How to Open a Painted Shut Window
At Indow we prioritize safety, both in our factory and your home. As a result, the topic comes up quite often when we discuss home improvement, especially as it pertains to your windows. The most important window-related safety issues are a window’s ability to open and close and provide a tight seal. Fully functional windows are of the utmost importance for the safety of you and your family. If you live in an older home that has seen multiple renovations, including paint jobs, there’s a good chance that you are dealing with windows that have been painted shut. We’re here to help you open your stuck windows to keep your family safe and windows healthy.
Beyond safety concerns, freeing them from their colorful confinement improves their look and increases their value. After all, windows are meant to be opened. One last consideration, especially if you own a property and are renting it, there are legal and liability issues to consider. Is it illegal to have windows painted shut? If every window in your home is painted shut, you are in violation of building code. If only a few windows are painted shut, you might be okay. Bob Vila does a fine job of detailing egress window requirements. When dealing with paint removal, it is important to understand the type of paint you are dealing with. Lead poisoning caused by ingestion of dust or chips from lead paint is a real and serious threat to DIYers with limited experience working with lead paint. Before opening your painted shut windows, please take some time to watch our YouTube video on How to Remove Lead Paint Safely.
Steps to Opening a Painted Shut Window
Opening your painted shut windows is a quick and easy task. Let’s get into how it’s done. To get started, you’ll need a few items:
- Box cutter
- Putty knife
- Hammer
- Ladder
- Sand paper
- Paint
Try to break the paint seal by simply pressing the putty knife into each crevice. If that doesn’t work, try applying a bit more pressure to the putty knife by gently tapping its handle with a hammer. You will be close to your glass windows, so be sure to slowly tap the handle with the hammer, pulling the hammer back from the handle no more than 1’’ for each swing. This will lower the chances of you missing the handle and making contact with the glass.
Since we do encourage exercising caution in everything we do, if you can avoid using a box cutter or another extremely sharp object, please do. However, if at this point you still have not broken the seal, carefully use a box cutter to create a small incision along the crevice. This will allow you to wedge the putty knife and drive it in to break the seal as deeply as it goes. We recommend purchasing cut resistant gloves if you plan to use a box cutter. You can find them at most home hardware stores. Perform this step in each crevice where there is a paint seal. This will usually be between the jamb and the side stops and the window sill and bottom sash in the interior.
Once you’ve completed the steps to open your painted shut windows from the inside, gently try to open them. You may need to gradually increase the force, but be mindful of this since you don’t want to damage any wood or glass. If the windows won’t budge, you will likely need to perform these same steps on the exterior of the window. It is important that you make sure your ladder is stable with no movement since you will be using sharp objects. Be careful not to lean or reach far while on the ladder. Instead get down and move the ladder when needed so that your balance is never compromised as you use any sharp tools.
Your windows are open now. They thank you, and we thank you too. But now that they’re open, you may notice some chipping in the paint where you did not intend. Paint typically does not break cleanly. Larger chips will bring paint off the jamb and other parts of the window adjacent to the crevices where the paint seal formed. If you plan to repaint these areas, you will need to sand them first. Once sanded and ready for a new coat of paint, do so carefully, making sure not to get paint back in the crevice between the jamb and stop. A couple times throughout the drying process, very carefully run the putty knife up and down the crevices where you originally broke the paint seal. This will prevent the window from being painted shut again. Unless you’re an experienced painter, there’s a good chance some paint will get back in. Be sure to remove the putty knife and wipe it off cleanly after each pass.
Why were your windows painted shut in the first place? This can be the result of lack of caution during past paint jobs. When painting the frame or window sash, paint can easily find its way in the cracks, causing a seal that will make the windows inoperable. In other instances, homeowners will address drafty windows by sealing them with paint. While it is an effective solution, it does make windows inoperable, which is a safety concern. Once you free the windows from their paint seals, those draft issues will likely return. Indow has a solution. Indow inserts are placed in the window frame and provide a nearly airtight seal. In homes outfitted with Indow inserts, energy bills are reduced by an average of 20% as a result of the warm air being kept inside. This allows homeowners to run their heating systems less.
Have you opened your own painted-shut windows before and used a different approach? Or maybe you had special windows that required a few extra steps? We would love to hear your success story! Comment below and tell us about your experience opening painted shut windows.
