How to Take Out an Old Window With Fins

Nail fins are attached to a window assembly to secure the window to the house framing. A weather barrier, siding material and/or window trim covers the fin. When an old window with nail fins is being replaced, the method used to remove it from the house depends on the material used to side the home. For example, removing wood trim from around a window would not be as labor-intensive as chiseling to remove stucco. Whatever the material, you can remove an old window in one hour or less with the right tools.

Utility knife
Putty knife
Magnet
Flat pry bar with nail puller

Instructions

- 1
  Place the cutting edge of a utility knife in the seam between the window frame and the putty, running the blade along the length of the window glass. Scrape out the remaining putty with a putty knife.
- 2
  Remove the glazier's points from the frame. These are the small metal tabs that hold the glass in the frame. Pry the tabs out with the edge of the putty knife and catch them with a magnet if you want to keep them.
- 3
  Take out the old glass from the window frame.
- 4
  Remove the exterior trim that surrounds the window. Peel back the plastic weather barrier to expose the nail fins.
- 5
  Pry up slightly on the fin near each nail to raise the nail head enough to grasp it with a nail puller. Remove all of the nails from each fin.
- 6
  Remove the old window from the frame. Have a helper on the inside for extra support if needed.

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