Home redecoration requires a great deal of work. Painting plays a crucial role in this process, but there are certain areas of a building that are often overlooked in these projects. Emphasis is often placed on painting walls and ceilings, but door and window frames also deserve some care and should be painted to match the rest of a building’s décor.

Door and window frames are often considered difficult areas to paint because of their size and detailed nature. Due to many corners and small surfaces, they require different tools and equipment than are used to paint walls and ceilings. Here are a few steps to consider when setting out to paint door and window frames.

How To Paint Your Door And Window Frames

First, determine what materials the frames are made of. This will help you identify the proper tools and the proper paint needed for the job.

Door frames are often made from wood, vinyl, aluminum, or even fiberglass. Every surface calls for a variety of different tools and paints.

Painting on fiberglass is much different than painting on wood since paint does not easily bond with a shiny surface. While an acrylic latex paint works really well on fiberglass, a wood surface usually requires a primer, along with a satin or semigloss paint. Some materials are also more versatile. Aluminum, for example, can be painted with any type of paint, as long as the right type of primer is used initially.

The next step is to prepare the surfaces for painting. The surfaces need to be cleaned and often sanded with sandpaper. When it comes to painting a window frame, you may need to line the glass with masking tape to prevent having to clean off paint splats later on. Some people may consider taking the window frame out for the purpose of painting. When this is done, it’s best to start early in the morning so that the frames can be re-installed before the end of the day.

The last step is to apply the paint. A paintbrush with a fine tip is usually preferred since larger brushes or a roller will increase the risk of getting paint on the glass.