Getting new windows installed is expensive, but you can save hundreds of dollars in expenses by painting them yourself. This step-by-step guide will show you how easy it is to paint your own windows and save money!
You will need:
Painter’s tape (I like 3M brand blue painter’s tape)
Masking corners (optional)
1” soft paintbrush (angled sash)
¼” flat artist’s paintbrush
Rag (an old washcloth is fine)
Interior latex paint in your chosen color (gloss is best for trim)
Paint can opener and stir sticks (should be free where you purchase paint)
Small empty paint can (very cheap and easily found at hardware stores)
Paintable caulk (DAP brand’s “ALEX FAST DRY” is my favorite)
Caulking gun
Dropcloth or large old towel or sheet, as needed
NOTE: You should read the instructions through at least once before you start, and probably before you even shop for materials, so that you will already have a feel for what you will be doing.
Step One: Prepare for Painting
Usually, surface prep for painting involves cleaning and sanding, but you are in luck—the wood frames and trim of your new windows are all ready to accept paint. Just wipe down the surfaces (don’t forget the tops of the frames!) with your clean, dry rag to get rid of any dust or grit that may be left over from installation, then mask the windows for painting.
NOTE: Most new windows have a sheet of clear vinyl clinging to the glass that protects it from smudges during installation. Go ahead and leave it in place until you are finished painting. It will continue to protect your windows from smudges and stray paint smears.
If you have purchased masking corners, these will be convenient to use when masking the inner corners of the windows, but pre-fab corners are expensive! You can get the same results by cutting or neatly tearing your tape at a 45-degree angle and mitering the edges together in the corners, like a picture frame. Don’t forget to mask around the outside of the window frame, too—you may need to do some creative tearing to get around the decorative trim of the sill, but the time you invest in getting it right will produce the best finished results.
Step Two: Start Small
Normally when you paint a wall, you remove the switchplates and outlet covers, and when you paint a door, you might remove the hardware and replace it after, but removing hardware from windows to paint is unnecessary, impractical and even unsafe (remember, even if you’re using quick-drying latex paint, you still should always allow at least a day for the caulk to dry, and ideally for each coat of paint as well, and you don’t want to have to leave your windows unlockable—or even inoperable.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to quite literally get around this problem by using a small brush to paint around the hardware and into the nooks and crannies, keeping everything neat, ensuring complete coverage and making it easier for you later. Use your small flat artist’s paintbrush to nip around the edges of window locks, tilt release mechanisms and into tight corners and the outside edges. I normally just walk from window to window, carrying my little brush, my rag, and a quantity of paint transferred into a small can, and do all of this in one big swoop. Later you can use this smaller can to store your leftover paint, instead of letting it dry out in the big can.
Step Three: First Coat
By the time your small-brush painting on the last window is done, your first one will be completely dry and ready to accept the first coat of paint. Apply this coat smoothly and evenly, and don’t try to make it too thick. It’s completely normal to still be able to see the wood somewhat through the paint. Making the first coat too thick will make it sticky, gloppy and uneven. Just glide it on, making sure all of the wood’s surface is covered.
IMPORTANT: As you are painting the sashes, make sure to move them up and down incrementally as you paint, so they don’t get stuck shut. If you are in a tearing hurry, you may apply caulk when the first coat of paint is dry to the touch, but you should probably just knock off for the day and let the paint sit overnight to “cure” and fully harden.
Step Four: Apply Caulk
This is a simple step, but it can be a little messy if you let it get out of control. You can ignore the painting supplies for the day; you will need just the tube of caulk, caulking gun, and your rag to work, although you will want some Kleenex, some tape, and some sturdy scissors to cut the tip off the caulk tube. Insert the caulk tube into the caulk gun, tuck your rag into your belt or pants pocket, cut the tip off the tube, gently squeeze the trigger off the caulking gun a couple of times just so the caulk begins to emerge at a slow but even pace, and…
…here’s my advice to avoid making an unholy mess: Don’t use the caulking gun like you think you should, letting caulk “flow” from the tip onto the window’s surface. This is a great method when you are caulking in a long line around the edge of something, but in this case you are only going to be filling a series of small holes left behind from finishing nails that are countersunk in the trim.
So, assume the following position: Cradle the caulking gun in your non-dominant arm like you’re carrying an Uzi, but with your hand near the end so that you can use your non-working finger to cover the tip (otherwise caulk will just keep oozing out in a long ribbon and you will be like Lucy in the chocolate factory trying to keep it under control, wasting product, creating a mess and hating life). Using your finger as a pressure valve, let little bits of the caulk pop out, grab them onto the tip of your dominant finger and pop them onto the little holes, smoothing them out as you go. Easy Cheesy! You will probably have to wipe a little caulk off your “stopper” finger from time to time, and as the flow of caulk slows you will need to give it another gentle trigger squeeze or two, but this is the easiest and least messy way to apply caulk in small doses.
Let the caulk dry overnight. Incidentally, the reason you are caulking between coats instead of before painting is that it is much easier to smooth the caulk out over the painted surface than the bare wood—you can even get splinters from the wood, no matter how smooth it seems, so give it a coat of paint first! Your caulk will leave little matte smears all over your glossy paint, but those will disappear under the second coat, so no worries.
Step Five: Apply Second Coat
This is the easiest step and the most fun, because you will see your finished results quickly. Apply the second coat evenly and smoothly, as you did with the first coat, and you should have full coverage over the wood now, as well as coverage of the caulked bits, resulting in a smooth, gorgeous finished product. As with the first coat, don’t forget to keep moving the window sashes up and down to keep them from sticking shut.
Allow paint to dry to the touch, then slowly and carefully remove the masking: Lift the outer edges—the ones that are not directly against the painted surface—first, then pull toward the inner edges to prevent that annoying situation where a tiny little edge of the tape tears off against the painted edge. So this means you want to pull your vertical masking tape off somewhat horizontally and your horizontal tape off kind of vertically, okay? You’ll get the hang of it. Now you can peel off the clingy vinyl (the manufacturer’s stickers should come off with it—any that are directly on the glass are pretty easy to peel off).
Step back and admire your awesome new windows! You did a good job and saved a ton of money—what’s not to love?
Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-workman-installing-window-in-new-apartment-5691521/
