See the difference in painting windows black and learn how to paint your own interior windows. Plus, details for painting vinyl windows, too.
Our backstory on painting the window trim black
For the first five years of living in our dated 70s house, we were on a shoestring budget for house projects. Honestly, a tight budget can put you in the right mindset for creativity so it's not the worst thing in the world.
Thrifting to make my house feel more like us and very inexpensive hacks were pretty much all I was doing when it came to decor. My style, of course, has evolved now but a few of those decor projects are still around such as the feather art and the $5 wood frame hack.
As far as renovation projects, I mostly stuck to using paint to transform spaces or things. I still remember loving the difference on the candle sleeve project as well as the sunroom! Both of those projects were totally different but they drastically changed what I had originally.
So, when I was stuck with what I had in our eat-in kitchen, I turned to paint. I had the idea of changing our white windows to black windows and thought that would help give the space a focal point. Honestly, nowadays, I wouldn't want my black trim windows to be called the focal point. To me, now, they are a layer to my design but, back then, there wasn't much design cohesiveness going on. I needed something to be excited about and help inspire me for future design decisions (as budget allowed) in that space.
So, I grabbed some paint and went to painting my interior windows and the door in my space. Let's get to the before photo then the how-to and I'll explain the process.
Dated eat-in kitchen BEFORE adding dark window paint
Not the prettiest of before photos, right? I always like to share these to encourage you (and me) that everyone has to start somewhere!
Ok, so before we jump right in to the paint for windows, supplies, etc., I want to share that we have ALL WOOD windows. Our windows are original (early 70s) and so this tutorial is for wood trim. At the end of this post, I will include a few other tutorials and one specifically meant for painting vinyl windows. Ok, here we go!
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Supplies needed for painting window trim
- Liquid Sander Deglosser
- Paint Brush
- Painter's Tape
- Kilz (or other good primer)
- *Benjamin Moore Advance paint (we had this color-matched to Cracked Pepper by Behr)
*Personally, I think Benjamin Moore Advance is the paint to buy for wood projects. This was recommended to me years ago at a speciality paint store and we've had really good experiences with it. It's pricier than other paint but, in my opinion, for anything wood-related... definitely worth it.
Painting Windows Black How-To
- Decide how much of the wood trim you want to paint.
- Using a rag, follow instructions on deglosser bottle to degloss the original wood trim. Basically, this is wiping the solution on thoroughly to really clean the original wood to help prep it for paint.
- Tape off windows and any walls.
- Using a good primer and a paintbrush, prime the window trim.
- Let dry.
- Apply a light coat of your top coat paint.
- Follow instructions for dry time (Benjamin Moore Advance has a longer dry-time, FYI).
- Apply another light coat of paint.
- Again, allow for the dry time.
- Paint your final light coat of paint.
When I first did the black windows, it was at least 8 years ago. Here's a photo of how the black window interior looked then:
I'm really happy to say that it's 2023 now and I still love having the dark interior windows! I'm not sure if you can tell but our trim isn't pure black. We used Cracked Pepper by Behr (but color-matched to Benjamin Moore advance) on both our windows and door.
We loved the look of the interior windows so much that we did the same window paint treatment in our dining room. I feel like it just gives the whole space a collective warm feel.
If you've been hesitant to paint your window frames but love the look, I want to encourage you to go for it! It's just paint and you can always paint the window trim back to their original color if you don't like it! I recently shared some great inspiration for dark windows in the kitchen so you can get an even better idea of what yours might look like.
I know there will be a few more questions on painting windows black that I've found are better answered elsewhere. Let me chat about spray paint and vinyl window trim for a second and point you to some resources to help with questions.
Can you spray paint windows black?
Spray painting indoors can be messy but it definitely can be done. If you want to learn how to spray paint interior windows, check out this post on getting modern window frames with spray paint.
How do I paint vinyl windows?
Painting vinyl windows requires a bit more research, but you can do it. There's vinyl safe colors that don't use black pigment which is what causes a bunch of peeling and issues. Here's a great post on how to paint vinyl windows that will walk you through the tutorial on what to do and what to use.
ps. If you've been considering enlarging your windows as well, I'm a huge advocate of that type of project, too!
How to Paint Window Trim Black
See the difference of painting windows black and learn how to paint your own interior windows. Plus, details for painting vinyl windows, too.
Materials
- Liquid Sander Deglosser
- Painter's Tape
- Kilz (or other good primer)
- *Benjamin Moore Advance paint (we had this color-matched to Cracked Pepper by Behr)
Tools
- Paint Brush
Instructions
- Decide how much of the wood trim you want to paint.
- Using a rag, follow instructions on deglosser bottle to degloss the original wood trim. Basically, this is wiping the solution on thoroughly to really clean the original wood to help prep it for paint.
- Tape off windows and walls.
- Using a good primer and a paintbrush, prime the window trim.
- Let dry.
- Apply a light coat of your regular paint.
- Follow instructions for dry time (Benjamin Moore Advance has a longer dry-time, fyi).
- Keep applying light coats of paint until covered, allowing for dry time between coats.
Notes
*Personally, I think Benjamin Moore Advance is the paint to buy for wood projects. This was recommended to me years ago at a speciality paint store and we’ve had really good experiences with it. It’s pricier than other paint but, in my opinion, for anything wood-related… definitely worth it.
Charlotte W
Oooo I LOVE it! I remember I said I wouldn't do the windows, but I'm so glad you did, it really ties it together. Doing just the inside gives it a great little pop! Oh, and I love that table. What a great find.
Ashley Mayes
yay! I did the door first and just kinda looked at it. It just felt off to me without the windows, but I think doing the chunky part of the trim dark would have been a mistake. Thanks Char!
