the painted surface

Painting A Double Hung Window

First remove all of the hardware, it is much easier to remove these small parts than to paint around them. A basic rule of painting anything is to paint the furthest part away from you first and work toward yourself. To paint a window, lower the upper half and paint the bottom of it, then push it back up to paint the top part. It should be completely painted and pushed almost into place; leave a small gap for drying. The bottom window is then painted, lowered almost in place and then paint the top edge. Now begin painting the frame, starting at the top and working your way down. Be careful to allow as little paint on the tracks as possible, wipe it off while the paint is wet. Do not shut the window yet. Leave a small space at the top and bottom until the paint is fully dry. Later, check to make sure the window is not stuck. If it is, the paint will not be hard to cut loose and then the window can be shut. When the paint has dried, spray the tracks with WD-40 (not silicone spray) to ease their raising and lowering. It is a good idea to check the windows again after a couple of days to see if they can be opened. The steps for an exterior window are reversed. The bottom window should be painted first because from the outside it is the furthest away.

If a window has been "painted shut" because of previous coats of paint try cutting it open with your putty knife. It may take tapping on the handle of the knife with a hammer to break the paint seal. Check the interior and exterior side, there should be a small gap between the window sash and the casing. Slide a putty knife or similar type cutting tool around the window in this gap to break paint that may have previously seaped in and dried there. While you have the window open check to make sure it will open and close easily. Newer windows usually have metal or vinyl runners that can be lubricated. The wooden tracks of older windows may need to be scraped clean. Do not use silicone lubricants. Paint does not adhere well to surfaces that have been exposed to silicone.