How to Install Vinyl Windows

Most houses have to retrofit windows because the measurements of the old windows are odd sizes. Home Depot, Lowes and other major hardware stores won't carry the odd sizes so you will have to retrofit (special order) the new window. In this case, my friends, the Chases, have new construction size windows. Meaning the windows are 4x4, 3x3, 5x5, etc (even though it is not a newly built home). This means that Home Depot and Lowes will carry these size windows and there is no special ordering involved. However, these windows come with a plastic flange that plaster or siding will attach to. I will be cutting off this plastic flange so we don't have to damage the existing plaster and re-lathe and plaster around the new window. This way will save time and money. I will be adding backer rod and caulking to it. I'll show you. Let's make it happen!


Your standard 4x4 wood window. We want to update the house by putting in a new standard 4x4 vinyl window.

First we want to measure the existing RO (rough opening) to make sure that the window that we purchased will fit in there BEFORE we take apart the old window.

Now that we know that the new window will fit we want to take out the old window without breaking it and the way we do that is by prying all the existing molding from the inside jams. Those are what are holding the window in.

From the inside of the house you want to take out all the casing (molding) from around the window. Without this molding the window should come right out.

Most old sliding wood windows will have a wire or some kind of spring on the sides of the window so that the window won't slam shut. When taking out the window you'll have to remove this wire or spring. In this case it's a spring and we're cutting it off with snips.

Now that we have our inside pane removed we move to the outside. Pop the exterior moldings off and....

it should slide right out! Again we'll have to snip out the spring. On this particular window both panes were able to slide so both panes had a spring (or in some cases a wire)

Break time! Just kidding. Now that we have our old, outdated window taken out and the inside jams are all smooth (no nails) we're ready to install the new window. First let me show you what I was talking about with that flange.

This flange is used to attach to the king studs (the 2x4s on the sides), the head (the 4x4 on the top) and the sill (the 2x4 on the bottom). We will not be using these flanges to attach the window to our framing because we do not want to mess up our existing plaster. If we were to use these flanges we would have to take 6 inches of plaster out all the way around the window and then screw the flanges to the existing framing (king studs, head and sill). I would not recommend cutting the flange off unless you have a 3/4 inch slope windowsill. With the 3/4 inch slope windowsill water will never enter the window because water travels downhill and not uphill.

You want to pre-drill a hole in the bottom, top and sides of the window so that once you have the window up it's easier to screw it in.

Center your window. In this case we have a 48 inch RO (rough opening) and a 47 1/2 inch window. So, by centering the window you will have a 1/4 inch gap on each side of the window. Set a 1/4 inch shim on each side of the bottom of the window and screw both ends of the bottom. Make sure you are flush with the interior of the drywall so the molding can go right around it.

Level up the side and...

screw the top. Again, make sure the top is flush with the interior drywall. The exterior side doesn't really matter right now because you are going to cover it with molding anyway. Do the same to both sides of the window.

Now with the window installed add backer rod (a foam round backing) Backer rod is so that you don't waste a lot of caulking. You want to push your backer rod about 1/4 inch into the gap between the window and the framing. Install the backer rod all the way around the window. **Side note: Another option is to use spray foam but to me it's messy (it'll get all over your new window), it costs more and backer rod is just plain easier to work with. **

With your backer rod installed go ahead and caulk around the window applying the caulk against the backer rod (1/4 inch deep). Most caulking says it won't shrink but just in case check it in the morning and make sure there are no shrink spots. Shrink spots are gaps or holes where water can get through and cause water damage. After your caulking go ahead and apply your finish molding to the inside and outside of your window.

And...you're done! Once again...we made it happen! Stay tuned to see how me and Mr. Michael Chase apply the molding.

P.S. Thanks to my friend, Heather, for taking some great pictures and helping me with this project!

Replacing an Old Exhaust Fan

Today's project - How to Install an Exhaust Fan. An exhaust fan is used to eliminate steam from taking a hot shower. It also serves to eliminate the unpleasant odors that may occur after a night out at a Mexican restaurant! lol.

I am replacing an old exhaust fan that no longer works. So the first thing I need to do is remove the old cover. Then go into the attic and see what we're working with. WOW! Three things I don't like about this.

(1) This crappy electrical that was ran. If you look close you can see that it is exposed and the wires don't even have wire nuts on them. They are just taped together which is not the proper way to finish.

(2) There is a plumbing pipe ran right across our exhaust fan that we want to take out of the ceiling.

(3) The old exhaust fan didn't even have a duct attached to it. Therefore, all the steam and smell was just in the attic. That can cause a bad mold problem in your drywall. No bueno!

Now that we've removed our old exhaust fan...

...we are going to put the new exhaust fan in a different spot to move it away from the plumbing pipe.


