Painting Exterior Window Frames

Tools and Materials Required

Note - Here are the best UK shops for buying tools.

Large paint scraper. Also known as a tungsten carbide scraper because of the type of blade it has.

Sandpaper. Abrasive paper from grit P40 (coarse grit) to P120 (finer grit). Note the higher the grit number, the finer the sandpaper, and the more slowly and carefully paint is removed. Or buy 50 grit belt sanding paper as it lasts longer.

Sanding block.

Paint brush. 1 inch paint brush.

Window scraper (optional).

Masking tape.

Gloss paint for finishing coat.

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Painting Windows - Step by Step

Preparing the Window Frame for Painting

Remove old flaky paint. Scrape it off with a scraper then brush down any scraped surfaces with a wire brush, being careful not to scratch the window pane.

If the old paint does not come off fully with a scraper alone, you may have to torch it off.

Prepare the surface by lightly sanding over the old paintwork with medium-grade sandpaper. Hand sand with a fine 180 grit sandpaper until all the shine disappears (a coarser 80 grit sandpaper could be used to quickly remove imperfections, but otherwise is too coarse).

Dust off with a clean dry paint brush.

If you wish, you can use a window scraper to remove old paint splashes from the window pane.

Paint any metal details with rust-proof paint.

Use an oil-based undercoat. A fast drying oil based primer will prevent any wood staining coming through.

Oil the scraped wood. Apply liberally and evenly with a lint-free cloth or good quality brush. Work into the wood and keep applying until the wood stops absorbing.

Apply masking tape to the glass, 2mm away from the wooden frame. Allowing 2mm of paint onto the glass helps to prevent moisture getting into the wood.

Apply a top coat of oil-based gloss.

Painting the Window

Paint early in the day, to give enough time to dry so you can close the windows at night.

Related search phrases:

How to paint exterior windows

How to prepare windows for painting