How To Cover Aluminum Window Frames

A few months agone we sat downwardly with a company in our abode to go a quote for a few windows to be replaced. We wanted to supplant a few at a time starting with the windows in the front. Oh, and did I mention we wanted blackness windows? When the quote came back at $28,000 (yes, you read that correctly) we were shocked. It was a higher priced visitor only it got me thinking: why tin't I paint our windows black until we've saved for the right moment to replace all our windows.

We pushed that idea out of our minds the post-obit months considering nosotros didn't think in that location could exist a pigment suitable for this type of project. We would need something that would last and a paint that tin can also be used on the exterior side of our windows. With u.s. painting our home in the nearly future, we also need the windows to be black on the exterior.

I started noticing on Instagram some of my best gals spray painting their window frames. OH, how I craved that look of blackness windows for our home. For interior windows, it's perfect! Just once once more I needed something to practice both if I'1000 going to spend the time tackling this project. That's when I finally discovered Pro-Industrial Multi-Surface Acrylic past Sherwin Williams. It's a contractors grade paint that's fabricated to adhere to the slickest of surfaces while maintaining immovability.

**Find the video at the finish of how we painted the windows as well.

And so judge what I did? I PAINTED MY WINDOWS BLACK AND I LOVE THEM! That totally deserved all capital letters because look at this before and afterward. I'thou all the same in shock at the difference pigment made tour windows.

And so, y'all've already made it this far and y'all're probably wanting to paint your windows equally well. There are several ways to do this: spray painting, with a paintbrush or with a paint sprayer. Today I'll be showing yous how to paint your window frames using a pigment sprayer. I went this route considering I love the finished and flawless wait a paint sprayer gives. And to answer a question I'm certain you accept correct now: yes our windows even so open without any issues or paint peeling!

Here's What You'll Need

Frog Tape (dark-green)
Painters plastic sheeting with tape attached
Regular plastic sheeting to embrace nearby furniture
to comprehend the flooring – yous can also use old towels
Paint sprayer (we used the HomeRight Super Stop Max)
Pro Industrial Multi-Surface Acrylic by Sherwin-Williams (nosotros picked Black Magic by SW for our black)
Pigment mask

Optional:

Electrical tape to create or hide current grids (upkeep friendly option)
Pvc strips for a realistic look to create or hide current grids.

How to Paint Window Frames Black

The longest and probably the nearly abrasive role most this project is all the prep piece of work. There is a lot and you must take your fourth dimension. Just I hope you lot it's 100% worth it! That moment y'all pare back all the plastic and painter's tape is and so satisfying seeing your make new windows!

Prep Piece of work

Using the green frog record, you'll record right forth the edge of the interior window frame. In other words, you'll exist applying your frog record on the glass as close to the frames every bit you can get it. If you take a peak and bottom department to your window similar mine, you lot'll exercise this to both.

Yous'll then use the frog tape to outer side of the window frame. This is going to give y'all that crisp, make clean line without getting paint on the glass or the drywall after applying the paint. This step is crucial and so important to have your time!

Now that you have the green frog tape applied, you'll need to further protect the glass and the outer edges/walls around the window. Since you advisedly and precisely practical the frog tape first, you can be a piddling more than care free with the plastic sheeting with painters tape attached. I adhere the roll of plastic at the top of the glass pane making sure the blueish record is overlapping the green tape.

Once I have information technology pressed securely downward, I cut the width down to size and unroll the plastic sheeting. You lot'll notice how information technology magically clings to the window which makes this product very easy to work with. Secure the other three sides past taping them down with the Frog Tape.

Tip: Every bit y'all're applying the plastic, don't cover the light-green tape on the other 3 sides entirely. Go about halfway onto the record that's practical on the window. You lot want to cut the plastic to where it leaves a small space then that when you tape the other three sides down the tape has something to stick to. As well much plastic and y'all're record won't have anywhere to go.

Just like yous taped off the outer edge of the window frames, you lot'll apply the painter plastic along this green tape every bit well. This was you can stretch the plastic out over the walls to protect from overspray. Yous may demand to apply additional plastic in ares that are covered. This will also be a slap-up fourth dimension to drape additional plastic, erstwhile towels, etc. over surround furniture you don't want pigment grit getting on.