Aniko@PlaceOfMyTaste
It is a good before and after! So pretty, my friend! Love that RUG so much!!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Aniko! Can you believe that the rug was a $10 thrift store purchase?
Amy
Love the bold and dark! With all the white, it still feels light though. Great job.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Amy! The kitchen gets so much light (especially during winter), which does make if feel light and airy.
Kyla @HouseofHipsters
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Girl, it's so good. It does warm up the room. I would have never thought a subtle change like this could be so stunning, but it truly is.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Kyla. I'm kinda surprised it helped as much as it did. Now, I have to stay motivated. The end is in sight. =)
Jennifer @ Brave New Home
Uh, duh! You totally made the right decision. I love that charcoal color you picked. They can be tricky cause it's easy for them to read pure black. I'm super impressed with your progress, seriously!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks! I had used the charcoal on a dresser and a metal cabinet last year and just loved it, so that's the only reason I knew it wouldn't read black. They are tricky though, because when I was picking it out last year I had like 20 different samples!
Julia@Cuckoo4Design
Such a small change that makes such a fabulous difference. I love it!
Ashley Mayes
I'm always surprised when something so little makes such a big change. Thanks Julia!
Laura Irion // Avery Street Design
You SO made the right decision!! It looks amazing...the whole space feels totally updated with this one simple difference. I've been toying for a while about doing black window trim in our playroom and I think you just convinced me! (Though, yeah, it will probably be years still before I pick up that brush. I may have you beat for project completion slowness. We should actually put this to a test sometime, that would be hilarious. Totally boring for our blog readers, obviously, but hilarious none the less!) LOVE it!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Laura! It is quite amazing how much of a change it makes! Oh my, a lazy-gal work off? Ha.
KaSonndra Leigh
Looks fantastic! I prefer darker shades myself, but the way you've effortlessly incorporated the elements of this design into your layout works wonders for this space. It almost makes me want to convert to cottage style decoration. lol 😀
Ashley Mayes
Thanks KaSonndra!
Kristi
WOW!!! SUCH a transformation Ashley! I LOVE it! Definitely pinning and sharing! Thanks so much for linking up the the Frugal Crafty Blog Hop my friend!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Kristi!
Alexis @ Persia Lou
Ah! It looks amazing! It really adds to the architecture of the room. Thanks so much for linking up at The Makers with us, Ashley!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Alexis! It definitely gives the room a bit something different.
Simple Hacks Living
Looks amazing!
Ashley Mayes
Thank you!
Christine
This looks fabulous! I've been toying with the idea of paining our interior doors black. Are you doing all of your doors and windows or just the ones in your nook? I'd be interested in seeing how the rest turn out if you do more.
Great job!
Ashley Mayes
We did another window as well (there is one directly to the left in the kitchen). Our kitchen is in demo mode right now, so I didn't show it but it does pull well together with the other ones. Hope that helps!
Aimee, The Crazy Craft Lady
Love it! What a bold statement.... I'm really loving black trim right now!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks so much Aimee!
Leigh Anne
This looks great! I love me some black trim!! Thanks for sharing at Think & Make Thursday 🙂
Ashley Mayes
I love Think & Make!
Andrea
Love the black door! So dramatic.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Andrea. It was such an easy DIY, but yielded great results. Love it when that happens!
Lyndsey
I was amazed by the door...I had to look like 50 times at the before and after on the trim! It looks great! Question about your door, though. How did you paint it??
Thanks in advance!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Lyndsey! I lightly sanded, rubbed on a deglosser, primed with a brush and rolled with a small roller and then repeated with two coats of charcoal paint. Hope that helps!
Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness
I love it!! What a great idea. It really adds some depth to that area, and the contrast is awesome. I think it even brings out your pendant light, too! Nice job!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Amanda! I didn't even realize that it DID make the pendant light pop... liking it even more now. =)
Luisa
It really does look great! I've been struggling with the decision to do this too! Hopefully soon! Visiting from 36th AVE blog. Have a great weekend!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Luisa! You should go for it... I'm so glad that I did!
Eva
I've been really loving dark trim and doors lately! If I didn't have a rental, I'd definitely be adding it, too. Your's turned out great. It adds such an interesting and unique look to that room. Great choice!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Eva! You definitely have to be a bit more creative with a rental but that also allows you to really develop your style. =)
Leslie
I never would have thought this would look so good. Love it! The gray really adds a beautiful depth to the windows and really makes them look "framed".
Ashley Mayes
Thank you! I was hesitant at first and it took me over 6 months to decide, but I definitely love it now. Thanks for stopping by!
Karisa | Petite Modern Life
Always love black interior trim! What a difference it makes in this room! Featuring this tomorrow on Think & Make Thursday!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks so much for the feature!
Sue Silva
Such small and such a wonderful transformation to your room!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks so much Sue!
Jennifer S.
I love this. The black really makes your room look so nice. I'm partial to being bold in the details.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Jennifer. I usually tend to like one or two bold statements in a room, so I think this fits the bill well.
laura
Love this! Would you share on Friday Favorites this weekend at http://notatrophywife.com!! I painted my back door black and pantry door! love it! great job!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Laura!
Maria
Wow what a difference just painting the trim makes! It's crazy how seemingly "little" changes like that make such a big impact! Looks beautiful!
Ashley Mayes
I totally agree. Thanks Maria!
Kathryn Griffin @TheDedicatedHouse
Love the new look! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features today at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week's bash. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/02/make-it-pretty-monday-week-129.html Have a fabulous week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Ashley Mayes
Thanks so much Kathryn!