How to Paint Sash Windows | Mortice & Green

Maintaining your sash windows can be tricky, they are traditionally made of wood which means they need to be cleaned and caulked in a certain way, to prevent cracks from forming. One of the most difficult aspects of maintaining them is painting them, as you can easily end up sealing the sash window if you don’t paint them carefully. This guide will give you an idea of how to paint your sash windows properly.

1. Remove the hardware

The first thing you need to do is remove the hardware such as the handles and locks. Leaving these on the windows will mean they are in the way and could also mean they end up covered in paint. 

2. Sand down the wood

Painting over old layers of paint is also a bad idea, as eventually the layers of paint will build up so much that the window will stop closing properly. Therefore, you should take the time to sand down the wood and sand off the old layers of paint. Following on from that thoroughly clean your sash windows, to get rid of the dust and debris you created when sanding. 

3. Choose the right paint

Think about what colours will suit your home, also you should bear in mind that if the windows are in the sun a lot the colour may fade, so you might want to go for a brighter colour than you first thought. You could test the colours on a mock frame before committing to painting your sash windows.

4. Paint the glazing bars

Start the painting process by focusing only on the glazing bars first. You will need to reverse the sashers so that you can access every part of the window. Start with the top sash then leave it to dry and continue with the bottom sash.

5. Paint the frames

Once you start painting the sash window frames you should also start by painting the top first. Avoid pushing the sash all the way up until the paint is dry, otherwise they will stick. 

6. Paint the rest of the window frame

Once you have done the glazing bars and the frame you can paint the other parts of the sash windows, such as the cills and casting. Leave the sash windows the dry fully, before you reinstall any hardware elements.

7. Clean off paint splatters

If you find any paint splatters on your sash windows you can remove these fairly easily with a window scraper. Just make sure you do this gently, applying too much pressure could break or crack the glass.