Time to Paint

The moment you've been waiting for: TIME TO Pigment! Here are a couple things to note about this Multi-Surface Acrylic Pro-Industrial paint:

For interior and outside apply.
Engineered to provide high-hide (in one coat) and stain resistant
Provides alkyd-like hardness
Dries fast with dry autumn properties. Which means as yous apply it with your pigment sprayer, the paint dries rapidly has information technology falls. Considering of this, it tin can be swept up.
Cocky-priming to multiple surfaces
Excellent adhesion to slick and glossy surfaces (how-do-you-do aluminum and vinyl window frames)
Can be applied by paintbrush, roller or paint sprayer
Can be color matched in a variety of colors. Nosotros went with Blackness Magic.

Of course, depending on the paint sprayer you'll exist using, your paint prep might look a little dissimilar. Since I'm suing the HomeRight Super End Max, I only have to attach the right tip, pour in my paint and get-go spraying. Thinning isn't required.

IMPORTANT: I highly recommend wearing a paint mask when using this pigment. Since it is mainly acrylic based, the chemicals used in this pigment are very stiff. Especially since you can't actually open up windows during this project since you're painting them.

Before yous start, test your paint menses on a chip piece of newspaper, forest, etc. You want to make certain you take a smooth finish. Then run your easily over all of the tape y'all applied on the windows. The tape likes to popular loose sometimes. Then start applying your paint in slow, fifty-fifty strokes. I plant it all-time to apply the paint on all the vertical pieces first and so switch the nozzle for the horizontal pieces. Make sure yous go into all the grooves and look at the window frame from all angles to make sure you painted every square inch.

Of class, depending on the paint sprayer you're using, determines the amount of overspray. For the HomeRight Super Finish Max ,the overspray isn't bad at all! You lot will notice paint dust that tin easily be wiped, swept, vacuumed, etc. Y'all can see information technology in the prototype below on the plastic sheeting. But remember, one of the great things about this pigment is that dries fast as it falls so that information technology lands every bit paint grit.

This pigment only takes one coat only you notwithstanding need to go back and await for spots where you didn't apply enough. Use the lite on your phone or grab a flashlight to move across every inch of the windows. Lightly and quickly spray the spots that need a little more pigment. Information technology'due south easier to check for that now than to observe it afterward.

In one case your windows are fully covered with the paint, you'll want to go alee and remove all of the plastic and painter'due south tape. The last matter you want is the paint to stick to the tape and ripping off the window as you lot remove everything.

Applying with a Paint Brush

I wanted to try painting one of my windows with a paintbrush simply to see how information technology went on, dried, etc. Is it an option? 100%. Is it my preferred method? Nope. After painting one window, it took three coats of paint to get a solid look and the terminate wasn't as great equally a paint sprayer. There weren't any strokes merely for me you can't beat that stop that a pigment sprayer gives.

DIY Window Panes

One of the questions I got on repeat over on Instagram stories is how I was going to cover the white window panes. In a dream world, they would be on the outside of the glass panes where I could just paint them. So, if y'all're one of the lucky ones with them on the exterior of the drinking glass, you'll simply tape effectually them while taping off the rest of the window frame and pigment them all together. BUT! If you're like me with them betwixt the 2 glass panes, you have to be a little more artistic to make them appear black.

Electric Tape

If yous're wanting to stay inside a budget, electrical tape is pretty magical with this. You lot'll but apply the black electrical record over the white panes being careful to keep it in a straight line and to not stretch it out besides much.

I plant it easier to extend the electric tape by the windows and then that I could become a cleaner cutting. Don't exist afraid to readjust! This seriously but takes a few minutes and is a neat mode to add "window panes" if you currently don't have any merely love the expect of them.

PVC Strips

Another alternative is using pvc strips and cross pieces for more than of a realistic await. I institute these from New Panes where you tin order in the quantity that you need. It was important for me to find a product like this so that the exterior side of our windows have realistic panes that tin also hold up with the diverse atmospheric condition elements and the Florida sun. These pvc strips from New Panes can be painted and so I used the Pro-Industrial paint to match the window frame color. These are measured, cut, and practical to the windows with either double sided tape or with blade clips.

The magical thing virtually these pvc strips is that they tin hide the white panes and they can also create panes for people who didn't take them at all. I'm actually seeing a lot of this! Your bones looking window and then adding window panes to step it up a notch visually. You can watch the video below to meet my installation process with these pvc strips. Watch the video below to run into what yous demand for this method and how they work.

How many of yous are about to go running and paint all your windows black? I would totally spring in and aid if I could. I would love to see your reaction when you peel back the record and plastic and run across your new blackness windows for the first fourth dimension. Make sure to tag me on your socials if you lot try this and share! Go prepare to have your mind blown. You tin can also spotter the full process of prepping and painting the windows below.