“getting them square in an older frame took a bit more patience than I expected. If the opening isn’t true, you really notice it in the seal...”
That’s the tricky part with old houses, for sure. I’ve had to shim and re-check level so many times, especially when the framing’s settled over decades. Sliders do seem to drop in easier, but then you’re dealing with those tracks filling up with fur and dust—cleaning’s a pain, like you said. Ever try using a foam backer rod to help with uneven seals? It’s saved me some headaches on drafty installs.
I hear you on the foam backer rod—used that trick a bunch, especially on my last place where nothing was remotely square. It fills those weird gaps way better than just caulking alone, and you don’t end up with a mess when the caulk shrinks or cracks later.
For install headaches, I actually found double-hung windows to be a little more forgiving in my 1920s house, but only because the frames were so out of whack. With sliders, yeah, they’re easier to drop in if the opening’s decent, but if there’s any twist in the frame, the tracks just don’t sit right and you get binding or air leaks. Double-hungs, at least the ones I used, had more adjustability with the stops and sash channels—plus you can tweak them a bit after install if you have to.
Cleaning though... sliders are brutal for pet hair and gunk. I have two cats and those lower tracks are basically fur magnets. Double-hungs aren’t perfect either—I’ve found dead bugs in the balances more than once—but at least I can tilt them in to clean without lying on the ground.
One thing I ran into with double-hungs: if your sill’s really out of level, getting both sashes to seal tight is a pain. Had to mess around with sill adapters and extra weatherstripping on a couple windows. Not sure there’s a perfect solution when your house has settled an inch or two over the years.
If I had to do it again, I’d probably lean double-hung for old frames just for that extra wiggle room during install. But honestly, neither option is truly “easy” in an old house... unless you’re lucky enough to have one of those rare square openings left!
I get where you’re coming from with the double-hungs having more fudge room, but honestly, I’ve had the opposite experience a few times—especially with newer vinyl units. The adjustability is there on paper, but if the opening’s really out of whack, those sashes can get stubborn. Sometimes you end up chasing your tail trying to get both sashes to seal up tight and move smoothly. I’ve seen more than one homeowner end up with drafts just because the frame was too far gone for the window’s “wiggle room” to make up for it.
Sliders aren’t perfect either, but I’ve had better luck shimming them square and then just accepting that the trim will hide some sins. If the opening’s way off, sure, you’ll get some binding, but at least you’re only dealing with one moving part instead of two. Plus, fewer moving parts usually means fewer things to go wrong down the line.
Cleaning is definitely a pain on sliders—pet hair in those tracks is like a magnet for gunk. But if we’re talking install headaches only, I’d still take a slider over fighting with double-hung sashes in a wonky frame any day. Maybe I’m just cursed with bad luck on old double-hungs...
I totally get what you mean about the "wiggle room" not always saving you with double-hungs.
That was exactly my experience last fall. My house is from the 60s and the frames are all over the place. I tried double-hung in one bedroom and just could not get rid of a tiny draft, no matter how much I fiddled with it. Ended up going with a slider in the kitchen and, yeah, cleaning the track is annoying, but install was way less stressful. Guess it really does depend on how wonky your openings are.Sometimes you end up chasing your tail trying to get both sashes to seal up tight and move smoothly.
Yeah, sliders aren’t perfect but I’d take them over fighting with double-hungs in a crooked frame any day. I tried to make my old double-hung work in the living room—new weatherstripping, adjusting the stops...still had that sneaky little draft. Swapped it for a slider and while I do curse at the crumbs in the track, at least it actually closes up tight. Sometimes it’s just cutting your losses and working with what you’ve got, especially in these older houses.
- I get what you mean about “cutting your losses,” but I actually had way less trouble with my double-hung install than the slider in my kitchen.
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— That’s fair, but for me, the slider kept sticking in the track no matter how level I tried to get it.“at least it actually closes up tight”
- With the double-hung, I could at least adjust the sashes a bit. It was fussy, but at least I didn’t have to vacuum the tracks every week.
- Maybe it just depends on how out-of-square your frames are... or maybe I just got lucky (for once).
Funny, I had the opposite experience—my slider in the basement was a breeze, but the double-hungs upstairs gave me headaches with the old, wonky frames. I do agree about the cleaning, though. Those slider tracks are dust magnets, especially with pets around. Did you notice any draft issues with either type after install? I always worry about that with vinyl windows, especially in winter.
Drafts are always my big worry with vinyl, too. Honestly, I’ve found it comes down more to the install than the window type—if the old frames are out of square, double-hungs can be a pain to get tight. Did you end up using extra insulation around the jambs? Sometimes that’s made all the difference for me, especially in older homes. Sliders do seem to attract every dust bunny in the house, though...
I hear you on the dust with sliders—seems like they’re magnets for every stray bit of fuzz. Honestly, I’d rather wrestle with a slider than try to get a double-hung tight in an old, crooked frame. I always end up shimming and stuffing insulation everywhere just to get something close to square. Still, if the opening’s halfway decent, double-hungs are a smoother ride. But yeah, in these old houses, nothing’s ever square... it’s always a bit of a gamble.
Yeah, nothing’s ever square in these old places. I’ve had jobs where you pull out the old double-hungs and realize the opening’s more like a parallelogram than a rectangle. Sliders can be a pain with all the dust, but sometimes they’re just easier to fudge into a weird opening. Still, if you want something that looks right in an old house, double-hungs win for style—even if it means breaking out the shims and cursing under your breath for an hour.