Can You Replace Just the Sash on an Old Casement Window?

The short answer

Yes. On most wood casement windows, you can replace the sash and keep the frame.

Fenster builds wood replacement sashes and casement hardware for old and discontinued window brands. If your casement is drafty, sticking, or rotting, a new sash usually fixes it. Your frame, trim, and interior walls stay put.

Your window isn’t shot. One part of it is.

A casement window has two main pieces. The frame is built into your wall. The sash is the part that swings open when you turn the crank.

The sash takes the beating. It moves every time you open it. It catches rain on the outside and condensation on the inside. Over 30 or 40 years, that adds up.

Here’s what we see most often:

• The bottom rail of the sash rots out where water sits.
• The glass fogs because the seal failed.
• The crank spins but the window doesn’t move.
• The sash drags, sticks, or won’t close tight.
• You can feel air coming in around the edges in January.

None of those problems live in your frame. So why tear the frame out? For a closer look, read what actually fails in wood windows.

Sash or hardware? A two-minute check

Open the window and take a look. You’ll know more than most salespeople who show up at your door.

What you see	What it usually means	What you need
Soft or crumbling wood on the sash	Rot	New sash
Fog or moisture between the panes	Failed glass seal	New sash, or new glass if the wood is solid
Crank turns but the window won’t move	Stripped operator gears	New operator
Sash sags or drags on the sill	Worn hinges	New hinges
Window won’t lock or pull tight	Worn handle or lock	New handle set
Soft wood on the frame or sill itself	Frame rot	Call us before you order anything

Push a screwdriver into the wood. If it sinks in easily, that’s rot. If it doesn’t, you’re probably looking at a hardware fix, and that’s a cheap one.

Foggy glass in a solid sash? A local glass shop may be able to replace just the glass. We don’t sell loose glass, but here’s how glass replacement works on a Caradco window.

Which brands can you get a replacement casement sash for?

Most of the casements we build replace windows from brands that closed, got bought out, or stopped making that line. The big box store can’t help with these. A generic operator won’t line up with your mounting holes. A generic sash won’t match the window next to it.

We build casement sashes for:

• Caradco
• Norco
• Pozzi
• MW, Wenco, Bilt-Best, Malta, Kolbe, Rockwell, Windsor, Semco, and others

For Caradco, Norco, and Pozzi, we’re the only U.S. manufacturer still building replacement sashes.

Don’t see your brand? Send us photos anyway. We’ve built for a lot of windows that never made this list.

Where we ship

Every sash is built in our shop in Noblesville, Indiana, and ships across the country.

Pozzi windows originally came out of Bend, Oregon, so a lot of our Pozzi sashes head west. We run our own deliveries to the West Coast. Pozzi owners, start here.

Will a replacement sash fit my window?

If we build for your brand, yes. We make each sash to the original profile and size, so it sets into your existing frame and lines up with the windows around it.

Fit comes down to three things:

1. Your brand. Look for a logo etched in the corner of the glass. Check the hinge track, the operator cover, or the edge of the sash when it’s open.
2. Your sash size. Measure the outside edges of the sash itself, not the glass and not the opening. Get the width, height, and thickness. Give us the real numbers. Don’t take anything off for fit. We handle that. More measuring tips here.
3. Your hardware. Take a close-up photo of how the crank arm and hinges attach to the sash.

Can’t find a brand name anywhere? That’s normal on a 50-year-old window. Stop trying to identify your window. Just show us the rectangle.

What we make for casement windows

• Wood casement replacement sashes built to your original profile and size
• Casement operators (the crank mechanism)
• Hinges
• Handle sets and locks

Each sash carries a 10-year factory warranty.

You can replace one sash or all of them. If only the kitchen window is rotting, fix the kitchen window. Nobody here is going to talk you into doing the whole house.

Most homeowners spend 50 to 70 percent less than they would on full window replacement. Here’s what wood window replacement really costs.

When a new sash isn’t the answer

We’d rather lose a sale than sell you the wrong fix.

If the frame or sill is rotted through, a new sash won’t solve it. Same goes for water getting into the wall around the window. Those are frame and flashing problems, and sometimes full replacement is the right call.

Not sure which one you have? Send us photos and ask. You can also compare your window replacement alternatives.

Quick answers

Can I replace just one casement sash?

Yes. Order one, ten, or the whole house. Most people start with the worst window.

Can I reuse my old crank and hinges?

Often, yes. If they still work, you can move them to the new sash.

Do I need a contractor to install it?

Most DIYers can handle it. If you can remove the old sash from the hinges and operator arm, you can set the new one.

Do you ship outside Indiana?

Yes. We ship nationwide and run our own deliveries to the West Coast.

Ready to fix the window you’ve got?

Grab your phone, take a few photos, and pull out a tape measure. Then send it all through our casement order form.

First time ordering? Read how to order a replacement sash without overthinking it.

We’ll tell you straight what you need. Your home is worth saving.