I had a professional painter come in and scrape/repaint the wooden exterior window frames on my house when we bought it (2 years ago). I have now noticed that several of the windows have litereally "let go" of the paint. He used a solid stain product - not paint.
He came back happily last summer and touched up a few spots....but this is silly. What can cause the stain to just let go? A few of the sills have significant "raising" of the grain..... any ideas?
bmoney
Moisture ? How old are the windows ?
It's moisture getting in the wood somehow.
It's getting in probably because it isn't sealed. If it were just one or two boards it might be bad wood that just won't hold paint, but if it is a lot then water is getting through the "stain" or behind the wood. Poor caulking or poor construction that doesn't let the house shed water is the most likely cause
Some good thoughts by the posters.
Is the painter sealing everything? Is the weather stripping in good condition?
Also, there may be a problem with the sill, in that it isn't shedding the water. I've seen windows installed in a way that the sill actually slopes back toward the house. [This is an extreme example, but the sill should slope down away from the house].
One last thought - even when using a solid color stain on siding, I always used paint on the smooth, harder window/door trim. This may be an option for you, but you should first figure out why you're having the problem.
Wow! Did this guy give you a life time warranty?
Send him over.
The windows are as old as the house - 1984 vintage.
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