Splice Don't Replace · Linseed Paint System · From £165 per repair
Timber window repair in Edinburgh covers sash and case sashes, traditional timber casements, Victorian box bays, and Georgian astragal frames. The standard intervention is rot-cut-and-splice: the decayed timber is cut out cleanly, a matched-grain seasoned softwood splice scarfed in, and the whole frame re-painted in a breathable linseed-oil system. From £165 per repair, with most flat jobs completed in a single visit.
Edinburgh's climate puts timber windows through 1,700mm of horizontal rain a year, often driven against west and south elevations. Rot starts almost exclusively at three points: the bottom rail of the lower sash where rainwater drives onto the meeting rail, the top of the cill where water pools against the bottom of the box, and the bottom of the pulley stiles where moisture wicks down inside the box. Modern acrylic paints make the problem worse because they trap moisture against the timber — which is why we only use breathable linseed-oil paint on heritage timber.
We never use polyester resin filler on heritage timber windows. Resin traps moisture, accelerates rot in the timber behind it, and fails cosmetically within 5 years. The correct repair is to cut the decayed section out cleanly, scarf in a matched-grain piece of seasoned softwood with marine-grade adhesive (Sikaflex or Resorcinol), pin and clamp, then plane flush and paint. A properly spliced repair lasts 40+ years and is structurally stronger than the original timber.
When the cill is rotten through (rather than just the top face) the only correct intervention is full cill replacement in like-for-like timber. We template the original profile, machine a replacement from Accoya or seasoned redwood, route in the drip groove and the weather bar, then bed the new cill in lead-and-silicone over the stone reveal. The work takes a full day per cill and costs £485 fixed. On a conservation property the replacement profile is approved by the council as a matched detail.
Every repaired timber window gets a three-coat linseed-oil paint system (Allbäck or Holkham as standard): a thinned primer to feed the timber, a body coat, then a top coat. This system breathes — moisture can move out of the timber rather than being trapped against it — so the repair lasts 12–15 years before re-painting instead of the 4–6 years you get from modern acrylic paint. Colour-matching is done from the original sample, not from a swatch, so the finish blends with the rest of the terrace.
We don't replace timber windows with uPVC unless the property is outside a conservation area and the client specifically asks. We don't use polyester resin filler. We don't paint over wet timber. We don't fit modern bituminous DPC under a cill because it traps moisture against the stone reveal. And we don't run hourly rates — every quote is fixed before work starts, and any extras found on the day are absorbed within the original price.
From £165 for a single sash bottom-rail splice, £285 for a casement frame corner splice, £485 for a full cill replacement, £895 for a pair of sashes fully overhauled. Lead time is typically 2–3 weeks; emergency rot work is often same-week. 5-year workmanship guarantee on splices, 10-year on full cill replacement.
Door is solid, locks beautifully, and matched the listed-building colour the council insisted on. Faultless fitting.
Hugh M., Newington EH9 — Composite door + side panel · 5/5 ·
Listed-building paperwork sorted for us, original sashes saved, and the front room is no longer a wind tunnel. Brilliant from quote to completion.
James & Catriona R., Stockbridge EH3 — Sash & case restoration + secondary glazing · 5/5 ·