Take your new exhaust fan and mark out the exact size with a marker and mark all the way around it. Make sure before you mark it that it's nicely squared, centered and right where you want it to be.

Then just cut out the square right on your line. Save the piece that you cut out to use later to patch up the hole from the old exhaust fan! (Money saving tip!)

Make sure you find the right breaker that controls the power to your exhaust fan and make sure it's off. To check if the power is off you can use your tongue or.....the safe way is to use an electrical tester. :)

Connect your basic wiring. Black on black, white on white, ground on ground.

Install the fan fixture.

Make sure everything is screwed on tight.

Go ahead and plug in your light fixture and install your bulb.

Put the cover on and you're done! Mmmm...not quite.







We have to install our ducts so the steam and our unpleasant air can be blown outside. We don't want it just circulating inside our attic. The steam can create mold if it gets on the drywall. This is something that they didn't do with the old exhaust fan.

It's best to chose the 'accordion' type duct. It stretches between 2ft and 4ft so you have a margin for error.

The duct that we are using is 4 inches in diameter so using a hole saw at 4 inches you can drill a hole into the plaster. Insert your duct. Don't forget to caulk around your ducts for waterproofing.

Insert plastic fitting onto the exhaust fan.

Then attach your accordion type duct from the plastic fitting to the duct.

Don't forget to attach your hose clamps to secure it.

Now we have to patch up the existing hole because we moved the exhaust fan over to avoid the plumbing pipes. Remember when we marked the ceiling for the new exhaust fan? Use the piece you cut out to patch the hole from the old exhaust fan and you won't have to buy drywall!

Apply your yellow mesh.



Then apply your mud around the joints.

Not bad for a first coat. Two more coats and we're ready to paint. To learn more about how to patch drywall see my old post titled, "Got a Hole in the Wall?"

Turn the power back on and make sure everything works. And now we're done! Way to make it happen!

Going From Paint to Stain

For this project I have a wooden handrail that goes on top of a low wall in a staircase. The wood has several coats of paint on it and the owner of the home would like the wood to be replaced with a wood that has a cherry stain. Instead of replacing the wood I've talked him into stripping the original wood and staining it. His house was built in the 1970s and I know that underneath this paint will be some really nice wood. I know it's more work but I also know that if I were to replace the wood with a piece of wood from Home Depot I wouldn't be able to find a nice piece of wood without knots. This way the finished product will look much better than a new piece of wood that may have flaws in it. So, let's get to work.

Materials Needed for this job:

a Makita belt sander, a can of paint stripper, cherry stain (or the stain color of your choice), a finish glossy clear coat, 2 clean paint brushes, a putty knife

When sanding you might want to use a respirator or a great dust mask. You can't be too safe or sure that the paint that is on your wood is safe to breathe in.

Hey, the sanding is working pretty good. I can see at least four or five different coats of paint on here. Lol!


The sanding is working pretty good but I want to see how this paint stripper works for future projects.

I'm applying the paint stripper spray on the second plank just to see if I can save time. At $9 a can I'm a little skeptical.

Here's how it looks after I've sprayed the entire plank. Make sure you let it set for at least 15 minutes.

After about 15-20 minutes go ahead and start scraping off the layers of paint with a plastic putty knife. It's taking the paint off but it seems like it's only taking off one layer at a time. At 15-20 minutes per layer, I don't have that kind of time. Remember: time is money! So I prefer the sanding method.
I used a 50 grit piece of sand paper then after most of the paint was off I used an 80 grit and then used a 120 grit to make sure there were no rough edges. Like I said, this is a handrail....we don't want any splinters.


What'd I tell you about that 1970 wood? Told you there would be no knots. Just nice pretty grain (besides my pre-drilled holes that I put in to use to screw it into the wall)

Wow, look at that wood! Now let's get ready to stain it! Before you stain make sure that there is no dust or debris on your wood. You can use a tack cloth to take care of that problem.

We're using a Minwax wood finish cherry stain. Make sure you shake your quart up really well before you open it.

When applying your stain you don't have to use a real expensive brush. Just a cheap throw away one will be okay because you'll never be able to use it again anyway. VERY IMPORTANT: When you apply the stain make sure you go with the grain!

After applying the stain I usually grab a couple of paper towels and wipe it down being careful once again, to go with the grain. This helps it to really seal the wood and saves on drying time.

After about 20-30 minutes you can go ahead and apply your gloss (varnish). On this one I use a decent paint brush. This is the finished product and you want it to be smooth and shiny.

Again, with your paint brush you are going to go with the grain and the more coats you put on it the shinier it will get. For this project I'm just putting on two coats.

Remember what they looked like before....ooooooooh.....Take a look at what they look like now.........aaaaaahhh! Not bad huh? I think the owner will be pleased! Catch you guys on the next project!