Sash Window FAQs

A double hung sash window has two glazed panels (sashes) that slide up and down past each other in a timber frame. Both sashes move, so you can let warm air out at the top and fresh air in at the bottom. They're common in older Australian homes, especially Victorian and Federation houses. The History of Sash Windows

In a double hung window both sashes slide. In a single hung window only the bottom sash moves and the top one is fixed. Most hardware and draught proofing suits both.

The main parts are the top and bottom sashes, the meeting rails where they overlap, the stop (staff) bead on the inside, the parting bead between the sashes, the pulley stiles on each side, and the sill. Weight-and-pulley windows also have sash cords, pulleys and hidden weights in a box at each side. Knowing the names makes ordering the right part much easier.

Look at the sides of the frame near the top. Round pulley wheels with cord running over them mean you have weights. Metal or plastic tubes up the sides, and no pulleys, mean spiral balances. Weights vs Spiral Balances: Which Type Is Yours?

The stop bead is the timber moulding fixed around the inside of the frame that holds the bottom sash in place. Australians usually call it stop bead; in the UK it's staff bead. Ecobead stop bead comes with the brush seal already fitted. Stop / Staff Bead

The parting bead is the thin strip of timber that sits in a groove up each side of the frame and keeps the two sashes apart. It has to come out to remove the top sash or reach the weights. Parting Bead

Yes. It's a careful job but very doable for a handy homeowner: remove the stop bead, lift out the bottom sash, then take out the parting bead and top sash. Label every piece as you go. How to Take Your Double Hung Sash Window Apart

The usual causes are layers of paint sealing the sash to the beads, timber swollen after wet weather, or a broken cord. Run a sharp knife along the painted joints first. If it still won't budge, check the cords and the balance. Re-Balancing a Double Hung Sash Window

Draught proofing seals the gaps around a window so outside air, dust and noise can't leak in, and your heating or cooling can't leak out. Old sash windows often have gaps all the way round the sashes, and together they add up to a surprisingly large hole in your wall. What Is Draught Proofing and Why Do I Need It?

Ecobead is our own draught seal beading, designed and made by hand in NSW. It's stop and parting bead made from FSC-certified timber, with the brush seal already fitted, so it looks like original beading but seals the whole window. Ecobead Draught Seal Beading

Yes. We only use FSC-certified timber for Ecobead, bought from FSC-certified suppliers, so it comes from forests managed to Forest Stewardship Council standards. Because we make Ecobead here in NSW, it also travels far less than imported beading. And by helping you keep and upgrade your original windows rather than replace them, it avoids the waste and carbon of making new ones.

If your double hung windows rattle, leak, or let in draughts, dust or noise, Ecobead is a great fit. Many customers are surprised by how much quieter and warmer the room feels. See Ella's results in Cheltenham.

If the windows have rotten timber, broken cords or serious damage, fix those first. Draught seals work best on a sound, well-balanced window. Evermend timber repair

No. With the window closed it's invisible, and with it open you'll only see a neat line of brush. There are no stick-on strips.

Foam breaks down faster, especially when damp or squashed. Brush pile with a central fin adapts to the uneven gaps in old windows and lets the sash slide smoothly. Compression Seals vs Brush Seals: Myths Debunked

Yes. The parting bead runs between the sashes and is a major draught path. Sealing only the stop bead leaves a gap running the full height of the window.

Yes. Rout a groove into the meeting rail of the bottom sash and fit our brush pile carrier. It comes in 1 metre lengths, which suits most windows. Carrier with Brush Pile

Yes. Either rout in a brush pile carrier, as for the meeting rail, or fit a short length of Ecobead parting bead across the head. Call us if you're unsure which suits your window.

For stop bead, measure the frame perimeter (height × 2 + width × 2) and add at least 100mm per piece for mitre cuts. For parting bead, measure from the sill to the head and double it. Or let our free Beading Calculator do it for you.

Measure the width of your existing stop bead across its face. The two standard sizes are 22mm x 18mm and 30mm x 18mm, and we make DIY kits for both.

Everything to seal one double hung window up to 2 metres high and 1 metre wide: draught seal stop bead, draught seal parting bead and a meeting rail carrier with brush pile. Choose the 22mm kit or the 30mm kit to match your stop bead.

Yes. With basic DIY skills and our step-by-step guide and video, most people manage it, and our staff give phone support while you work. How to Draught Proof a Double Hung Sash Window

Allow around 3 to 4 hours for your first window. Once you've done one, the rest go much faster.

Yes. The timber arrives undercoated and needs finishing coats to match your windows. Fill and lightly sand the nail holes, and keep paint off the brush, as painted brush doesn't seal.

