# Can I Paint the Interior Side of Vinyl Windows?



## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I don't think with proper prep, that you would have any problems on the interior.


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## gary.bruzzese (Sep 28, 2016)

I've used latex paint with good results. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Are these windows with moving parts like casements, or single/double hung, or are they simple picture windows?


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

+1

Doable but not necessarily going to hold up on components that interface and rub.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I think Breakthrough(sp) would hold up, excellent blocking properties.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

I think sun will come right through the glass and shine directly on the painted vinyl. It will warp. The window won't go up and down. Or worse. Black scares me. I don't know about windows specifically, but I have sure seen some painted vinyl warp like crazy. It is no joke. Replacing all the windows will not be fun. White would be a lot safer.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

mathmonger said:


> I think sun will come right through the glass and shine directly on the painted vinyl. It will warp. The window won't go up and down. Or worse. Black scares me. I don't know about windows specifically, but I have sure seen some painted vinyl warp like crazy. It is no joke. Replacing all the windows will not be fun. White would be a lot safer.


With Las Vegas heat and sun, I'd be cautious also.... do the windows have a significant exposure.


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## eeyon5000 (Mar 16, 2017)

ChuckF. said:


> Are these windows with moving parts like casements, or single/double hung, or are they simple picture windows?


They're sliding windows - slide from side to side to open.

Thanks!


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## eeyon5000 (Mar 16, 2017)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> With Las Vegas heat and sun, I'd be cautious also.... do the windows have a significant exposure.


The main windows I'm concerned about are north/south facing windows with no trees or buildings to ever provide any shade. 

The east and west facing windows are protected by the neighbors' houses. 

Thanks for your input!


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## eeyon5000 (Mar 16, 2017)

mathmonger said:


> I think sun will come right through the glass and shine directly on the painted vinyl. It will warp. The window won't go up and down. Or worse. Black scares me. I don't know about windows specifically, but I have sure seen some painted vinyl warp like crazy. It is no joke. Replacing all the windows will not be fun. White would be a lot safer.


Thanks for the input! From everything I've been reading, I'm moving away from the black idea and closer towards white. It seems that a high reflective white paint that is made to stick to vinyl would be safer, if not completely safe (since it's even lighter than the existing beige).


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## eeyon5000 (Mar 16, 2017)

chrisn said:


> I think Breakthrough(sp) would hold up, excellent blocking properties.


Thank you! I'm reading up on it now. Until, I had only read about the SW VinylSafe line and the Benjamin Moore Regal Select REVIVE line.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

eeyon5000 said:


> They're sliding windows - slide from side to side to open.
> 
> Thanks!


So that being the case, you have to consider that if you paint the moving sash (by removing it I hope), there are places where that sash rubs on the tracks and the old color will come through. The sash may also bind because of the paint. The first place the paint will come off will be the catches.

There will also be places you can't paint, like inside the tracks, for the same reason. When you look at this finished project, window open or closed, you are going to see both colors.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

When you look at something, the eye and brain work together to make sense of it. Sometimes this process doesn't totally work right. Your brain misinterprets the information and you see something that isn't really there. That's how optical illusions work. 

These illusions happen with color too. If you take red and add a little black and yellow, maybe it will start to look blue even though there is no blue there. This is called metamerism. Two colors that look the same despite having different "ingredients" are called "metameric pairs". 

VinylSafe paint is not a special kind of paint. It is a special way of tinting the paint so it looks like the color you want, but the actual tint colors that go into it might be completely different. The actual formulas are designed to minimize tints that will absorb heat (and warp your vinyl). 

If you try looking at your paint job under a different light source that has more power in different parts of the spectrum, you will notice the color difference. But the sun is pretty consistent, so for exterior paint, the process works pretty well.


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