Homeowners should scrape and paint your window frames at least once per year or at least check them every year as a minimum. Consumers must remove all loose paint and caulking before repainting their windows. This one looks pretty bad and there has been some water damage that has darkened the wood underneath. Fortunately, it has been caught in time. We scraped the cracking paint off. Removed any existing caulking and now will let it dry for a few days before re-caulking and then painting. If you fail to do these relatively inexpensive repairs, the wood will rot. It will allow even more moisture in causing damage to the wall inside. This will increase your overall cost of repairs dramatically.
We will discuss the details later in this post, however, we wanted to mention that if you are paying someone to repaint your windows for you, you must always make sure that they scrape and remove any loose paint, then caulk all joints before repainting. Most will just place a coat of paint over existing paint which is a total waste of money and time.
Scrape and Paint Your Window Frames – check for soft wood
Step one is to first inspect your windows, especially the window sills checking for any soft or rotted wood. If there is you must either repair the sill which is usually the location of rotting wood or replace the windows completely. If the wood is ok, and you can get another year out of it at least. Your next step is to scrape the windows. You will want to remove all loose paint, bubbling and flaking paint. Sand with steel wool to roughen up the wood and the existing paint surface that is still adhering to the surface. Once this is completed allow the wood to become fully dry. Some dampness will indicate that moisture was getting though and it is time to repaint your windows.
Scrape and Paint Your Window Frames – Allow Wood to Dry
Once the wood is completely dry, it is time to re-caulk all joints that could allow moisture to enter between the joints of the windows. Allow this to dry and also make sure that you are using a caulk that is paintable. Once the caulk is dry, usually about two hours, you can then begin painting your windows. If there is exposed wood, give this area at least two coats of paint. Either use primer and the main paint or give it two coats of paint using the final color. This will help to ensure that you leave no areas that are uncovered by paint.
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