullion does. They found wavy glass that matched the 1924 stock almost exactly."
Free · No commitment · We come to you
Five stages.
No shortcuts.
Every window we restore goes through the same five-stage process, documented at each step. The work takes longer than a contractor's quote. It also lasts longer than their warranty.
Diagnosis
Paint Analysis · Rot Mapping · Sash Evaluation
Every window gets a written condition report before a tool touches it. We probe for rot with a sharpened awl, test paint layers for lead content, and check sash alignment against a 4-foot level. Most windows have three to five issues; we document all of them.
A typical 1920s double-hung has 14 distinct components. We assess each one.
Disassembly
Sash Removal · Hardware Cataloging · Glass Protection
Sashes come out by hand, numbered with masking tape in pencil — the same marks a restorer made on the original install. Original hardware goes into labeled trays. Wavy glass panes are wrapped individually in newsprint, the way glassworkers have done since the 1880s.
Original hardware is cleaned, not replaced. Brass sash lifts re-emerge from beneath 80 years of paint.
Woodwork
Steam Bending · Rot Repair · Muntin Re-profiling
Warped rails are straightened in a steam box — 20 minutes at 212°F, then clamped to a form until they cool true. Rotted sections are excavated and spliced with species-matched wood: white pine for pine windows, mahogany for mahogany. Muntin profiles are re-cut on a router table to match the original cross-section, measured in thousandths.
We never fill rot with epoxy and call it done. Wood repairs that last use wood.
Glazing
Hand-Mixed Putty · Wavy Glass Sourcing · Bedding Compound
Glazing compound is mixed by hand: whiting, linseed oil, and a small measure of Japan dryer. The ratio changes by season — summer mixes set faster, winter mixes stay workable longer. Original wavy glass is kept wherever possible; replacements are sourced from architectural salvage stock to match the period distortion.
Factory putty fails in 15–20 years. Hand-mixed linseed putty, properly primed, lasts 50.
Hardware & Re-Roping
Sash Weight Re-Roping · Weatherstripping · Bronze Hardware
Sash weights are still there in most old houses, hanging in the wall pockets. We re-rope with waxed cotton cord — the same material used originally — tied with a figure-eight knot through the weight hole. Bronze spring weatherstripping is fitted to the jambs, giving a compression seal that outperforms foam tape by decades.
A properly balanced sash stays open at any height with one finger. That's the standard.
The contractor
was wrong.
"Replace them" is the easiest thing a contractor can say. It's also the most expensive, and in most historic districts, it's not even permitted.
40–60%
Average savings vs. full replacement on a typical Victorian
50+ yrs
Expected lifespan of a properly restored double-hung sash
100%
Historic district approval rate for our restoration specifications
Heard on
the block.
I'd been told by three contractors that my windows were done. Mullion came out, wrote a four-page condition report, and had 16 of them running perfectly within six weeks. The wavy glass alone was worth every cent.
"As a preservation board member, I've reviewed hundreds of window applications. Mullion's work is the only restoration I've seen that I'd hold up as a standard for the district. The glazing technique is textbook."
"Every window in my 1928 Colonial was painted shut. I'd lived with it for four years. Mullion cleared the sashes, re-roped the weights, and fitted bronze weatherstrip. They open with one finger now. My heating bill dropped $210 the first winter."
"The crew was meticulous. They numbered every piece of hardware with masking tape in pencil, the way old craftsmen did. I watched them work for an afternoon. It looked like archaeology more than construction."
Ready to stop rattling?
A survey is free. A written estimate costs nothing. The windows cost less than you think.