No, Ecobead is made only for double hung sash windows. For doors and casements, use our compression seal. Weatherseal for Windows and Doors

You can still open the window as normal, so ventilation is in your control. Rooms with gas heaters or moisture problems still need some airflow, so open the window a little or use exhaust fans.

The sash is heavier than the weights holding it up. That usually happens after new paint, heavier glass or new beading adds weight, or when a cord has snapped. Adding a little weight to each side fixes most cases. How to Correctly Add More Weight to Your Sash Window

The top sash is heavier than its weights, so it drops open. Weigh the sash and add weight to match. Top sash weights are usually set slightly heavier than the sash so it stays firmly shut.

Add-on weights slide onto the cord above your existing weight, so you can fine-tune the balance without replacing the whole weight. We designed our own with a rounded top so it doesn't catch inside the box. They come in half pound (0.23kg) and one pound (0.45kg). Sash Window Add-On Weights

Weigh the sash on bathroom scales, compare it with the total of the two existing weights, and add the difference, split evenly between both sides. Our free Sash Weight Calculator works it out for you.

Sometimes, because new beading and fresh paint can add a little friction and weight. Test the window after fitting. If it creeps down, add a small add-on weight to each side.

Remove the stop bead, bottom sash and parting bead. Then lift out the pocket cover near the bottom of each pulley stile to reach the weights in the box. How to Take Your Double Hung Sash Window Apart

Use a proper sash cord, not general-purpose rope, as sash cord is braided to resist stretching. We stock 8mm cotton sash cord by Donaghys in 100 metre rolls. Sash Cord

A double hung window has four cords. Allow roughly the height of the frame for each one, plus extra for knots and fixing.

Good cotton cord can last decades, but it gets brittle with age and paint. If one cord has snapped, replace all four while the window is apart. It saves doing the job again later.

A spiral balance is a spring-loaded tube fitted in a channel up each side of the sash, used instead of cords, pulleys and weights. A twisted rod inside the tube winds against the spring as the sash moves, holding it in place. They're common in later or replacement windows with no weight box in the frame.

Yes, we can source them for you on request. They aren't in our online store, but we use them every week in the trade side of our business, so we know which ones work. Call 02 7228 0625 or email sales@lockandlatch.com.

The sash won't stay where you leave it, drops or springs up on its own, or feels much heavier to lift than it used to. A broken or detached rod is another sign. Get in touch and we'll source the right replacement for you.

Balances are sized by tube length and the weight of the sash they carry. Send us a photo of your old balance with its length and any markings or colour code on the end, and we'll help you find a match.

Swapping weights for spiral balances means routing grooves into the sash and losing the original weight system. Going the other way needs a frame with weight boxes, which most spiral balance windows don't have. For heritage windows, we usually recommend keeping and rebalancing the original weights.

The bottom sash comes out for both systems, so the job is similar. If you have spiral balances, check the fit with us before you order and we'll make sure you get the right beading.

Replace them if the wheel is seized, rusted, cracked or noisy, or if the cord keeps jumping off. Old painted-over pulleys can sometimes be freed and oiled, but a new pulley makes the window run silently. Sash Pulleys

Measure the faceplate (length and width) and the wheel diameter of your old pulley, and note whether the faceplate ends are square or rounded (radius). Match those so the new one fits the existing hole in the frame. Not sure? Send us a photo with the measurements.

It's the shape of the faceplate ends. Match whatever is already in your frame so the new pulley fits the existing hole without re-cutting.

A sash fastener (sash lock) sits on the meeting rails and pulls the two sashes together when closed. It secures the window and tightens the seal, so it cuts rattles and draughts too. Sash Fasteners

Choose a Fitch for a quick, classic look, a Brighton for the tightest seal on a heritage window, and add a Remsafe Multibolt when you need a keyed lock or child-safe ventilation. Many customers fit a Fitch or Brighton for looks and a Multibolt for security.

The Fitch is the classic sash fastener. A curved arm on the bottom sash swings round into a hook-shaped keep on the top sash, and its cam shape draws the meeting rails together as it turns, closing the gap and stopping rattles. Classic Fitch Fastener

A Brighton fastener has an arm that swings over the keep, then a threaded knob you screw down to clamp the rails tight. Because you screw it down, it pulls the sashes together harder than a Fitch, which helps seal warped or older windows. Brighton Fastener

A compact keyed lock with a strong 8mm steel bolt. Fit it so the window locks fully closed, or also in a restricted open position for ventilation. It's keyed alike with the rest of the Remsafe range, so one key opens every lock. Remsafe Multibolt

Yes, it's a common setup. The fastener seals and pulls the rails tight, and the Multibolt adds a keyed lock and safe ventilation.

