It’s frustrating when the paint on your window frames begin to peel. There are many reasons that paint can peel, including simply the age of the windows and how long the paint has been subject to the ravages of the weather. Natural wear and tear is a common cause of peeling paint, but there are also many home maintenance problems that can contribute to this issue. Knowing the causes and how to identify the warning signs of a problem can help you maintain your windows and reduce the maintenance that your home requires.
If you’ve painted your window frames at any time in the past, they will eventually start to wear and degrade with exposure to the sun and weather over time. Inside, they can also become chipped and dinged during normal wear and tear by you and the other people you live with. Chipping can lead to peeling, especially if you have children who like to do things with their hands while they’re studying or avoiding eating their dinner.
Interior paint will last for 5 to 10 years indoors; exterior paint about 5 years outdoors depending upon weather conditions. If your paint is between 5 and 10 years old, depending on its location, then a likely cause of your peeling paint is simply age.
Paint can peel if the surface the paint has been applied to is wet or moist. High humidity can also lead paint to peel, under the right circumstances. On a wood window, a tiny crack at a window frame joint can let in enough moisture to start the paint peeling all over the window as that moisture is absorbed by the wood fibers.
If the paint is peeling from your window frames, this could be because of a window leak. It’s important to investigate the potential cause of your peeling paint, because a leak could mean that mold and mildew is building up in your wall or beneath the paint. Other signs of a window leak include mold or mildew around the window, water stains around the window or on the sill, rotten wood and soft spots in the window frames.
In order for paint to stick to a surface, the surface itself must be properly prepared. First of all it needs to be very dry. It also needs to be cleaned of contaminants like grease and dust. If the surface is very smooth or slick, it needs to be roughed up or sanded down, so the paint can adhere to it.
And, the area where the paint is being applied needs to be the proper temperature so the paint can cure. If any one of these things goes wrong during the painting process, this can lead to peeling, bubbling or premature failure of the paint.
How can you tell the paint wasn’t properly applied? The paint will likely fail within a year of application.
Renewal by Andersen of New Jersey and New York Metro sells windows with frames made of Fibrex material, which looks like wood but never needs to be painted or refinished. Love the look of your new windows for years to come by installing Renewal by Andersen windows with Fibrex window frames. To make an appointment and learn more about installing new windows in your home, call today. Use the toll-free number: (866) 609-5033 or fill in the short form on this page.
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