Paint removal from aluminium windows

Hello all,

I'm hoping some of you experts can help with an issue that has bothered us for some years?

Our daughter's house has white (manufacturer's coating) aluminium windows and doors which look like new, and work perfectly well, but have lots of smears of dark grey masonry paint on the exterior of the frames. It seems the person who first painted the outside of the house didn't know much about cutting in. They were in this condition when she bought the house a number of years ago and we thought the paint would come off with some elbow grease. We were wrong! We tried scraping but stopped because it started to damage the white coating. Then we tested chemical stripper but again it started to damage the surface. A hot air gun worked to some extent but left a yellowish tinge (scorched?) to the area.

As I said, the windows and doors are otherwise fine but we would just like to get the dark paint off them as it now looks even worse because we managed to repaint the exterior during the 'heatwave' last week.

Any tips?

Thank you
Maggie

Since masonry paint is usually water-based, paint strippers (designed to removed/dissolve oil-based paints) are unlikely to work.

The only thing I can suggest is one of those mesh metal pan scrubbers - I use them to get paint off the handles of brushes and and they work on wood and metal where nothing else does. Try softening the paint first with boiling-hot water then rub gently with the metal scrubber. Obviously, if it's scratching the plastic coating, stop.

As a last resort - paint over the grey with Zinsser Coverstain (it will adhere to anything), then oilbased white undercoat and topcaot paint (eggshell finish probably, rather than gloss?) Not ideal, but better than grey streaks!

Good luck - what a pain! I think people should have to pass a test for painting neatly before they are let loose on the exteriors of buildings....

I think emilybronte is on the money with the boiling water. Obviously you will need to take care when using it but I would use a cloth in the water (with gloves on!) and hold it over the paint for a while to soften it. I would imagine a wire scourer would leave grey scratch marks on white frames so would prefer to use an older scraper without sharp edges to carefully scrape the softened paint away. It will probably take a while but it should work.

That sounds like it's worth a try. I think a scourerer may be a bit harsh as well because it doesn't take much with a scraper to mark them. Fingers crossed that the hot water will help.

Thank you.
Maggie

Well, my daughter and I tried the boiling water this morning and the paint softened enough to scrape it off with a very worn chisel - now I know why my husbad refuses to throw it away!! The remaining softened bits came off with one of those non-scratch bathroom sponges.

We've only finished the kitchen, bathroom, toilet windows and back door frame so far, which took 3 hours between us, but they do look sooooo much better. Only another 7 windows and one door to go!!

Waiting for the kettle to boilk again now - but this time for a well deserved cuppa!

Thanks again for the tips.
Maggie

A hand-held steam cleaner might soften the paint and be easier to handle up a ladder than a sponge and boiling water.

OwainDIYer said:

A hand-held steam cleaner might soften the paint and be easier to handle up a ladder than a sponge and boiling water.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea

MrsT said:

Well, my daughter and I tried the boiling water this morning and the paint softened enough to scrape it off with a very worn chisel - now I know why my husbad refuses to throw it away!!

Click to expand...

Never, ever throw away a tool, eh?!

Glad it's working so far.