Before we took out the can of spray paint, we had found mostly "no's" across the internet and from negative nancies (most of which had not tried it). Until we saw a bunch of more positive, tried & tested results and so we decided it was worth a shot and gave it a go.

Anyway, skip to materials and short process here.

Like anything with renovation, especially paint, the process is in the PREPARATION! While it is tedious, it is about 90% of the project. All you need is a bit of patience, less than $100 and you can make a huge impact.

This is what we did:

1. Sanded back all the old paint (this was done probably 25 + years ago and was flaking). Use a scraper if you need to. *remove any security screens first.

2. Cleaned the area with a high-pressure washer (we used this $48 one from Bunnings). For interiors, I’ve used a steam cleaner and then dried. This gets any stubborn dirt out of any hidden crevices.

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3. Tape & Cover the glass with newspaper, taped along the sides to ensure a straight and clean mask. This is the MOST crucial part and most time-consuming. Make sure the tape is on the glass ONLY (also of course the outside of the frame as well - we have render - so the tape is only touching the render). Even .5mm over the frame with tape (this tiny tiny bit you won't even see unless you're really looking) will leave you with a tiny under-colour line and you do not want that. Use a good masking tape (recommendation below) to ensure easy application and solid seal.

4. Spray the frames with Etch Primer! This is to ensure proper adhesion of the topcoat onto the metal, especially over any rusted parts etc. It also prevents further corrosion/rust. THEN once it’s dry, go in with your top color. Spray in really thin coats holding your can roughly 20cm away. This ensures even coverage, and no runs.

5. Spray the screens. Spray with the same method we did the frames. Also, we needed to spray the mesh inside the screen also, as the mesh was not black and the over-spray from the screen edges would have been visible.

6. Peel back the tape while the paint is still drying. This ensures no blobs were formed by excess paint, resulting in peels. p.s. This part is extremely satisfying - go over and watch on my stories.

The result? It's great!

Let's consider the alternative.

Leave as it is = ugly yellow windows constantly killing my vibe

Replace them with new windows = $6k down the gurdler. No thank you!

It has done its job! I'll check in again in a year or so and I'll let you know how it's holding up! Check out our Instagram highlights “sprayed windows” for a 6-month check-in! It’s doing great!!

Job = Success!