REMOVING OLD ALUMINUM WINDOWS Written by John Rocco
This week we are going to talk about process of actually removing your aluminum windows in preparation for installing vinyl replacement windows. Let's start with a horizontal sliding window, which is pretty common nationwide. There is going to be a sliding panel and a stationary panel. You want to remove slider first. All you do is slide panel open, grab sides of panel with your hands,lift up and swing out. Under ideal circumstances, it would be that easy. However, there are small obstacles that can prevent you from lifting out panel.Many sliding windows have rollers on top as well as bottom. The top rollers don't actually do anything, they are there more as spares to replace bottom rollers when they wear out. But many times window installer will adjust these top rollers to prevent anyone from lifting out panel. If this is case with your windows, there will be a screw at top of each side rail. If you loosen these screws, then lift up on panel, it should come out. Another obstacle involves a little piece of rubber that manufacturer places in top track. This rubber piece has same effect as adjusting top rollers. It prevents you from lifting out panel because it's wedged between top of window panel and top of upper track. If you can see that window panel isn't lifting all way up in top track, and top rollers are not reason, then you have to dig out that rubber piece. It's usually at point in center, where sliding panel and fixed panel overlap when window is closed. Reach in there with a long, thin screwdriver, and try to pry it out. Once you have slider out, take out screen. You can just pull it out. No need to be gentle since you're throwing it away anyway. The last step is fixed panel removal. There are a few different applications here. All of them will have a center vertical bar. It's usually there to accept locking mechanism on slider, but not always. Look for screws holding this center bar in place. They will either be on outside top and bottom, or you might find them on side channel where screen would go. Check top and bottom corners. Assuming you found screws and removed them, you now need to take center bar off. Take a screw driver and a hammer and tap center bar at very bottom. Tap it off fixed panel frame. Now, pull fixed panel away from side where it rests in side channel. What you are trying to do is slide fixed panel open same way that you did sliding panel. Then, you can lift fixed panel up and out. Sometimes, fixed panel won't want to slide open because it has gotten stuck in side track. You can put a screw driver into side channel and pry fixed panel away from side. It doesn't matter if you bend frame that's still attached to house, because we are going to hide all of that anyway.
| | Why laminate flooring is the perfect choice for family householdsWritten by S.A. Smith
If you've ever had carpets or vinyl flooring you've probably had your share of stains, spills, and rips that no matter what you do, you can't quite wash out. Or perhaps family pet has scratched carpet edging, or even worse - had a bathroom mishap on children's favorite playing area? Your flooring nightmares can finally end! Laminate flooring was designed to stand up to rigors and demands of a busy family household and when compared to other types of flooring solutions easily outperforms in almost every category. Here our our top reasons for selecting laminate flooring for a family household: Laminate flooring is tough Designed with a tough and durable wear layer, it is much stronger than most installed solid hardwood flooring, vinyl's, and carpets. It stands up much better to dents and scratches that softer surface of solid hardwood floors, and is a much better surface to install if you have heavy foot traffic, kids, or household pets. Best of all - it continues to look brand new even after years of wear and tear. Stain, fade, and moisture resistant Most laminate flooring manufacturers offer triple warranty protection against stains, fading and moisture damage for 25 years. In contrast, solid hardwood floors are susceptible to wood grain staining, fading in repeated sunlight exposure, and are not a suitable floor for areas with high moisture or humidity levels. Laminate flooring is easy to install The popular quality brands of laminate flooring have gravitated towards a glueless click together floating floor installation process. These floors simply need to be cut to size, clicked together, and are immediately ready to walk on or place your furniture. Most weekend do-it-yourselfers can handle this installation, but should expect to take 2 - 3 times longer than a professional installer.
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