Randomly stumbled across a video about window capping yesterday and apparently aluminum capping can actually protect your wooden window frames from moisture and rot. Who knew? Seems doable enough, but I'm curious if anyone here's tried tackling this themselves...
Funny you mention it, I actually gave aluminum capping a shot a couple summers back after watching way too many DIY videos. Honestly, the hardest part was getting the bends neat and tidy—mine looked like they'd been through a blender at first. But once I got the hang of it (and borrowed my neighbor's brake tool), it wasn't half bad. Definitely saved my old wooden frames from another soggy winter...and probably bought me a few more years before biting the bullet on replacements.
"Honestly, the hardest part was getting the bends neat and tidy—mine looked like they'd been through a blender at first."
Haha, same here...my first attempt looked more like abstract art than window capping. Borrowing a brake tool definitely helps, but I found that marking the aluminum clearly before bending made a huge difference too. Once you get past the initial frustration, it's oddly satisfying. Plus, my windows survived another winter without rotting away, so that's a win in my book.
My first try wasn't exactly museum-worthy either—let's just say my neighbors got some free entertainment that day. I agree, clear marking is key, but I also found that practicing on a few scrap pieces beforehand helped me get a feel for the brake tool pressure and angle. Once you get comfortable with it, the process becomes pretty intuitive. And like you said, seeing those windows hold up through harsh weather is definitely rewarding.
Good tip about practicing first—I hadn't thought of that. Also, marking clearly makes sense; I imagine it saves a lot of frustration later. Might give this a shot once the weather warms up a bit...
Practicing is definitely helpful, but honestly, marking everything out beforehand might not always save as much frustration as you'd think. I've found that sometimes measurements shift slightly once you start bending and fitting the metal—especially if your window frames aren't perfectly square (mine definitely weren't...). Maybe it's just my old house, but I wonder if anyone else has run into similar issues with marking too precisely ahead of time?