Yes. Each fastener has its own matching keep, and the screw holes rarely line up between styles. Fill the old holes with Evermend or timber filler before fitting the new one.

Sash lifts are the handles screwed to the bottom rail so you can lift the bottom sash. Sash eyes are fitted to the top sash of high windows so you can pull it down with a pole hook. Sash Lifts · Sash Eyes and Pole Hooks

Our traditional sash fasteners are solid brass, in finishes including polished brass, satin chrome, polished chrome and antique brass. Collections by Colour

Match the era of your home and the hardware already in the room. Polished brass suits Victorian and Federation homes, and chrome suits later houses. How to Choose Your Hardware Finish

Yes. We stock casement handles, stays, restrictors and security hardware for timber casement windows. Casement Window Hardware

Fit a window restrictor or locking stop so the sash can only open a small gap, enough for air but too small for a child to fall through. Keep furniture children can climb away from windows too. Sash Restrictors and Locks

A locking window stop is fixed to the frame and stops the sash opening past a set point. A key unlocks it when you need the window fully open, for cleaning or in an emergency. We stock 19mm and 31mm sizes.

In NSW, window safety devices must stop the window opening more than 125mm (12.5cm). Existing strata schemes had to comply by 13 March 2018, and the Building Code has required them in new homes since 1 May 2013. Rules can change, so check NSW Fair Trading for the latest.

Yes. NSW strata schemes must have window safety devices on windows where a child could fall. Window Safety Options for Strata Buildings

The Multibolt is independently tested to comply with the window safety requirements of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), when fitted so the window can't open more than 125mm.

Yes. An adult can release restrictors and locking stops with the key, so the window can still be used as an exit. Keep the key nearby, out of children's reach.

No. They fit with a few small screws and can be removed later with minimal marking. Choose a finish that matches your other hardware so they blend in.

Yes. Under Victoria's new minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals, rental providers must draught proof all external doors, windows and unsealed wall vents. The sealing has to restrict airflow around the whole perimeter of each window without stopping it opening and closing normally. Consumer Affairs Victoria

The new standards come in stages from 1 March 2027, with the draught proofing requirement applying from 1 July 2027. It kicks in when a new rental agreement starts, or when an existing agreement rolls over to month-to-month. Check Consumer Affairs Victoria for the latest details.

Seal the whole perimeter of each sash: the stop bead, parting bead, meeting rail and the top of the top sash. Ecobead does this with brush seals that let the window still slide freely, which is what the standard asks for. Stick-on strips on a sliding sash wear out quickly and often don't seal the parting bead at all. Ecobead Draught Seal Beading

Yes. If the property has gas appliances, the rules require a recent gas safety check by a licensed plumber before draught proofing is completed. If the check finds un-flued or open-flued gas heaters, the property must not be draught proofed until that's resolved, because those heaters need fresh air to run safely.

Yes. While we're based in Sydney, many of our trade customers who fit Ecobead are in Victoria. Contact us and we'll put you in touch with an installer near you: call 02 7228 0625 or email sales@lockandlatch.com.

Yes. We supply rental providers, property managers and tradespeople, and can help you work out how much beading you need across multiple properties. Call us on 02 7228 0625 or email sales@lockandlatch.com.

Usually, yes. Cut out the soft timber back to sound wood, harden the edges with stabiliser, then rebuild the shape with epoxy filler. It's faster and cheaper than splicing in new timber, and keeps the original window. How to Repair a Rotten Timber Window Sill

Evermend is a two-part epoxy timber repair system. It fills, bonds and shapes like timber, then cures hard enough to sand, drill and paint, and it won't shrink, crack or take in moisture. Evermend range

Bog sets rigid and often cracks outdoors as timber moves. Evermend stays slightly flexible, doesn't sag in deep holes and bonds into the wood fibres, so the repair lasts.

The 1 hour cures fast, which suits small repairs and gluing parts. The 4 hour gives you more working time for larger repairs and shaping mouldings. 1 Hour Cartridge · 4 Hour Cartridge

Cartridges mix automatically through the nozzle but need an extrusion gun. Pots need no gun: you measure and mix 3 parts base to 1 part activator by hand. Pots come in 400ml (one cartridge) and 800ml (two). Self Mix Pot · Best Ways to Buy Evermend

Yes, for decayed timber. Stabiliser soaks into and hardens soft wood fibres around the repair so the epoxy bonds to solid material. Evermend Stabiliser

Estimate the volume of each hole (length × width × depth) and add them up. Our free Evermend Epoxy Calculator does the maths and tells you how many cartridges or pots to order.

The 4 hour version is ready to sand and paint after about 4 hours at 20°C. Mixed epoxy has a working life of 25 to 30 minutes, so mix only what you'll use. Cold weather slows curing.

