Aluminum and Vinyl Window and Door Painting
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As a complement to our core siding painting services, we are also happy to provide painting of many other exterior surfaces. Window frames and doors are some of the most popular examples of these.
With our experience and refined processes in spray painting, we’re able to bring a new vibe to these elements that are otherwise very expensive to replace. Replacement is especially undesirable when there are no functional problems with your windows or doors.
You do not have to live with the original colours of these surfaces, we can refinish them for you to give that needed boost to the curb appeal, property value, and ultimately your enjoyment of your home.
Spray Painting
When looking to refinish window frames, especially the vinyl innermost parts of the frame, spray painting is the only really viable option. Attempting to prime and paint these surfaces by hand will lead to very sketchy results with obvious brush strokes, uneven sections, and likely poor adhesion, especially in the nooks and crannies of the surfaces.
Please read our page on spray painting to learn more about our thorough process and the many advantages of this method.
A Beautiful Finish to Paint Your Windows
For windows and doors, perhaps the most noticeable advantage of spray painting is the nice finish it can achieve. Please note that when we’re painting older surfaces out in the elements, we will never be able to achieve a flawless or factory finish, but applying the paint by spray can achieve results far greater than brush or roller can.
Maybe you dream of having black window trims, not the faded beige that your house ‘came with’. Rather than replace all of those windows, you can re-paint the exterior portions of them to get the look you want.
A front door is a very expensive thing to replace just because you don’t like the colour. We can refinish your door with a sprayed-on finish for a fraction of the price of a new door. We can paint previously painted metal or wood doors and we can prepare and paint newer metal, vinyl, or fibreglass doors.
Window ‘Surrounds’ Vs. ‘Frames’
When we provide a quote for painting we will differentiate between a window surround and a window frame, or ‘inner frame’ or painting the window ‘to the glass’. Window surrounds are large aluminum, wood, or sometimes vinyl cappings that surround the windows but really are not part of the actual windows. Painting these is very simple and similar to our painting services for siding, eavestroughs, fascia, etc.
Window frames on the other hand refers to the painting of the actual window and is a much more delicate process. Your estimator will be sure to make sure you understand the difference between these and also discuss the implications of how the job might look if we paint only the surrounds, or the surrounds and the vinyl frames.
Types of Doors We Paint
We can paint just about any type of door, although some have more restrictions than others. Typically we paint the following:
- Front doors and sidelights
- Side/back doors
- Garage doors
- Patio doors (some restrictions)
- Screen doors (some restrictions)
You can read more about the restrictions to consider below. Your estimator will always discuss these details with you and make sure all expectations are clear.
Our Process to Paint Vinyl Window Frames and Doors
Many details of our painting process can be found on other pages of our site, but here we will discuss the specific points pertaining to the painting of windows and doors:
- Cleaning: This can be done either via pressure washing (if we’re coming anyways to do the siding or other surfaces) or sometimes it makes more sense to clean by hand. We are always careful when washing along windows, doors, or anywhere there are seams, to make sure water does not blast through.
Window Preparation and Painting
- Scuffing: For the vinyl innermost parts of the windows, we will scuff the entire surface, usually with steel wool, to make a rougher surface for the paint to bond to. We will then wipe the excess dust off, which is extremely important.
- Masking: Either before or after the scuffing (but definitely before painting!), all the surrounding areas, and the glass window panes will be extensively masked off to block any potential overspray. Using a combination of paper, tape, and plastic sheeting we’ll make sure the job is crisp and clean. We can also utilize spray shields to further contain the material when the spraying is actually being performed.
- Priming: For vinyl windows, they need to be given a coat of primer before the finish paint. This is a specific bonding product like Extreme Bond Primer by Sherwin Williams that is formulated for extra smooth or hard-to-adhere surfaces. The primer and paint combination is especially important on new vinyl windows that are being refinished for paint colour preference.
- Painting: We apply multiple thinner coats of paint by spray. Unlike siding where we can often build up the coating in one layer, windows require a more delicate touch and extra round of painting to ensure the finish is exquisite and the paint adheres properly well to this tricky substrate. We are always sure to use vinyl-safe paint on both newer and old window frames.
