Sash window painting in Blackheath, Oldbury. Sliding sashes prepared, repaired where needed and painted so they still open and close afterwards.
Blackheath has a good stock of Victorian and Edwardian terraces around the town centre, and a lot of them still have their timber sash windows. Those windows are worth keeping, and they are also the easiest thing in a house to ruin with a paintbrush.
The classic mistake is painting a sash shut. Paint gets into the gap between the sash and the frame, into the pulley housings, and onto the sash cords, and the window never slides again. Painting a sash properly means working in a set order, moving the sashes as the paint dries, and keeping the running surfaces clean.
Preparation matters more on sashes than anywhere else. Old layers of paint often include lead, so the old surface is treated with care: wet-sanded rather than dry-sanded, and never burnt off. Loose putty is cut out and replaced so the glass stays sealed, and any soft timber on the sills and bottom rails is repaired.
Most of the sash windows we see in Blackheath are on the front of the house, facing the street, and they are the first thing anyone notices about a Blackheath terrace. That makes them worth doing well, and it is why so many Blackheath owners choose to keep them rather than replace them.
Done this way, a sash window looks right and keeps working, which is the whole point of keeping it in the first place. Flaking paint, damp patches that keep coming back, or cracks that reopen are worth looking at before anything new goes over them.
Sashes moved during painting so nothing sticks and the window still slides.
No paint on the running surfaces, pulleys or cords.
Wet-sanded rather than dry-sanded or burnt, because older layers can contain lead.
Loose or cracked putty cut out and replaced so the glass stays sealed.
Soft sills and bottom rails repaired before painting, not painted over.
A fine line of paint onto the glass seals the putty against the weather.
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Usually, yes. The paint seal is cut carefully and the sash eased free before painting.
That is your call. Well-maintained timber sashes can last a very long time, and in a period Blackheath terrace they suit the house.
Usually most of a day per window including preparation, depending on the state it is in.
Only if it is disturbed carelessly. Wet-sanding and cleaning up properly keeps it safe.
Broken cords are best done by a joiner at the same time; we will tell you if yours need it.
Blackheath, Rowley Regis, Oldbury and nearby.