Yes. Customers use it on doors, sills, fascias, bargeboards, verandah posts, balusters and even cracks in log timber. Anywhere timber has rotted or split, it can usually be rebuilt.

Most old timber sash windows are worth repairing. Well-made original timber often outlasts modern replacements, and repair with new cords, draught seals and epoxy costs a fraction of new windows. Replacement makes sense only when most of the frame is beyond repair. Sash Window Repair vs Replacement

Yes. Sound travels through the same gaps air does, so sealing them makes a real difference to traffic and street noise. Our customer Ella in Cheltenham measured a 3.64 dBA drop. Ella's Story

Gaps around old windows let heated or cooled air escape all day. Sealing them is one of the cheapest ways to cut heating and cooling bills. In Ella's case, heat loss fell by 67%.

For many homes it's the best first step. Gaps around the sash often let in more air than the glass lets heat through, and sealing them costs far less than double glazing while keeping the original windows.

Usually, yes. Ecobead looks like traditional beading and doesn't change the window's appearance from outside. If your property is heritage listed, check with your local council first.

Ask your landlord first, since the beading is fixed to the frame. Many landlords agree because it improves the property.

Well-maintained timber sash windows can last 100 years or more, and many Australian homes still have their originals. The keys are keeping the paint in good condition, fixing rot early and replacing worn cords before they snap.

Check them once a year for flaking paint, soft timber, frayed cords and cracked putty. Repaint the outside every few years, or sooner on sunny or exposed sides.

On a windy day, hold a lit incense stick near the edges of the sash, the meeting rail and the top. If the smoke blows sideways, air is getting in. Ecobead Draught Seal Beading

Sash windows are gappy by design. The sashes need small gaps around them so they can slide up and down, and those gaps let the wind move them. Over time the timber also shrinks and wears, so the gaps grow. Brush seals in the stop and parting beads hold the sash firmly, and a fastener that pulls the meeting rails together stops the rest. Sash Fasteners

Run a sharp utility knife along every painted joint between the sash and the beads, inside and out. Then tap gently around the sash with a block of wood to break the seal. Never lever against the glass.

Clean the channels, then rub a candle or a little dry silicone spray along the beads and pulley stiles. Avoid oil and grease, which attract dirt. If it's still stiff, check the balance and cords.

Move the sashes up and down while the paint dries, and don't paint the sliding faces of the sash or the brush seals. Use thin coats rather than one thick one.

Yes. Each pane can be replaced on its own by removing the old putty and glazing points. Glass work carries a real risk of injury, so many people have a glazier do it.

Yes. Cracked putty lets water into the sash timber, which leads to rot, and can leave the glass loose and rattling. Rake out the loose putty and re-putty the glass.

It depends on the job and the window's condition. Airtasker puts typical professional sash window repair at about $100 to $240 per window, and full replacement at around $1,400. Doing it yourself costs far less: our draught seal kits start at $115 per window.

Yes. Secondary glazing is a second pane fitted inside the existing window, adding insulation and noise reduction while leaving the original in place. Draught proofing first gives the biggest benefit for the cost.

Most sash window jobs are within reach of a handy homeowner with basic tools and patience. Call a professional when the window is high up, the timber is badly decayed, the glass is broken, or it's a strata job that needs sign-off.

Yes, if you work slowly and get a helper for the top sash, which is heavy and awkward. The main risks are a sash dropping when a cord is cut, and glass breaking. Hold the sash while you release the cords, and wear gloves and eye protection.

For most jobs: a knife to cut paint seals, a pry bar or chisel to lift off beads, a tape measure, a mitre saw, a hammer and panel pins or a nail gun, and sandpaper. Sealing the meeting rail also needs a router with an 8mm straight bit, and timber repairs need a chisel or multi-tool to cut out rot.

Stop before forcing anything, and call us on 02 7228 0625. Our staff give phone and video call support, and most problems can be sorted in a few minutes.

We can put you in touch with trusted installers who know our products. Find a Trusted Installer

We're in Warriewood on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Pickup is by appointment only, so please contact us first to book a time.

Hardware ships Australia-wide for a $12.95 flat rate. Draught seal beading and weights are quoted separately because of their length and weight, so ask us for a quote by postcode. Shipping

NSW, QLD and VIC metro areas usually take 2 to 5 business days, and regional areas 3 to 14. Perth metro takes up to 10 business days. For other areas, contact us. Allow extra time around Christmas.

Yes. Contact us for a delivery quote.

Yes. Order samples, or visit our Warriewood warehouse by appointment. Contact us to arrange it.

Yes. We supply builders, carpenters, painters and window restorers across Australia. Contact us to talk about trade orders.

We offer 21-day returns. See our returns policy for the details.