Nothing beats the warm natural beauty of wooden window frames. While alternative materials such as aluminum and PVC are often marketed as maintenance-free, window frames can often dull and discolor over time. One of the appeals of wood is that it can be repaired and refinished. Many homeowners try to tackle this job themselves and make serious mistakes. Here are five home window painting mistakes people make that end up costing them a fortune.
#1. Improper Paint Removal
Unfortunately, you can’t simply paint over the existing layer of paint or varnish on window frames. Some people try this and it looks terrible, essentially wasting all the money they spent on paint and brushes. To remove paint correctly, experts suggest a combination of a heat gun and scraper followed by light sanding. The trick is to hold the heat gun just far away enough so that it loosens the old paint. If the gun is held too near, the wood may be scorched or the window panes may crack due to the heat. Either of these mistakes will be expensive to remedy.
#2. Clumsy Sanding
After the old paint has been removed, sanding is required to remove paint that could not be scraped off. Sanding is one of the hardest parts of the process. As the window panes cannot be removed, they must be protected from the sandpaper. The proper technique is to mask off the window panes but few people do this. It is very easy to nick the windows with sandpaper or a sanding block. This causes scratches and may even shatter the glass. Having to replace cracked or scratched windowpanes is a major expense.
#3. Not Repairing Putty
As you know, window panes are held in place in wooden window frames with putty. Putty typically cracks and chips as it ages. Old putty must be scraped out and replaced prior to painting the window frames. If old putty is painted over, it may later fall out leaving the whole window requiring re-painting. This is a huge waste of time and money. It is preferably to simply repair the putty with a small trowel and multi-purpose putty prior to painting.
#4. Skimping On Primer
Once the window frames have been sanded back to bare wood, a quality primer should be applied. Best practice is to keep the masking tape in place on the window frame to saving having to remove paint splatter later. The fourth common mistake that homeowners make is skimping on primer. A quality primer such as Dulux Primer for Wood should be used. Unprimed wood will bleed tannins through numerous coats of paint, forcing all painting to be redone. This is a costly mistake you will want to avoid making.
#5. Skimping On Paint
Contrary to popular belief, water-based paints are just as durable as traditional solvent-based paints such as undercoat, gloss, eggshell and satinwood. You can use either type. The important factor is that you choose high-quality paint. The latest ranges of quick-drying water-based gloss paints contain anti-yellowing agents. Using a cheap paint will see you repeat the painting sooner than necessary, a hugely costly mistake to avoid.
Conclusion
Avoiding these five window painting mistakes should help any homeowner save a fortune. What do you think of our mistakes? What did we miss? Leave us a question or comment below!