repainting wood trim under windows

[Yoel Spotts]

We have some wood trim under some windows where the paint is peeling and chipping and I am concerened aboiut protecting that wood. Thing is, its only in a couple of places. We are not interested in repainting the entire outside of the house for those few places. The trouble would be trying to match the color (we moved into the house 6 months ago). So my questions are:

1) Is paiting or staining or something only a small portion of the exterior (or even only a small art of the trim) a valid option?

2) If yes, what are my options -- painting? Staining?

3) What do I need to do as prep? Remove old paint? Sand?

Thanks a lot for everyone's help!

Yoel Spotts

[NorMinn]

Yes.

Take a chip to a real paint store to get type/color match.

Scrape the loose/peeling paint. If wood is mildewy, wash with 1/10 bleach/water, rinse, dry. Wash off with TSP to remove chalking from old paint. Sand as needed, esp. edges of chipped areas. Prime bare wood. Caulk seams/openings. Paint.

[Jim Sullivan]

However, when doing something like a window, I'd probably paint the entire trim around that one window instead of a patch. There will be enough separation between the other trim pieces on the house so it won't be noticable if it is slightly off colour, and then you won't have to worry about the patch so much.