Please remove the candle wax and dont put any soap on them. Scrub them clean, and then spray the tracks with silicone. However be careful when you buy the silicone, because, some of the spray cans are not 100 percent pure silicone, and the 100 percent is what you need. It is a bit more expensive too. If yours have never been treated, or its been a long time, I would spray them once a week for a while. Once they are well lubricated, twice a yr should work fine. I do mine spring and fall. I also notice your windows need to be glazed on the outside. It is a good idea to get this done now too, before cold weather sets in. It will help with heating, (also helps with cooling), and will help so the glass doesnt fall out of the window. Glazing compound comes in a tub or in a caulking type tube. I dont like the caulking type tubes, so always buy the compound in a tub. A small tub goes a very long way. Make sure you have the right tools. If you have never done it before, you may want to watch a u-tube video or read a good tutorial. It really is very easy.

Candle wax and soap both melt when sun hits and then they dry and they can actually make the window stick worse than when you started.

The metal runners look like there is paint on them. maybe a little steel wool sanding will make them more smooth. Maybe the new paint is making them tighter too. That happened to me when re-painting and priming windows once, paint on too thick.

I tried silicon spray

Oh, no. Never, ever use silicone anywhere near a surface that you'll ever want to paint. Future attempts to paint won't stick.

What kind of paint?

You need a paint that has very good blocking resistance...like PPG's Breakthrough.

Info about blocking from Sherwin Williams:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/ask-sherwin-williams/problem-solver/peeling-cracking/sw-article-dir-adhesion-block

In the meantime, try talcum powder.

Wax and a coat of paint won't restore these windows. For their age, they're in good shape, but they need to be disassembled and fixed. Once they're apart, the built-up paint on the edge of the sashes, the metal runners and the sills can be scraped off. Then clean and oil the window pulleys and replace the sash cords. Most, probably all, of the glass should be removed and reglazed. Make sure the sashes raise and lower easily before the stops are replaced.

But since you've already gone and contaminated the surface with silicone, repainting (successfully) isn't in your future. Probably best thing to do at this point is to sand down the areas that stick back to the paint layer that didn't stick. If the talcum powder trick doesn't work.

People, get those cans of silicone spray out of your houses!!

ci_lantro you dont put silicone on the window itself, you put it on the metal tracks. You can still paint your windows. My windows are all painted now, but, were not painted when I started using the silicone. Yes, it would be better to remove the windows and sand all the edges and then put a coat of sealer on the window edges, but, its a lot of work, and could also be a lot of expensive. Also some of us have to do all this on their own without any help. Silicone does work, and I would hope that no one would be spraying everything in sight, other than the metal tracks.

Your glazing does look like it needs re doing badly. I'm a total amateur and have done it on some windows at my parents. Just looked at how it was done. Now we have youtube!! One thing I didn't see in this video are the small triangle metal things that hold glass snug, maybe not always used. Only tools needed a putty knife and putty.

https://youtu.be/JgJkp-hA-Iw

ci_lantro you dont put silicone on the window itself, you put it on the metal tracks.

Cat, the problem is that sprays go other places than the target and can get on your hands and get deposited other places.

Also some of us have to do all this on their own without any help.

I don't know whether to LOL or COL. Know all about that, If I don't do it, it doesn't get done. Even worse is that I have to follow around behind and properly fix the stuff that an idjit 'worked' on. Don't get me started.....

I am always very careful. Even use tape all around the channels. I do admit, some may not be as careful as me. When we bought this house, the last owner was one of those idjits. A lot of time has been wasted redoing things, that should have been done right in the first place. This house even had an exterior door on backwards. It didnt even fit in the opening properly. Thankfully, it was only one door. LOL

Separate post re: glazing compound. It's good practice when re-glazing to prime any raw wood underneath the glazing compound with an oil based exterior primer. Also note, particularly with winter just around the corner, is that most compound needs a long cure before you can finish paint over it.

GG, I looked at the Behr paint and don't see anything about it being touted as resistant to blocking (not to be confused with stain-blocking). In future, you can test that by painting several flat pieces of scrap wood, wait a couple of days and put two pieces together painted face to painted face. Lightly clamp together for 10 minutes or so and then try to separate them. Same with the other pieces except increase the time before testing....say one week for the next pair, two weeks for the next and so on...

Good practice, Cat. I just fear that most people don't know that you need to really careful about how they use those silicone sprays, that you have to be careful with the stuff to prevent problems down the road.

Exterior door installed backwards?? How does that happen? Never mind; I know. Lucky you that the idjit has left the building!

Here's a couple of products that you might be interested in for your DIY arsenal:

http://www.spraywayinc.com/content/t1-tfe-dry-coating-lubricant-release-agent

and

http://www.thehardwarecity.com/products/GS-20--1.6-oz.-White-Stick-Lubricant-with-Silicone/2425049

I like the silicone stick because you have a lot more control over where the stuff goes.

Very well be too much paint on all surfaces in addition to all the above.