Sanding and painting window frames

[JILLBROWN]

I'm going to sand and paint the wooden window frames on an Island Gypsy 32. I can't get all the old paint off, so I'll remove what I can and then varnish the frames before I paint. Should I use a small electric sander (I'm a gal with small hands)? What kind of varnish should I use? Any other suggestions?

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Why varnish them?

I'd use an epoxy or urethane compatable primer and two part poly paint if you want the most longevity.

If you have a reason for applying a clear finish before painting I would use a clear epoxy, then primer and then paint.

All the window frames I've redone I've pretty much sanded by hand. A Fien tool or the like with a triangular sanding pad helps. But there still is a lot of hand sanding to do.

One trick I learned over the course of refinishing a dozen or more boats worth of window frames is to not to bother taping off the glass. It's much faster to peel off the paint that gets on the glass with a razor blade. Plus it saves you the cost of the tape. And by cutting along the edge of the glass where it meets the wood frame before you peel you get a nice paint to glass edge that helps keep water from working its way under the paint.

 

[AusCan]

Jill, Trying to remove old paint from wood is always a problem, and rarely can be done completely due to it permeating the wood so deeply.


Capt Bill gives good recommendations - both on type of paint, and to forget about masking the glass. But definitely mask off the fiberglass side of the windows.