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Can I paint or touch up powder-coated steel window tracks?

10 years ago

The original double hung windows in my old (1870's) house were replaced by a PO with wood windows that ride in steel tracks (jambliners) that have a white powdercoat finish. (The edges of the wood windows are unpainted.) I'm taking the windows apart to replace the broken parts that keep them from staying up when open.

The steel tracks are looking a little tired. A few have bare spots where I spilled paint remover (before I decided to take them apart), and some have light rust (mostly on the backs).

Since I'm taking the windows apart anyway, I'd like to clean up the tracks and paint them (or touch them up). Is there any durable white low-gloss paint that would be up to the task? I don't want to create new problems, but I'd really like to spiff these up while I have the chance. There are so many new specialty paints (appliance, automotive, radiator, etc) -- surely there must be something that would work in this situation.

The paint would need to be:

1) Durable (won't chip or peel easily and hold up to usage over time)
2) Suitable for metal
3) Not require stripping the frames to bare metal (a nightmare in this case)
4) Available in a non-yellowing white with a non-shiny finish
5) Appropriate for Indoor/outdoor use. (I have storms, but the tracks would be exposed to a range of temperatures in New England.)
6) Preferably available as a a spray

I don't want to send the tracks out to be stripped and re-coated because it wouldn't be worth the cost (better to just replace the windows). Ditto for buying new tracks (which are available as far as I have been able to find only in unpainted aluminum).

Assuming I do paint the tracks, I'd like to just remove the rust and spot-prime, and use a paint deglosser (liquid sander) overall before painting. Sound reasonable?

Recommendations for paints and primers? (Please tell me where I can buy them if they're not easy to find.) I'd also appreciate any painting and prep tips or suggestions for this project For example, how long should the paint cure before I re-install the windows?

Thanks!

This post was edited by dilettante on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 16:21

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