Painting UPVC Windows, anyone tried it?

[Greencheese]

Hi, just watching that Sarah Beany programme where someone painted their UPVC windows. I didn't know you could do this. It looked quite good (from afar). I don't know if I'd be brave enough though.

Has anyone tried it?

[MisForMumNotMaid]

Watching with interest...

[Greencheese]

Just us then mis ha ha.

[Applefallingfromthetree2]

I thought that the whole point of UPVC was that you didn't need to paint them!

Another disaster then where homeowners have been given the hard sell and estate agents have promoted these windows as a benefit.

[SoMuchForSubtlety]

I haven't tried yet but I've been researching a lot because I'm planning to do it. You can get primer designed for plastic (you need to lightly sand the window first with a fine grade paper) and then just use normal outdoor paint over the primer.

[BumWad]

Yes I saw this too! I would love to paint ours but didn't know it was possible.

[Greencheese]

I did a quick google and saw some bloke on another forum somewhere say he was going to get a cheap second hand window from ebay for a practice. No matter how much I practiced I doubt my DH would let me near our windows ha.

[MisForMumNotMaid]

For me its our PVC conservatory i'd love to tackle. Its a lovely space that I really enjoy sitting in. The previous owners installed it but never quite finished it. We've wired and plastered the brick, replaced the window through to the house with a double glazed glass panel thats flush to the wall and put up blinds. Its now quite cozy.

I've moved from a whole string of lovely period houses with pretty gardens, where I've had beautiful hand made wooden double glazed windows fitted, to a modern box with small garden front and back. I've done what I can with the small space to the front lots of box, herbs and roses and again to the back garden but the mass of UPVC just looks cheap and a bit temporary to my eye. I've got various painted wood bits of furniture in the garden and I love the slightly more organic nature of painted look over PVC. This house is less than half the value of previous ones and with the work we've done on it is already at the upper end of the street cap so its not worth investing any real sums in it yet because we moved to very near family and very few of the houses in the area would work for us as a family we're unlikely to move for quite some time so want to make the best of the house without over investing.

[bottersnikes]

I liked this idea, too! It seems from a quick google that plenty of people have had it done, but none of them have seen this thread yet :)

Presumably spraying UPVC windows grey would be cheaper than, say, getting new powder-coated aluminium ones.

[MisForMumNotMaid]

My concern isn't the painting its the weathering. Think painted guttering with peeling paint as an example.

I think that the paint would need a key, lightly sanding to rough up the smooth plastic i guess would work. Then probably a primer coat to give it some thickness then the colour as one or two layers.

[PausingFlatly]

I painted ours indoors a few years ago - sanded and primed, of course. So far it's still looking excellent. Don't know how well it would weather outdoors - my neighbours guttering is peeling. But then the guttering may expand and contract more.

[PigletJohn]

I haven't done windows, but have had good results on plastic waste pipes and meter boxes.

I use non-drip gloss, a good flowing coat, with no primer or undercoat. I must have originally picked up the recommendation somewhere. Clean and degrease the surface first with white spirit and a green pan-scouring pad, and rub off with a cotton rag before painting.

The ones I did 20 years ago have gone a bit dull outside and might benefit from another coat.

[cafesociety]

I've also painted uPVC guttering and waste pipes by wiping them down with spirit and using a gloss paint [no primer]. Its all fine, no peeling at all.

I'd love to paint my uPVC windows but haven't the time at the mo, and would do a lot of research beforehand....probably doing the windows at the back first!

[PausingFlatly]

My neighbours' pipes, on the other hand, are peeling something hideous.

I've no idea what their paint or prep was.

[PausingFlatly]

Meh, repeating myself. Sorry.

[Gatekeeper]

I would love to paint my front door so will look into this; apparently Sandtex do a upvc primer and you can then use their gloss or satin paint over the top . They do a lovely colour paint by them called bay tree which I fancy hotly

[BOFster]

Wow, that looks SO much nicer.

[Greencheese]

Ooooo I love that green! That's exactly what I'd have too! Love it!

[MisForMumNotMaid]

Its good to hear that people have had success with gloss. I'm wondering whether to do a little patch test in the back corner of the conservatory and leave it for the winter to see how it goes. I've got white gloss in, so i could white gloss the patch so it doesn't look to different, or cost a small fortune, but i could test the adhesion etc.

