Re-View was selected to fabricate 760 replica wood window sash for The Academy School project in Buffalo, New York. We worked with a local contractor who was responsible for all field labor. The contractor provided Re-View with sample window parts to be replicated and field measurements of every opening.
Re-View’s engineers took the samples of the window sash to establish the design of the replicas. We matched every element of the existing design including stile width, rail width, interior sticking, exterior putty sticking, and mortise and tenon joinery. We produce detailed shop drawings documenting the original design along with the proposed replica so the owner and the construction team could review all materials used and the details of the design.
We used mahogany wood for the replica sash because of its proven durability to withstand the elements. It is our intent when fabricating replica sash to utilize a wood species that will have the same durability of the wood being replaced. We are not fans of using woods like Ponderosa pine that is commonly used by other manufacturers because of the limited lifespan of this material.
The only change to the design of the replica sash was the inclusion of insulated glass. Re-View prefers to glaze the sash as true divided lite so the glass can be easily replaced if broken or the seal fails. We utilize an interior removable stop for this reason and a wet silicone seal on the exterior. Re-View selects glass that has the same visual light reflectance as the original single pane so it is historically compatible.
We also applied a factory finish to the interior and the exterior of the window sash. The contractor supplied our team with color and stain samples that were matched by our paint department. On this project, the exterior received an acrylic latex paint and the interior had a luscious stain that matched the interior wood trim. We only use the finest finishes by manufacturers such as Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, PPG, and Fine Paints of Europe.
The Academy School project is a great example of how Re-View can work with local window restoration contractors to fabricate large numbers of custom window components in a short period of time.
History of The Academy School
The Academy School in Buffalo, New York is one of the many historic schools that were constructed in the early 1900’s when Buffalo was a thriving metropolitan area. The State of New York and the City of Buffalo dedicated a significant sum to restore this and other schools in the area due to their historic architecture.
