How To Paint Wooden Window Frames

Download Commodity

Download Article

Window frames provide a decorative and protective box around window panes. The frames are usually wooden, and painting them generally requires a great corporeality of attention to detail. The goal of any paint task on window frames is to make your windows look rejuvenated and fantastic while preventing messy mistakes. With a little flake of time and care, you'll have your window frame looking keen in no time!

1
Put down a towel in front of the window. This is simply a precautionary measure to catch the one-time pigment that falls to the basis once you commencement scraping it off. Having a towel downwardly saves you a lot of time in the futurity so you don't have to worry well-nigh vacuuming or extensive cleanup.^[1]
- Employ a towel that you don't mind getting dirty or ruined. If y'all don't accept a towel, employ whatever old piece of material.
- You tin can as well keep your driblet-cloth in identify by sticking tape on the footing by the edge of the wall and pressing the edge of your cloth into the record.
- It should be noted hither that this process is the same whether your window frame is metal or wood. However, if your frame is metal, stripping the paint is even more of import in order to combat rust.^[2]
2
Scrape the one-time paint off using a scraper or painter's multi-tool. Do this past earthworks the edge of the tool into the pigment and then pushing down and forward into the window frame. Be careful not to scratch the window pane hither if yous are getting near it.
- When finished, the surface doesn't demand to be completely free from all traces of pigment, just the bulk of it.^[3]
- For smaller areas, employ a modest scraper which will be able to become into the corners and parts a large scraper cannot.
Advertisement
three
Fill in whatsoever holes created by nails with regular spackling putty. Spackle is essentially a putty that is used to fill in holes or imperfections. It then hardens and provides a neutral, apartment surface to paint over. Apply it by using a scraper and spreading it on sort of like butter.
- More often than not speaking, less is more with spackle every bit you don't want to put and so much on that it forms a mound. You tin always apply more than later.
- You can buy spackle very cheaply from any hardware store.^[four]
4
Sand downwards the frame and patched areas using 240-grit sandpaper. Sanding the frame down has several benefits. The first of these is that it actually helps the pigment stick better when y'all eventually employ the coat. Secondly, it creates a nice even surface for you to work on so you don't have to worry about finishing painting but to find the frame is bumpy.
- A good technique when sanding is to loving cup the sandpaper in your palm and gently rub the surface that you lot are working on. Long, smoothen strokes work better than short, quick strokes.^[five]
5
Brush debris off the frame. Once you lot've scraped and sanded down the surface, information technology's likely that in that location are plenty of piffling bits of droppings withal clinging on to the frame. Getting rid of these is important to make sure they don't interfere with your new coat of paint. Brush gently effectually the entire frame with a clean paint brush to become rid of as much debris as possible.
- Be sure to get into the corners every bit well equally enough of pieces of wood and paint tin can often clump up hither.^[6]

1
Lay painter'south tape down around the outside of the frame. Do this by tracing the outline of the frame with the tape to form a perimeter around it. This ensures that you will become a clear and direct divide between the coat of pigment and either the wall or the window pane.^[7]
- Y'all should position the tape 0.2 centimetres (0.079 in) from the edge of the frame to ensure the paint covers all of the frame.
- If you don't have painter's tape, masking tape works fine as well. You can get this from any hardware store.^[8]
- If you want to avert painting the hinges of the doorframe, cover these also.
two
Apply an oil-based primer using a 2 in (5.1 cm) bending brush. Oil-based primers create a better bond between the paint and the wood. Information technology's okay to apply a spray on primer but make sure that you work the spray into the woods using the brush too
- Utilise the primer by using long flowing strokes with the brush on the area you are trying to cover.
- Using an bending brush allows you to have easier access to the corners and other hard to attain spots.^[9]
- You lot only demand to apply primer to surfaces that y'all scraped and smoothed. If you are only putting on a new coat of pigment, yous don't demand to worry about primer.
3

Wait virtually 3 hours for the primer to dry out. The primer needs to be dry for you lot to exist able to paint over the tiptop of it. If information technology is a particularly humid day, the primer may take a piffling scrap longer than this but 3 hours should be about right.^[10]
iv
Apply your oil-based paint using a ii in (5.ane cm) angle brush. Your frame is set to be painted! Do your all-time not to become paint in places it shouldn't be, merely it'south non the finish of the world if you do. In that location's no need to skimp on the pigment hither either and then be generous. Go for long flowing strokes with your brush to get a smooth, even coat.
- If you are painting a casement window, paint the frame outset and finish with the sill. If you are painting a sash window, paint the bottom frame first. In one case information technology is dry to the touch, motility the bottom frame up, move the other frame down, and pigment the second one.^[11]
- Continue your castor nice and loaded with paint throughout this procedure.
- Experience free to transfer some paint from the large can to a smaller container like a yogurt or sour foam loving cup. This will make dipping and handling much easier.^[12]
5
Remove the painter's tape. When washed correctly, there will be a solid clear line between the border of the paint and the start of the other surface. Remove it gently at a 45-degree angle so you don't accidentally make any marks on the surface.^[13]
- If whatever pigment happens to drip through afterward you remove the record, wipe it away immediately with a lightly dampened material.
- If y'all leave the paint to dry out and then remove the tape, it tin can upshot in peeling.
- If you plan on applying a second coat, don't remove the tape.
half dozen
Permit the pigment dry over the course of 24 hours. Information technology takes up to 24 hours for paint to dry so leave the paint lone during this time. Some paints will take less time, just 24 hours is a safe estimate for an oil-based paint.
- If yous accept a casement window, exist careful not to let the paint dry with the window closed as this will brand the various parts of the frame stick to each other.
- Once the paint is dry, feel free to use a 2nd coat of paint if you lot would prefer a thicker coat.^[14]

Advert

Add New Question

Question

How practise I set up a window frame for painting?

Jeff Baldwin is a Residential Painter and the Owner of Baldwin Custom Painting. With two decades of painting experience, Jeff specializes in high-end residential and small commercial painting projects. Dedicated to quality craftsmanship, Jeff and Baldwin Custom Painting provide bonded/insured, licensed, and lead-safe certified services in residential painting, light commercial painting, and woods refinishing.

Residential Painter

Expert Reply

Tape around the edges of the frame if yous desire to take a clean, smooth edge.
Question

What paint is best for window frames?

Jeff Baldwin is a Residential Painter and the Owner of Baldwin Custom Painting. With two decades of painting experience, Jeff specializes in high-end residential and pocket-sized commercial painting projects. Defended to quality craftsmanship, Jeff and Baldwin Custom Painting provide bonded/insured, licensed, and lead-safe certified services in residential painting, low-cal commercial painting, and wood refinishing.

Residential Painter

Expert Answer

Await for a paint that'southward specifically meant for trim since information technology will castor on easier and last longer.

Enquire a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Employ the all-time tools and pigment that you can afford. When it comes to dwelling house improvement, yous generally become what you pay for so be aware of unusually cheap products.