I love that green. My garden wood is mainly in a sort of duck egg blue/ green its a cuprinol stain i think its called sea grass so i think i'd need to look at something similar/ or restain the garden stuff.

[puffylovett]

Ooh, I'm just bumping this thread up as I would dearly love to do this and also love that sandtex green! Has anyone dared yet?

[NewEraNewMindset]

My DP wants to paint ours in that Sandtex green and I have said no as I think we could end up with an expensive nightmare on our hands if it peels.

[Greencheese]

My back PVC windows are manky, I may attempt it next summer, I can't make them any worse ha.

[Loopylou520]

Hi, did you try this? I've just found out about sandtex pvc-u primer/10yr satin to paint pvc doors and, like you, think they look good on Pintrest pics. I'm just note sure on the finish? How it would look close up? And how would weather?

[movingonup2015]

sorry all I know this hasn't been posted on for a while but I thought I'd offer my experience with this.

I have very successfully painted my awful dark brown PVC windows to a lovely bright white and they do not look like they have been painted!

All you need to do is sand lightly (don't go nuts or you will put deep scratches in the pvc!) just enough to take the "slipperiness" of the pvc off.

Then put several coats of Zinsser bin 123 primer on top - it dries really really quick so you can get several coats of primer done in one day.

For best results wait about 5 days for the primer to "cure" - this is how I go the best results with mine but only because it was winter at the time and only had time to paint in the evening and because the weather was rubbish I ended up having to wait longer between coats because the windows needed to be open..

anyway once your primer is done you can put pretty much any waterproof top coat on. I went with the cheapest exterior satinwood I could find and they have turned out lovely. They have had blazing sun and driving rain on them and still look just as good. Just thought this might help!

[FourFlapjacksPlease]

thanks for posting movingonup! I have just bought a house with brown upvc windows which I hate and have been pondering doing this!

Deffo going to do it now! The windows are fairly new and good quality but have been seriously considering changing them as I find them so ugly!

[unlucky83]

Reading with interest ...success stories appreciated.
I've been really tempted to do this - especially inside. I have dark brown mahogany UPVC inside and out...and I hate it.
I've read just gloss works - but you can get special primers. (although tbh I wonder whether any of the specialist primers are worth using...(although Zinsser has a good reputation). I've painted 'unpaintable' things in the past with gloss and not had a problem - the plastic light switch I painted with red gloss in my teenage bedroom was looking a bit worn 20 yrs later when my dad finally got round to replacing with a new switch )
Anyway (this is a warning about the installer being as if not more important that the manufacturer of the units for anyone thinking of replacing!) my windows were (apparently) expensive, good quality ones. But were very badly fitted - which means the frames have warped. I have lots of really large windows (eg pairs of tilt and turn that are 1.5m by 1.2m each) and they are the worse. I have gaps in the openings between the window opening and frame - I could see daylight, even fit my finger through one and no amount of new internal seals/adjustments/paid for repairs can fix them. (I have sealed one up completely with expanding foam and silicone seal, some I filled the gap with clear silicone only stuck to one side -a National trust trick apparently which worked well - but it has gone cloudy with age so is now visible and looks a mess)
And they were still in the 10yr guarantee period - but the company who fitted them for previous owner had gone bust - funnily enough a new double glazing firm operated from the same address and they had a similar name but they weren't the original company .
To replace them all we are talking £10k for basic, cheapest you can get white upvc (one big name company quoted me £30k) .
Some of the windows are ok, the glass units themselves are fine (but apparently I wouldn't be allowed to get someone to re-frame the glass) ... and I don't want to replace just the problem ones - cos I wouldn't choose mahogany, it might not match and each window would be more expensive because it is mahogany ). Or say replace the front (or back) of the house -my two biggest problem ones are on opposite sides and inside some rooms I would have one mahogany and one white window....
I must be the only person who is hooping their units start to fog up - so I could justify getting rid ....but they haven't cos they are good quality units .
I thought if I painted the 'ok' ones I could replace just the dodgy ones and it wouldn't look too bad...or maybe even paint the new ones too...

(And for anyone else with windows installed by cowboys - if they seem draughty and you can't see an obvious cause check under any trims around the inside -if you having some fitted insist on plastering in and no trims - I took the wooden facing off some of mine - found massive (2-3 inch wide) gaps - so nice thick high rated double glazed glass surrounded by a few mm thick hardboard )