Door Preparation and Painting
Painting a door is a delicate process as it requires timing, careful masking, proper curing time and conditions, all while still functioning as the entry point and security of your home. It takes careful timing, process and skill to properly paint a door, a front door especially:
- Sanding or Scuffing: For previously painted doors, they may need some sanding to smooth out any rough spots, and for factory-finished doors, they will often need scuffing like mentioned for the windows above. If the door is very weathered, then a good cleaning may be all that is necessary.
- Scheduling: A particular aspect of door painting is coordinating when the door will be painted, as well as the necessary drying and curing time. The crew leader and/or scheduler will discuss with you the best time to have access to either remove the door or leave it open for painting and drying.
- Masking: Thorough masking is important for painting a door. We may remove the door from the doorway, or paint it in place, depending on a number of factors.
- Spray Painting: Again, our sprayed-on finish, while not factory-perfect, is still an incredibly more beautiful and durable coating than any brush or roller job could achieve. Some doors may require that we use a primer first, but often our self-priming premium products will have no problem adhering tenaciously to the surface.
Serving the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe
- Etobicoke
- Mississauga
- Oakville
- Milton
- Burlington
- Hamilton
- Guelph
- Kitchener & Waterloo
- Cambridge
- Brantford
- St. Catharines & Welland
- Niagara Falls
- And Other Nearby Cities and Towns!
What We Don't Paint!
Any part of the door or window that must glide or slide to allow functionality will not be painted. Building up paint on these surfaces can interfere with how the fixture works. There have been some cases where clients insist that they will not ever open the door or window and wanted us to just ‘spray it all’ and that is fine, as long as it’s clear we are not responsible for faulty operation of the window or door going forward.
Sliding patio doors often have overlapping sections that may lightly rub up against each other as they open or close. We typically avoid painting these as the functioning of the door may damage or scrape the paint. Certain types of sash windows have this as well. Again there are ways that doors and windows can be fully removed and taken apart, sprayed separately, allowed to cure, and then re-installed. We can discuss these options with you on a case-by-case basis, but they are very pricey options.
Many older screen doors have many intricate parts and sections that can open, slide, or rub up against each other. We can paint these but we will usually advise against and provide a disclaimer that we are not responsible for the results. Oftentimes even the handle of the door will need to be painted (because it matches the old colour), and as amazing as our paint jobs are, they are not meant for constant contact with human hands and activity, and the paint will wear off. Furthermore, painting screen doors is quite tedious and therefore more pricey and most customers find it’s better value to just get a new screen door solution.
Our standard service includes painting the exteriors of doors only. You can request to also paint the interior, but it makes the job a lot trickier and will increase the cost. Keep in mind that the interior of the door is usually painted to match the interior trims, walls, etc. so it requires a different colour and type of product.
When your windows are wide open, there might be areas along the inner parts that still show the previous colour. We paint all windows when they’re closed so anything that only shows when opened, will not be painted.
Yes, unfortunately there are parts of doors and windows that are not included in our services and it’s important that you understand them before agreeing to the job
Warranty Details
Please read the details of our 10-Year Guarantee, as there are some limitations to what is covered when it comes to windows and doors, most of which is discussed above.
Also, unrelated to our painting warranty, there may be implications for your window warranty. When you repaint vinyl windows, the window manufacturer may void your warranty, if you still have one, for the windows themselves. If your windows are old this is probably not a concern, but it still might be worth contacting the window company to let them know you intend to paint the original vinyl interior window frames.
Painting Vs. Replacement Windows
Despite the limitations and challenges of painting these surfaces, it is usually still a much more affordable option than replacing with new windows or doors in many cases. But we recommend that you weigh all the pros and cons of whether to repaint or replace the windows, doors, or screen doors. In some cases it might be better to buy new windows or doors
Contact us today for a free estimate to refinish your vinyl windows or doors of all kinds.
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We proudly service all cities in the West GTA and
all along the Golden Horseshoe of Ontario:
Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Georgetown, Acton, Erin, Caledon, Brampton, Mississauga, Etobicoke, York, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Orangeville, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, St. Catharines, Welland, Niagara, and Brantford!