How to Paint Aluminum Windows | Top 8 Steps To Do It In Few Hours

This article’s primary objective is to educate us on how to paint aluminum windows.

The Aluminum window frame has always been a well-loved material, especially for furnishing the house; it gives warmth and elegance to any room. For this reason, the refined charm of aluminum frames has always been the starting point in the furnishings of every elegant and luxurious environment.

The window frames separate the inside of your home from the outside, protecting it from bad weather, from the sun’s rays, and wind.

How to Paint Aluminum Windows

For painting aluminum windows you have to follow the below 8 steps;

• Preparation
• Eliminate Residues
• Check for cracks or crevices
• Dust the window
• Apply impregnating agent
• Let the Aluminum window dry
• Proceed with the painting of the window
• Let it dry and repeat

Now we will discuss the 8 steps in detail. To paint an aluminum window, you must first find a space to carry out the operation in comfort since you must certainly disassemble the window to paint it.

So it is advisable to have trestles, readily available on the market, where you can place the wooden frame to be sure of working well.

Step-1: Preparation

The Preparation of the frame, which must be sanded to remove the old paint, is the most extended and most accurate operation. Since it is necessary to pass by hand, with care and attention, sandpaper, first with medium grain and then with fine grain, so as not to scratch or irreparably damage the wooden frame.

Step-2: Eliminate Residues

After this operation is passed on the window’s surface, ensure you use a cloth to wipe it and remove all the residues.

Step-3: Check for cracks or crevices

Once this has been carried out, it is also necessary to check that there are no cracks or crevices on the frame. If there are any, it will be required to eliminate them, filling them with ready-made filler.

Step-4: Dust the window

Once the grout has dried, it will be wiped with fine-grained sandpaper and then dusted all over the frame with a soft cloth to eliminate any residual dust.

Step-5: Apply impregnating agent

Once this operation has been carried out, an impregnating agent will be applied to the entire window.

The impregnating agent is an essential product that protects the wood from attack by atmospheric agents and serves as a base for applying the paint.

This product must be passed over the aluminum window with a brush evenly.

Step-6: Let the Aluminum window dry

After spreading the first impregnated hand, we must let it dry in a day. You have to repeat the same operation a second time, passing again before the paper glazed thin and then dusting the fixture again and passing a second hand of the impregnating agent.

Step-7: Proceed with the painting of the window

At this point, the aluminum window will be ready for the painting to be done consistently with high accuracy using a brush.

Step-8: Let it dry and repeat

It will be necessary to let the first coat dry for a whole day; then, you will pass some fine sandpaper and finally a soft cloth to remove the residues. Yet, you will give a second coat of paint that will dry for another day.

In this way, the wooden frame will recover its original beauty and be ready to last over time and withstand the elements for several years.

How to Paint Your Aluminum Perfectly

Painting aluminum at home may not be easy. These are a complex event that requires compliance with all conditions. Even with minimal damage, scratches, the applied coating will quickly come off the metal. Only specialized paints and primers are used for aluminum. However, the anodizing process is often necessary anyway.

There are various ways to do it yourself. But you cannot say that the painting is carried out very qualitatively since this must carry out the procedure under appropriate conditions. It is due to the properties of aluminum, which is elementarily oxidized by air.

The ideal way of painting would be anodizing in particular conditions, applying paint using professional equipment. It is in this case that the surface receives a high-quality and durable coating.

Dyeing Methods

Any specialist who knows aluminium’s properties will not be a secret that it can be painted without specialized equipment in 3 ways. But you still can’t do without special devices or reagents. Using ordinary paint and primer will get you nowhere. Only these three methods are useful:

• Powder coating;
• Anodizing or using aniline dyes;
• Make Use of special primers or enamels after degreasing the surface. This method is also called “painting without anodizing.”

Painting Powder Coated Aluminum Window Frames

Powder coating of aluminum involves treating the metal surface with unique chemical compounds, and then a layer of powder paint is applied.

The part is then heat-treated to melt the colorant, providing strength and durability to the polymer layer. The advantage is a wide range of colors, i.e., golden color or chrome can be created without problems.

Defects that arise can be easily removed with a special ink pencil. The widespread use of the method stops the need for specific equipment.

Powder painting is carried out in two stages. The first is the use of special solvents to remove previous layers. The second is processing with a dye composition. If everything were limited to this, then there would be no difficulties.

However, for example, light-alloy wheels or a profile to acquire the required attractiveness and be reliably protected, their surface must be additionally heated. This can be done using a thermal camera. The prepared surfaces are treated with high temperatures so that the applied powder paint spreads in an even, durable layer.

It is not always possible to use a powder coating of aluminum. The price of specialists can also be considerable. Therefore, other staining methods can be used for self-processing.

Painting Anodized Aluminum Window Frame

This method involves the application of a protective layer using an electroplating method. The most durable coating is obtained in this way. Most often, other methods allow you to achieve only a temporary result.

Anodizing is the process of enhancing the appearance and protecting against oxidation. At the end of the procedure, the metal can be painted with the necessary material, for example, aniline paint.

