How to Paint a Window Like a Professional

Clean the window and frame with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth and cover the floor with a drop cloth.

Remove old, flaking paint with a putty knife. Hold the putty knife at a 45-degree angle and scrape over the old painted surface. Switch directions and repeat. Use enough pressure to do the job but avoid gouging.

Fold a standard size piece of 150-grit sandpaper in half widthwise, and tear at the crease. Tri-fold each piece to make a sturdy sanding surface. Put on your mask. Sand with semi-long strokes until the surface of the window trim is smooth, but do not sand all the way through the paint. Turn the sandpaper to a fresh side as the grit wears down.

Switch to the 220-grit sandpaper and repeat. Sand until the old paint feels even and smooth to the touch.

Dust off the window trim with the old paintbrush and wipe down with a tack cloth to remove all dust.

Tape and mask the glass inside the trim and the walls around the window with painter’s tape. Cover panes with masking paper or plastic masking film.

Shake the spray primer can vigorously for at least two minutes. If the can is cold, float it in hot water for five minutes then shake.

Spray with long, even strokes to evenly fog coat the window frame. Repeat if necessary to get a solid, but light coat. Allow primer to dry for about 10 minutes.

Run your fingers over the primer coat. It should be dry and smooth with a fine grit over the top. Make one or two light passes with the 220-grit sandpaper to remove the grit.

Brush away the dust with an old paintbrush and wipe with the tack cloth to remove primer dust.

Remove the tape and masking paper from the windowpanes.

Shake your oil-based paint in the can for approximately 30 seconds before removing the lid. Stir with the wooden stir stick until mixed thoroughly.

Wipe out your bucket with tack cloth. Strain the entire gallon of oil-based paint into the bucket.

Stir in an oil-paint additive eliminate the appearance of brush strokes when you paint. Follow the instructions for your additive. Stir with a paint stick to mix well.

Dip the bottom 1/4 of the paintbrush bristles into the paint. Gently flip the brush from side to side once so the excess paint comes off.

Brush the paint over your window frame with long even strokes. Do not worry about cutting in the windowpanes. Paint over the panes about 1 inch to save time and to paint the surface evenly.

Wait about 30 minutes and apply a second coat of paint, if needed.

Use a razor blade to remove the paint from the window glass. Holding the blade between your thumb and pointer finger at a 45-degree angle and gently run it on the glass with one edge to the wood or metal frame. Blade about 6 inches then wipe the blade on a clean, dry, lint free rag. Repeat until all the paint is removed from the glass.

Put unused paint back into can. Clean brush and bucket with paint thinner. Store the brush in its original wrapper. Seal rags used with the paint additive in a water-filled metal can before discarding.

Let the paint set up for a few days then use a glass cleaner and paper towels to clean the glass.