Stacy Risenmay

Do-it-yourself projects and Home Decor

How To Paint An Old Window

By 59 Comments

The window on the side of our garage is one of the first things you see when you walk in our backyard. It was faded green, chippy, paint was on the glass, and it had a broken pane. It was sad. It was not a huge project to tackle and yet it sat there that way for 6 years. Sometimes the little things on my list get skipped so I can do the more exciting jobs. Painting windows is not as fun as other things. But when faced with unemployment, sometimes the big fun things like bathroom renovations have to come to a screeching halt and smaller, more affordable projects get a chance to be crossed off the (giant, ever growing) to-do list.

old-window-makeover-

 Sorry for the low quality picture. I forgot to take a real before shot (head hung in shame) so I found one on my cell phone that had the window in the background and enlarged it. The fuzzy picture actually makes the window look better!old-window

Let’s do a little side by side comparison……

 

window-before-after

I have teamed up with 3MDIY.com again to show you the way to repaint an old window. I went a little further and made it all perdy :)

Here is what you will need:

 

*Paint Scraper          * 3M Tekk ProtectionGoggles           *Paint Brush      *High Quality Exterior Paint & Prime

*Wire Brush             * 3M Tekk Protection Respirator      *Paint Thinner       *ScotchBlue™™ Painter’s Tape

*3M Wood Filler     *Paintable Window Caulk                   *3M Advanced Abrasives Sandpaper          *Gloves

(Not pictured)          *3M Lead Check Kit                            *Paper Towels

window-painting-supplies

The first steps are here in this handy dandy video. I shot it in two days in 100+ degree weather while our air conditioner was broke. It was miserable. So enjoy watching it while you are sitting in your air conditioned house :) I recommend doing a project like this on a cooler day…..

There is a lot of important information in the video. Plus you should watch so you can check out my sweet farmer’s tan. :P

(if it is blurry, adjust the settings to make it 350p or higher by clicking the gear icon under the video)

(many snow cones were consumed while filming this video)

Okay so now that you have tested for lead, removed the paint from the glass, removed loose caulk, scraped off the paint, and sanded, you are ready for the next steps!

window-paint-putty-caulk-prime*If you had to remove any or all of the caulk, you will need to re-caulk the window now. Make sure you use an exterior window caulk that is paintable. And make sure you have plenty of paper towels handy! It can be messy.

*If your window has any hole or cracks then use a sandable, paintable, stainable putty. Let it dry completely and light sand it to smooth it out.

*Tape off the windows to protect the wall and the glass. I know after all this prep work you will want to tape it off quickly. But go slow enough that you have all the glass (even the little corners) taped and rub the tape to make sure it is all the way on there (especially edges). This will make it so you do not have to go back with a razor blade or paint scraper.

*Use a quality primer that will bond well. When the primer is dry, paint it the desired color. If you are painting the window a darker color you can have your primer tinted at the Home improvement store (and by “home improvement store” we all know I mean Home Depot :) ).

window-makeover-1

I built simple shutter and a custom window box to finish off the look. I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the process since I had so many projects I was working on at the time. If you want me to throw a tutorial up let me know.

window2

Because the window ledge is slanted I had to make the box a little different that a regular square box. I really love the x detail in the front!

 

window-box-yellow
A big thanks to 3MDIY.com for providing the products I needed for this project. Y’all know I do not share products unless I  LOVE them, here on my blog. And I love theirs :)

 

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  2. I love love love the way your window turned out! I think the yellow planter and shutters are the perfect finishing touch. I bet seeing this makes you happy every time you go in your yard! :)

    Reply

    • We predrilled holes, added plastic anchors in the holes and then screwed the shutter directly into the brick. Outr house is so old that the mortar and brick are flush instead of there being a different in depth. Otherwise I would have tried those nifty brick clips or something like them.

      Reply

  10. stacy, you are amazing. i LOVE the finished window..the shutters and window box are perfect. i just adore how you can make something that looks dead..feel so alive again!:)

    Reply

  11. Love the new window!! The video was great, I an terriable at repainting things so this was perfect for me!!

    Reply

  13. Stacy

    the window looks great! I love the addition of the window box and shutters. I agree it’s important to be safe and use caution. I often use my safety glasses and masks.

    gail

    Reply

  14. I love the tutorial! I know how difficult it is to have your husband lose his job ( it happened to us twice during the first year of our marriage). I admire you for keeping your chin up and contributing to your household (blogging, tutorials, etc.). It is SO stressful and I know with your AC out you probably want to grab a one way ticket to Antarctica (my Mom’s AC has been broken for months, we live in Florida). Y’all are in my prayers, just know that your readers notice your efforts to be positive and keep it movin! Go girl! ;)

    Reply

  15. The finished product is AMAZING Stacy! You are so great at breaking it down and made it seem like I could even do it myself. (ha!) I love 3M too.

    Reply

  16. Looks great Stacy! It made such a huge difference in how it looks! I love the shutters and window box, too! :)

    Reply

  19. Oh my gosh you are a rockstar! I can’t believe you did that whole project. You’ve really inspired me to tackle some big projects that I was too nervous to do, and had asked my husband to do for me! No more!! Thanks Stacy!

    Reply

  23. Wow, what a difference! Love the smaller projects like this, that wind up making a huge impact.
    Love the yellow flower boxes…i’d love to see a tutorial on that!

    Reply

  25. Thanks for the blog, I need to repair some wood, and the 3M Primer & Patch will work great! Going to the store now to pickup so I can start my project!

    Reply

  34. I hope you have been able to get your a/c fixed. I live in Bountiful and work in SLC so I know the temperatures you’re dealing with, and I had to replace mine 2 years ago so I know how expensive it is. I was just telling someone at work about your broken a/c and saying I can’t imagine how miserable it must be. Yay for a drop into the 90s later this week!

    Reply

  36. Okay, seriously. That window box is adorable! What a great transformation, and I think I might add this to our never ending list. :) We have a similar shaped window off of our garage and the area always looks gross. Your after looks so happy!

    Reply

  37. I love this transformation. I am not kidding when I say your “before” window looks a lot like the windows in the house and garage where I grew up (same gross green and everything).
    I love how the “after” window looks so much longer thanks to the shutters and flower box, and how the side of your garage looks so crisp & cared for. I think it’s wonderful that you took a little old house and garage and have made them your own in hundreds of beautiful ways.

    Reply

  42. Looks amazing. This was super helpful for a project I’m doing with an old window not on my home, just a window I bought!

    Reply

  47. Love this transformation! Awesome job! And…such an inspiration for me to get on my project lists. Enjoy the rest of your week!
    youngnasawife.blogspot.com

    Reply

  54. Gorgeous! Loving the brightness of the window box and the shutters set everything off perfectly! I didn’t know about the paint thinner before the scraping part… great tip I will definitely use!

    Reply

  55. What a perfect post for me to read! I have a large flower box that was on the front of the house and I’m thinking of attaching it under the windws=s on my garage.

    Reply

  57. Question. I have some old windows that I am trying to repaint. I have scraped and scraped, but there are still major sections where the paint is intact. (I would prefer not to use chemicals to strip the paint if I can avoid it.) I know that when I go to paint this, it won’t look very good because you will be able to tell that I am painting over patches of paint in some areas while painting on bare wood in others. I don’t mind so much on the windows on the far side of the house, but I would prefer not to have that patchy look on the window that is next to the door though which we enter the house. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply

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