To work, you need the following:

• Salt, soda – for electrolyte preparation
• Aluminum cookware
• Current source
• Sandpaper
• Vinegar
• Aniline
• Degreasing agent

This electrochemical method assumes exact adherence to the technology of work. In stages, it looks like this.

• To begin with, an electrolyte solution of salt and soda is prepared independently. The required amount of water should be determined in advance for the full placement of the work piece.
• The water is divided into two equal portions, from which a solution with soda and salt is prepared separately. Then they mix. The percentage should be something like this: 9 parts salt to 1 part baking soda. Mix in a glass container.
• After that, the part must be carefully processed with sandpaper and degreased (for example, acetone).
• Plunge into water. It is advisable not to touch the prepared surface. Then the work piece is placed in an aluminum vessel with a solution.
• The current source is connected “plus” – to the detail, “minus” – to the dishes. The power source can be a 12 V car battery with a current of 2 A. The current density should be based on the calculation of approximately 15 mA per 1 cm2.
• It remains on for about two hours or preferably until the solution becomes grayish-bluish.

Finally;

At the end of the process, aniline dye should be prepared with water and acetic acid. The proportions are as follows: 1 ml of vinegar and 15 grams of paint are added to 1 liter of water. The composition must be heated to 75 – 80 ° C. This solution must be poured into a vessel with an anodized element. Many automotive and other parts often need to be painted black or in different colors. This can be done quickly and cheaply in a similar way.

Despite its apparent complexity, this method is the simplest and least expensive of all those given. It has gained well-deserved popularity, as it allows you to get the most durable, waterproof surface on such demanding material.

How to Paint Special Primers and Enamels

To not use the anodizing method but not to reduce the created surface’s quality, you can use a special primer that provides high adhesion. For this, the necessary tools and materials:

• Painting tools – brushes or sprayers.
• Sandpaper.
• Special alkyd primer.
• Suitable paint for aluminum.
• Degreasing agents – acetone, white spirit, kerosene.

This staining method requires some preparation. To find special dyes and primers for painting aluminum elements (bumpers, boats, or profiled sheets), you will have to study the range of more than one hardware store.

It is worth buying an epoxy or acrylic dye. For home treatment, it is better how to paint to choose an aerosol than a powder dye. However, the search and purchase of materials are one of the initial stages of processing.

Alternative painting of aluminum consists of performing the following operations:

• Treat the Surface with sandpaper. You should get a uniform matte surface. It is best to use abrasive paper with 1200 grit.
• Removal of dust and dirt
• Degreasing with unique compounds
• Process with a special primer, moreover, it is necessary to complete the priming after the degreasing effect ends.
• Uniform spray paint application onto the primed surface. It is applied in 2-3 layers with a small interval necessary to dry the previous one.
• Drying of the part within 6 hours.
• Application of protective varnish on a dried surface.
• If necessary, polish the finished surface.

A less complicated version can be used with a sander. After careful sanding, the surface is quickly treated with special enamel. In this case, you must strictly follow the instructions for using the coloring composition. If you have the necessary materials and tools, then this method is straightforward.

Painting Aluminum Anodizing on Window

This technique uses the galvanic procedure to coat the aluminum with a protective layer. Metal can be painted in a variety of ways at home, but oxide layer is the only way to get a long-lasting finish. Other times, going to paint aluminum surfaces won’t produce anything lasting. Anodizing is a procedure used to protect steel from combustion and enhance its looks. When all the steps in this technique are completed, the metal surface takes on a lovely gray tint. A appropriate paint can be used to decorate the item (for example, aniline dye).

Instructions

• Two high prevalence solutions made of sodium bicarbonate and table salt are first prepared. The responses are resolved for 15 minutes before being filtered after being disintegrated in water for a period 30 minutes with occasional stirring.

• To make the electrolyte, combine the two solutions in a crystal or porcelain vessel in a ratio of 9 parts soda solvent to 1 part salt solution, extensively mixing the fluids.

• A item made of aluminum is first pre-cleaned with sand paper, then degreased with a specific agent or a washing-powder solution dissolved in hot water, and finally washed under indoor plumbing. • In the meantime, the electrolyte is pumped into an aluminum jar, and a metal product is placed there so that no fingerprints are left on the prepared part. A input current can be a battery tender or an adjustable rectifier with 12 volts and 2 amps of current. The part itself is connected to the plus, while the aluminum container is connected to the minus. The recommended current density is 15 mill amps per square cm.

The component may either be left in its present form or colored with an aniline dyes after the anodization, which lasts approximately an hour and a half and causes the part to develop a greyish-blue bloom. Take 1 milliliter of acetone and 15 grams of dye to make a solution for 1 liter of water that has been heated to between 60 and 80 degrees. The component is submerged in the solution for ten to fifteen minutes. According on the exposure time, color saturation varies.

Last Words

We hope to have given you some useful tips on how to paint aluminum windows.

Painting aluminum is a recommended operation to have objects and surfaces more protected and, consequently, more durable.

This metal is an alloy; therefore, it is subjected to deterioration processes over time. For the same reason, it must be borne in mind that defects and problems can occur after painting, such as raised paint or surface ripples.

Read More: How to Paint Aluminum Window Frame