Old dog learns a new trick.

[andy everett]

I'm in the middle of fixing up a home used as a rental unit. As the home is older and some what abused it will not command a premium and as such both the owner and myself agree that we are not to spend too much time and money on it. However a complete paint job on the interior is warranted. Many windows, each with seven panes of glass (6 over 1), posed a problem, painting windows is very time consuming. My hand can be fairly steady but pretty slow. This job must be done fast. I thought the time spent taping the windows would be regained by being able to paint faster. I tested this on one window and was disappointed how long it took to try and tape the window (tape also did not stick well to clean and dry glass, 3m tape). I have used metal tools that aid in painting windows but the paint wants to wick around the metal and does not do as good a job as one might hope.

New trick. Take a piece of high quality 3m masking tape and use it to cover the end of a high quality and flexible 6 inch and 12 inch spackle knife. The half of the tape covers the end of the knife length wise and then it is folded over to cover the other side of the knife. The fold is kept sharp. This tool is then placed at the juncture between the glass and the wood frame and you paint like mad. The tool is pulled straight away and if needed the under side is given a quick swipe on some old newspaper to clean off any paint the might have come around. With the 6 and 12 inch spackle knives modified this way the window was quickly and neatly painted with the added bonus that the juncture between the glass and wood was sealed with paint as we are told to do. The tape for some reason seems to reduce or eleminate the paint wicking around the knife. Any explanations out there?

An old dog can learn a new trick.

[Colbyt]

Don't have clue as to why it worked. But you can bet that I will be trying this trick.

Regular tape? Or one of the clean release ones?

I completely agree that taping off each pane is slower than scraping off the paint when you are done. Except when it is an acrylic pane which scratch very easily.

Colbyt

[Dan Espen]

I just did my dining room windows with a 12x24 inch piece of formica. Just hold it in place and paint normally. For smaller windows I'd need to use something smaller. Also did baseboards and chair rails. I haven't held a microscope up to it, but from normal viewing distances, it looks fine.

A lot faster than taping (which doesn't really work in my opinion) and of course a lot faster than just painting with a steady hand.

[dadiOH]

Very few surfaces are truly flat. The tape has enough resilience to seal low areas when you press with the knife.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[andy everett]

Colbyt wrote: ...

...

I used 1 inch wide 3m masking tape, not the more expensive blue easy release tape.

[Art]

I've always had luck with the metal pieces that look like they came from venetian blinds. The idea is to not have too much paint on the brush and keep the metal underside clean.

[komobu]

I have a rental too. When I painted my unit, I rented a professional paint sprayer and went to town over the windows and glass. After 30 minutes, the latex would kind of dry to the touch, but not be completely cured. At that time I used a razor blade and was able to clean the windo in about 30 - 45 seconds. To me, avoiding the brush was well worth it.

Pat

andy everett wrote: Many windows, each with seven panes of glass (6 over 1),

[siralfred]

I've used taping knives this way for years, wiping with a cotton rag(which is something I always have handing while painting). I'll try the tape next time. Thanks for the tip!