Painting outside windows

[Lee11]

Hello, my first time on here but my DIY knowledge is very amateur level, more less confident than necessarily skilled.

I’m looking for a bit of advice on my external wooden windows.

Firstly I am looking for a reputable paint for my external windows. They are a dark brown colour which has to remain as all the windows in my neighbourhood are the same. Can anyone recommend a link for a good paint option. I think the colour is close to a dark walnut. Preferably something I can order from B&Q or online with the current circumstances.

At this point I’d also point out I am going to rub them down and look for any cracks to fill with wood filler first. - is there anything else I should be doing?

My next question, is there more I can do to beef up the window security? I do have a house alarm installed which we use even when we go to bed etc but the windows have just the normal handles with locks again we do lock them but is there more I could be doing? - links to anything worth looking at would again be appreciated.

thanks in advance

Lee

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum Lee.

Our wooden window frames are the originals from when the bungalow was built in 1964 and they are still like new. Over the years I've tried most brands of paint but for many years wanted the paint American's use because they have so many huge houses with lots of timber cladding and frames and their paint always seemed to last for years.

I was delighted to find we here in the UK now have an importer of Benjamin Moore paint;

https://www.benjaminmoorepaint.co.uk/about-us/shaw-paints/

This paint is initially expensive but when you consider the amount of time spent on preparation then slapping on paint that washes off in no time it actually works out the cheapest long term.

Our bungalow is subjected to extremes of weather here on the steep valley side and this Benjamin Moore paint has been the best paint for exterior woodwork I've ever used so I can highly recommend it and I can't praise Shaw's highly enough. Bron and I browsed pictures of American homes on the web and selected the colours we liked; I copied the picture and emailed the picture to Shaw's for colour matching and they were brilliant. Over five gallons of paint was used and it went on like a dream; clean up was incredibly easy the paint being water based.

Above is the paint we used and once your tears have dried having paid for it you shouldn't be troubled with repainting every year.

We too used to have very dark brown paint on our exterior woodwork and enjoyed it for almost 30 years but then then about four years ago decided to give the bungalow exterior and interior a comprehensive makeover.

The dark brown oil based paint this is Johnstone's gloss and it was a real pain to apply; given our dire climate many times as I applied the last brushful of paint down came the rain to spoil it; oil based paint takes ages to dry,

Here is our bungalow now in its new colours.

The new porch I made and installed two years ago showing the Benjamin Paint; our dire weather isn't the problem it was whilst I was using oil based paint; this Benjamin Moore paint dries so quickly it's been rained on immediately after application without adverse effect. Woodwork will last a lifetime if correctly maintained.

The rear of our bungalow; we have lots of exterior woodwork hence the quantity of paint used but it's been worth it.

You might also be interest Lee in how I applied the paint;

https://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/w/WOOSTER_SPEED_BUCKET/

This bucket wasn't the cheapest but it sure speeded up painting and it now owes me nothing; I removed all the gutters etc and after prepping used a Wooster roller and bucket to quickly paint the gutters and downpipes etc then I could also paint the fascias and cladding using a synthetic brush on narrow sections; the roller and brush were fully to hand in the bucket; the roller hung on the lip of the bucket whilst the brush was held by a magnet so I could easily use either brush or roller. Liners are available for the bucket and I bought a dozen liners; being a tight Yorkshireman though I used the original liner which was supplied with the bucket washing it out after each painting session; I now use a second liner for applying Barrettine wood preservative to our two garden huts; after use I just leave the liner in the hut and discard the brush.

I've tried lots of paints out over the last 44 years but I'm now happy with Benjaminre Moore and a happy customer of Shaw Paints.

I've rambled on enough so time now to get off my backside and wander into the gardens for more hard graft; I've just removed a 60' long hedge; logged the trunks for our neighbours wood burner and yesterday shredded the pile of brash; today I'm removing the smaller stumps and tidying up.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Lee11]

Hi Colin

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. Your house looks a dream. The stone work offset against the woodwork is something very special indeed.

I normally quiz my dad for a lot of this stuff, he’s helped me no end with many jobs on my homes over the years, but he’s busy doing up his new place in the country at the moment, he’s a Colin also!

I have had a look at the paint, I’m now looking for a place to buy it in the UK, so I can get to work on it ASAP.

Thanks again and all the best.

Lee

 

[piglet11]

Yes, I do agree Colin that you paintwork does look good, an eye for detail?
External wood in UK climate is a pain in the backside.
I've spent hours preparing, painting and it never lasts.
If it gets sun, rain, heat, cold, all adds to the problem.
It moves - expands and contracts with temperature and moisture.
Creosote is one answer - yes, used in Kent and Sussex a lot.
Some paint is said to breath - you can see it's little chest going up and down.
The problem is that paint doesn't stick well to timber - the timber can be waxy.
Specialised primers from Zinnser (Bullseye) might help, but don't mix solvent and water based paint systems.
I'll tell what doesn't work - oil-based undercoats and top coats, might last a couple of years - solvent based stains like Sadolin.
Spent a fortune on Sadolin over the years to no avail - in the shade and sheltered, it does work and is a lot easier to apply than paint, but in an exposed position, no good at all.
As for security, there are plenty of window locks available - Yale do a lot, just depends on the type of window. Provided it's something that does take a bit of effort to break, your insurance should cover it. But very little stands up to a good long crowbar!

 

[Retired]

Hi,

You're most welcome Lee; thanks for your kind comments. . Just one supplier of Benjamin Moore paint here in the UK and it's Shaws as shown in the link in my previous post.

Like you piglet I've tried most kinds of paint and without doubt Benjamin Moore is the best; one good test was painting the front bedroom window beading; the bottom bead couldn't hold paint for more than a year I even tried engine manifold paint but it soon looked dreadful after being attacked by our usually dire climate; the Benjamin Moore paint however has now been on almost four years without the slightest problem. I'm unsure if I can find the picture I took of this beading with the paint dropping off but if I can I'll post it together with the beading as it currently is.

Creosote is now illegal unless bought under licence; I tried Creoseal which is creosote substitute and it's a poor substitute indeed. I never tried Sadolin but I did for a while use Sikkens; the best oil based paint I used was Johnstones but where really exposed it too eventually failed.

I made and erected two garden huts from treated timber but I then used "Barrettine preservative; it's interesting to still see water ball up and run off; I used "clear".

https://www.barrettinepro.co.uk/25/274/barrettine-wood-preservative

Kind regards, Colin.