Thread: putting 40mm timber on chair rail

If you know the manufacturer of the window and the age of the window, they will be able to tell you.
From my experience with this style of window, there is between 12 and 20mm of the chair rail inside the aluminium section. Be aware that if you go too hire up with your screws you will be in the sliding channel of the window and that will affect the sash and also void the integrity of the drainage of water from the channel and can end up rusting your fixing screws

Originally Posted by rwbuild

If you know the manufacturer of the window and the age of the window, they will be able to tell you.
From my experience with this style of window, there is between 12 and 20mm of the chair rail inside the aluminium section. Be aware that if you go too hire up with your screws you will be in the sliding channel of the window and that will affect the sash and also void the integrity of the drainage of water from the channel and can end up rusting your fixing screws

Good advice - I will probably drill with a small screw first to investigate.

The windows in our house have a similar "chair rail look" but it is all Aluminium with (in my case) an artificial timber veneer between the upper and lower sashes. To screw into, to secure a timber rail, you will be able to use some self tapper screws but beware.....the aluminium may only be a maximum of 2mm in thickness. If so, you will have to be gentle with the amount of tightness you put into the screws

What Ray said ^^^
As an alternative have you considered reglazing the existing with a high performance glass instead if it is only standard glazing currently?

Originally Posted by Beardy

What Ray said ^^^
As an alternative have you considered reglazing the existing with a high performance glass instead if it is only standard glazing currently?

It is very difficult to reglaze aluminium windows with double glazing. There are companies that do it but there are a few limitations:
1. It is very expensive.
2. The double glazed unit goes inside the existing sash - it looks neat, but doesn't solve the draft issue you can get with older sliding windows.
3. It makes the sashes heavy, and the sashes and frames aren't built for that weight.

So I've gone against that option.

I'm home today and took a good look at my windows.The aluminium section that I'd put that the support on (on which the tracks for secondary glazing would go) is 36mm high. That seems enough room onto which to affix a a support . The aluminium on the top half is in front of the tracks but I could screw through that as long as I don't go too far and affect the sliding mechanism. On the bottom half of this 36mm it is completely hollow.

It seems that this is all going to be internal and won't affect any water drainage or get rust issues so that is good.

My options are:
1. Timber - but I'm not sure if I can affix timber to hollow aluminium. I could support the sides with small hardwood vertical timbers that go along the side reveals, but have to support the centre too.
2. A c section of aluminium - I would rivet that on and put a timber trim on top of it. But are rivets strong enough?
3. A square section of aluminium that is welded on.

Any thoughts?

Welding aluminium in that situation is not an option!!!!
Use a rectangular section about 100 x 50, screw through into the timber using either acorn nuts (https://www.bunnings.com.au/zenith-m...-pack_p2320104) or mirror screw caps with the appropriate length screw or even furniture bolts, drill undersize hole in timber and being WRC just screw the bolts into it

What does WRC stand for?

Originally Posted by gavinabrown

What does WRC stand for?

Western Red Cedar

Originally Posted by gavinabrown

It is very difficult to reglaze aluminium windows with double glazing. There are companies that do it but there are a few limitations:
1. It is very expensive.
2. The double glazed unit goes inside the existing sash - it looks neat, but doesn't solve the draft issue you can get with older sliding windows.
3. It makes the sashes heavy, and the sashes and frames aren't built for that weight.

So I've gone against that option.

Good Morning gavinabrown

I do not have any experience with aluminium windows, but we have been progressively converting wooden sash windows to double glazing. These are 100+ year old traditional vertical sliding sashes with counterweights.

An IGU - iInsulated Glazing Unit, I think - consists of two sheets of window glass separated by a 6 mm silicon spacer made to order by my glazier. Price is the cist of two sheets of glass pluss 20 - 25 %.

My experience is that the double glazing totally removes drafts from a room. Most drafts are caused by cold air falling down the cold interior surface of window glazing. When it's cold outside just touch the surface of single glazing and it is cold; touch the surface of double glazing and it is at room temperature.

Double glazing does double the weight of the glass and we had to increase the size of the counterweights by around 50%.



Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by gavinabrown

It is very difficult to reglaze aluminium windows with double glazing.

A waste of time as well. The aluminium frame will continue to be the biggest source of heat loss from your windows. Better to replace with wood or plastic frames.

Originally Posted by burraboy

A waste of time as well. The aluminium frame will continue to be the biggest source of heat loss from your windows. Better to replace with wood or plastic frames.

So true, Burraboy

Aluminium is one of the best conductors of heat (and cold) existant.

Ideally this would involve total replacement of the entire window system - frames, sashes and glazing - with modern insulated products. This could be rather expensive.

IF it is possible to double glaze into the existing aluminium frames then this would be more economical. Note that the sashes have comparatively narrow frames which would reduce heat loss. But what are the chances of a sash with 4 mm glazing being "persuaded" to accept an IGU with 12 or 14 mm thickness - low, I think.

The weekness will still be that 150 mm (?) aluminium chair rail - one massive heat conductor. Or a "cold radiator".

Perhaps the most cost effective option would be heavy, insulated drapes and propper pelmets.



Cheers

Graeme