Customer Reviews
4.49 Average 1491 Reviews
Juli E
We are thrilled with our Indow window inserts! I'd been on the lookout for a more permanent solution to leaky windows in our third floor living space. I discovered Indow on social media but since then have learned of friends who'd had Indow recommended to them by their rennovation contractor. The entire process went smoothly with friendly reps at hand to talk through questions during measuring, etc. They fit perfectly and help us to maintain the beautiful design of the windows on our 100 year old home! Highly recommend!!
Jen F
Worth the money!
Elizabeth H
For townhouse living, this solved my problem with noise from my neighbor's with my kitchen window. A considerable decrease of noise indeed! Measurements were a bit frustrating so I recommend using a laser measurement device and following directions to use a string for the diagonal. They look great and were easy to push into place. I highly recommend as an alternative to buying a new window.
Anonymous
Easy to install, and instantly stopped drafts and dampened outside noises very effectively!
Robert C
The process could've been smoother with the sending of the measuring kit. There was a delay with weather in Oregon but then it felt like my kit was still delayed due to other reasons. Most new homes (like mine) have textured paint and it can also be inside your window frames. I measured everything out but I still have little tiny gaps due to the texturing. Not indows problem but just be aware you made need to sand or fill in those gaps yourself to get a perfect seal. I did the acoustic grade inserts and they have reduced some noise but they will not completely block or significantly reduce road noise. This is most apparent with deep or lower frequencies like truck exhausts or modified street racing cars that are quite popular these days. Taking the inserts out to open your windows isn't an easy task. The little metal hook they provide needs to be either bigger or you can attach something to it as a way to leverage yourself. Overall the process was average. I think they're definitely a good option for weatherproofing and some sound reduction depending on the type of windows you have. I would purchase again.
Shelley C
The process for ordering and installing the Indow Widnow inserts was so easy. They sent the measuring information and it had great instructions. The inserts were delivered by UPS was crushed on one corner, but the company had packed them well, so there was no damage. We installed them the same day. It works best if you have two people completing the installation. We felt the results immediately and are glad we spent the money to make our home just a little more efficient.
Barry B
The insert fits like a glove and insulates the window! No more frost and condensation on the interior of the window! Thank you for an easy, effective and attractive fix!
Susan A
The support during the entire process was wonderful, thank you so much for the extra quiet space!
Volodymyr R
Very good good quality. Overall very satisfied with this product and service. Thanks
Jane H
Our home was built in 1913 and has beautiful old wavy glass single-paned windows. I’m so glad we were told about Indows and didn’t have to replace the original windows. We live in Canada but had no difficulty placing the order and were very impressed by how accurately the company met its deadlines, including cross border delivery. The Indows inserts blend in perfectly with our home and the existing window frames. You don’t see them unless you’re actually looking for them. But what we did notice was how much warmer the rooms feel the minute the inserts were installed! I can’t speak to any heating bill savings because they just went in this week, but our home feels much, much cozier. Our contractor who took all the measurements and installed the Indows says: “Excellent instructional videos: clear and informative. Very impressed with the design and the product. Overall, the ease of installation is quite impressive. Working with all the staff at the company was great – everyone was very helpful.” I’m already recommending this company to any of my friends who live in drafty older homes and want to reduce their heating/cooling bills and do some good for the environment.
Anonymous
Don't be afraid of buying an older home with single pane windows. This company has you covered. Their inserts are super high quality and fit well thanks to the laser measuring kit they send. Highly recommended!
Katie M
We purchased three Indows to reduce drafts and noise in our bedroom, which faces the street. The improvement was immediate. Our house was built in 1958 and although we have exterior storm windows we didn't want to replace the windows outright due to cost and architectural consistency. These were an excellent solution.
Matthew L
Indow inserts were easy to measure, order and install. They've provided great insulation for old single-pane and stained glass windows in an antique home. We can significantly feel how much better the home holds heat.
Ellis W
I ordered two Indow inserts for my home. They are doing a great job, entirely happy with them and the ordering process.
Elizabeth W
I can't say enough good things about this product and company. Our house is 101 years old and the sidelites next to our front door are single pane ancient wavy glass which means when it gets very cold (Chicago temps) we can have an inch of frost covering the INSIDE of our windows. I was desperately searching for a solution so our front vestibule was not so cold and a friend recommended Indow. The process could not have been simpler and the temperature difference it has made is off the charts.