Aluminium Window Designs 1.0

The process of aluminium window painting can be broken down into a series of steps with two distinct stages. These are preparation and application. The inexperienced however, will try and skip on the preparation to the detriment of the look and durability of the finished product.

Preparation

The amount of preparation needed mainly depends on the type and condition of the original substrate. For example, if you have old powder coated painted aluminium windows that has chalky paint and rubs off against your fingers, then this will take a lot more preparation than newer powder coated surface that's not chalking and is being painted for a colour change.

However, anodized aluminium windows will take a lot more preparation than all other substrates regardless of its substrate condition because, the surfaces needs a lot more mechanical abrasion to key the surface up enough to allow the paint to stick.

Protection of adjacent finished surfaces- Whenever you are painting isolated section, it is important that you protect adjacent finished surfaces. When painting the aluminium windows in your home or apartment, you'll need to think about putting plastic drop sheets down, followed by canvas drop sheets. I suggest applying plastic film and 3M, which you can with a hand dispenser to protect the glass and the walls directly surrounding the window frame.

Cleaning - Make sure all surfaces are clean and free of dirt. Grime and grease are critical in the process of aluminium window painting. If surfaces are dirty then paint adhesion is reduced. Clean the frames on the outside with soapy water and a sponge. However, use a soap that is salt free such as truck wash. Wash off all excess soap with clean fresh water.
Then, alternately clean surfaces down both inside and out with solvent wash such as prepsol.

Use a scour to apply the solvent. The scour will clean and key the surface at the same time. It is important that you carry out a second solvent wash on dirty windows by applying solvent with a clean cloth then wiping off with another clean cloth.

Sanding the substrate - There is no easy way around this process. This can be difficult and monotonous especially getting into the tighter spots such as the upper channel because there is no mechanical sanding equipment that can make the job a lot quicker. Thus, doing the job manually by hand is hard and time consuming.