Leicester grew fastest between 1860 and 1914, and the houses of that period — the terraces of Clarendon Park, Highfields and the West End, the villas of Stoneygate and Knighton, the Victorian townhouses along New Walk and London Road — were built with painted softwood box sash windows almost without exception. A century and more on, most are still in place, and most have never had more than a coat of paint.
That is the work we do in Leicester: freeing sashes that have been painted shut, replacing snapped cords and rebalancing the cast-iron weights, cutting out rot from sills and bottom rails and splicing in new timber, reglazing cracked panes, fitting discreet brush-pile draught seals and repainting the whole window properly. The original frame stays in the wall; the draughts, rattles and sticking go.
Much of the city's period housing sits in a conservation area — Stoneygate, New Walk, South Highfields, the old village centres of Knighton, Evington and Aylestone — where a like-for-like repair keeps you clear of planning. We work across the whole city, including Westcotes, Braunstone, Belgrave, Humberstone and Oadby, and offer free, no-obligation quotes.
If your property is in Leicester and the windows need attention, contact our team for a free, no-obligation quote, or call 0116 360 2080.
Sash window specialists in Leicester
Leicester Sash restores period timber windows for private homeowners, landlords and property managers in Leicester and across Leicestershire. The services we are asked for most often are:
- Structural sash window restoration — rot repairs, spliced timber, new sills
- Re-cording, rebalancing and easing seized sashes
- Draught-proofing with discreet brush-pile seals
- Reglazing — cracked panes, loose putty, missing glass
- Window painting and full redecoration
- Listed-building and conservation-area work
- Slim double-glazed sashes for original frames
- French door and casement repairs
- Fully insured
- Free estimates
- East Midlands based
- Heritage & listed-building experience
Structural sash window restoration
We replace rotten timber and repair damaged frames and sills. Where the decay is localised we cut it out and splice in matched new timber; where it is shallow, a two-part epoxy repair consolidates the wood. Either way the original frame stays in the wall.
Sash window redecoration in Leicester
A restored window needs a proper paint system to stay restored. We strip failed paint back to a sound surface, prime bare timber, fill and sand, and finish with a durable exterior system — by brush or by spray for the smoothest finish.
Draught-proofing in Leicester
We fit discreet brush-pile draught seals to the existing sashes — routed into the parting and staff beads and the meeting rail — so the window sits snugly, stops rattling and keeps out cold air, dust and street noise without changing how it looks.
Functional repairs
Snapped cords, dropped sashes, seized windows and rattling glass are everyday work for us. We re-cord with waxed cotton cord, rebalance the cast-iron weights, ease and adjust the sashes and re-putty loose glass so the window opens, closes and locks as it should.
Problems we can help with
- Sash windows in need of repair or restoration
- Windows that are difficult to open or close, or painted shut
- Draughts, rattles and street noise through the window
- Sashes that will not stay up, or drop shut
- Rotten or decayed timber frames and sills
- Paint that is cracking, flaking or peeling
- Missing, cracked or misted glass panes
- Loose or missing putty
A cost-effective alternative to replacement
Restoring an original sash window is nearly always a fraction of the cost of replacing it, and the repaired window — dense, slow-grown timber with a modern paint system and draught seals — will usually outlast a new one. We quote for each window individually after a survey, so you know exactly what is being done and why.
