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Bright Green Door

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Painting Vinyl Windows Black- How we did it!

April 30, 2018 By BrightGreenDoor

After tons of research, today I’m sharing all my tips for painting vinyl windows black!How to Paint Vinyl Windows Black

One of my biggest obstacles in this house has been the window color. Within the last 10 years someone replaced all of the windows with really nice TAN vinyl windows.

Tan Vinyl Windows Painted I really don’t understand why they wouldn’t pick white… or black, but I’ve been on a mission to figure out how to paint them. In our master bedroom I wasn’t sure how to tackle the windows, so I used black electrical tape to give the appearance of black windows! I knew this wasn’t a long term solution though. Here’s what I learned about painting vinyl windows:

  • Because dark paint colors on vinyl attract heat, you have to paint them a lighter color.
  • I REALLY wanted to paint my windows black, so I discovered Sherwin Williams Vinyl Safe Paint Colors.
  • The vinyl safe colors don’t use any black pigments because the black attracts too much heat.

Upon quite a bit of debating, the Sherwin Williams paint guy encouraged me that he COULD make black with maroon, blue, and deep gold colorants! I was SUPER hesitant when the paint came out of the mixer looking like a deep turquoise. He assured me that with two dry coats it would look black. Before painting it onto my windows I tested it on multiple surfaces and sure enough two coats looked black on all of them! (I’m including a photo of the paint label for you)Vinyl Safe Black Paint

**Post contains affiliate links**

  1. I started by taping off all the window edges with FrogTape.
  2. Then I used masking paper to cover the windows, walls, and floor. Honestly I wish I would have used even more because there was still a bit of overspray.
  3. Next I used my Graco Truecoat 360 paint sprayer to put a coat of Bulls Eye gray primer on the windows and trim.
  4. Once this was dry I made sure my “black” (turquoise blue) paint was mixed thoroughly and sprayed two coats on the windows. The first coat seriously scared me because it looked very teal, but once each coat dried I was really happy with the color.
  5. I made sure to remove all my tape while the paint was still wet so that it wouldn’t peel any paint.
  6. Once the windows were newly dry, I opened and closed each window so that it wouldn’t be painted shut. Only one window lightly scratched my paint job which I was able to easily touch up, and now it opens and closes easily.

How to Paint Vinyl Windows

I’m SO glad that I tackled this project! I was reassured by multiple paint guys that because I was painting the interior of the windows they didn’t *think* they would warp. We also live in a cold climate. It was a risk I was willing to take though because I hated our windows so much. I’m going to wait a full year though before I consider this treatment on our other windows, just to see how they hold up.

Painting Vinyl Windows Black

After painting the windows I touched up all the walls with Benjamin Moore “Chantilly Lace” and then added these brass curtain rods, and these Grey Curtains from Hobby Lobby. I still need to hem them but I couldn’t wait to share this with you. Now that they’re 100% dry, they look like the exact same pure black that I painted our cabinets with! You’d never know it was a teal blue color to begin with!Black Painted Vinyl Windows

Thanks so much for reading about my experience painting vinyl windows black. If you decide to tackle this project, let me know how it goes! **Disclaimer… I’m not responsible for any warping due to painting windows… it’s a risk I was willing to take but if you do, do it with caution!** Also, I should note that if you have tan windows and you’re not wanting to take this risk, Sherwin Williams does make their Vinyl Safe paint colors in white which wouldn’t be nearly as high of a risk!

Next Wednesday I’ll be revealing the entire kitchen and dining room with sources, but if you’re curious in the mean time, I’ve included clickable links to many of the products!

**Update** To see the reveal post head here! I’ll also share one teaser pic!!Black Cabinets and Vintage Rugsignature

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Comments

  1. Megan S. says

    May 2, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    I bet that Sherwin Williams guy is so used to people being like, “Uuuuuhhhh….” when it comes out looking like that! Also, this is the second DIY post I’ve read in the last 24 hours that mentions Frog Tape… looks like I’ll be using it if I ever have to tape something off. 😉 It’s a sign!

    Anyway, your windows look fab and the curtains/rods make the windows look a lot bigger. B-e-a-utiful!

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      May 3, 2018 at 7:58 am

      You’re so sweet. I definitely think Frog Tape is the best stuff out there. It just seems to lock and seal better than all the others. I was very apprehensive about the teal color but he sure knew what he was talking about!

  2. Samantha says

    May 3, 2018 at 11:58 pm

    Whoa this is amazing! My style is very similar to yours and I just bought a fixer upper in Seattle (hot and crazy housing market) and our windows are also tan. It’s so hideous!! I want to paint our walls Chantilly Lace and all our doors black. I just realized how weird it’s going to look with the tan windows. Thanks for sharing your experience it’s very helpful. Xo Sam

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      May 5, 2018 at 7:11 am

      Congrats on getting a house! Seattle is a gorgeous city. I’m so glad I used Chantilly Lace everywhere. I hope that it works out for you too! I’m going to try and share an update after a few months!

    • Lisa says

      October 20, 2018 at 11:09 am

      I am wondering if climate factors into the risk. Seem like the risk might be lower in a city like Seattle that does’t get a lot of super sunny days. I am considering this on two windows in the back of my house in San Francisco. The windows do not get a lot of sun and we live in the foggy part of San Francisco, so the weather is really mild. Does this factor in? Or does that not matter?

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      October 21, 2018 at 11:14 pm

      I’m sure you’re right. Anywhere that doesn’t get full sun would definitely help. It’s a big risk, but if you hate your windows as much as I did and you’re willing to take the risk it’s worth it!

  3. Nicole Cooley says

    July 25, 2018 at 10:59 am

    This looks amazing!! I’m considering this and I know it hasn’t been long but is the paint still holding up well? Any sign of warping yet? Trying to convince my husband to go for it!

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      July 25, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Thanks! Yes they still look awesome and they’ve held up perfectly. We’ve even opened and closed them all quite a bit and the paint hasn’t scratched or warped at all.

  4. Melissa Sease says

    September 8, 2018 at 4:40 pm

    I wonder if this same paint and technique will work on exterior vinyl windows?

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      September 9, 2018 at 3:42 pm

      At the paint store they told me they don’t recommend it. They said that the exterior will absorb more heat and warp the windows.

  5. Molli Hunter says

    February 6, 2019 at 11:55 am

    Now that enough time has passed our your painted windows still holding up? Mine our currently an ugly brown and I want to paint them white but my husband is hesitant. Thanks! The windows look great!!!!

    • BrightGreenDoor says

      February 7, 2019 at 11:01 am

      Thanks a ton! They’re actually holding up great! I have a couple tiny spots to touch up, but they’re spots I missed when I painted initially, not scratches. I felt like I had nothing to lose but I definitely don’t regret painting them!

Hi, I’m Jess!

I'm a creator & a finder, a maker and a "try to do it all at once-er". If the words vintage, DIY, or anything brass inspires you, you're in the right place! Thanks for stopping by, now don't be a stranger! Let's Connect!

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