Window frames: paint or replace?

When is painting enough?

With good maintenance, timber window frames last for decades. Even if there is some local rot, the frame can usually be saved. A professional painter removes the affected timber, fills the area with a two-component wood repair compound or splices in a piece of new timber, and then finishes it with primer and gloss. After such a treatment, the frame can withstand wind and weather for years again.

• Flaking or cracked paint, while the timber underneath is hard.
• Wood rot in a few places, for example in the corners or in the bottom rail.
• Open joints between frame and glazing bead that need resealing.
• Discoloured or weathered timber that turns out to be sound after sanding.

When is replacement the wiser choice?

Replacement is the obvious option when the rot in the jambs and sills goes so deep that the structure is no longer sound, when the frame is out of square or when your windows no longer close properly. If you opt for thicker insulating glass that does not fit the existing rebates, a new frame may also be the better investment. For a listed building or in a protected townscape it is different: there, keeping the original frame is often preferred and replacement may be subject to rules. Read more on painting a listed building.

What does Oranje Kwast charge?

Painting a frame usually costs a fraction of replacing it. Oranje Kwast works with fixed prices per item, all amounts excluding VAT:

• Window frame: €153 each
• Door with frame: €150 each
• Wood rot repair: priced individually after the consultation
• Minimum charge per job: €300

A new frame with glass, fitting and finishing quickly costs many times more. The final price for your frames follows the free consultation; the quote form gives you an instant price indication. You can read more about how the price is built up under what wood rot repair costs.

Think about the long term as well. A properly repaired and painted frame then only needs regular maintenance. Anyone who waits too long sees the rot spread further and later still faces the question of whether replacement is needed.

Have it assessed first

Whether your frame can be saved is not always visible from the outside. During the consultation, our painter checks the known weak spots and looks at how deep any rot goes. Based on that, you get honest advice. The frame before and after shows what a professional wood rot repair achieves. Everything about the approach is on wood rot and frame repair.