Preparing/treating new window ready for installation....

[Harrris303]

Hi all, I posted a thread a while ago relating to the best way to go about making a stormproof window, and after a long delay from the customer I finally have the window pretty much finished! Thanks very much to all those who contributed info and tips. I can stick a photo up if anyone's interested in the (nearly) finished article.

The window is destined to be painted once it's installed, so I'm just wondering what would be the best way to protect the timber for the time between installation and painting, because it'll be facing into the wind and rain on top of a large hill so might take quite a beating! Obviously the best thing would be for the customers to get it painted ASAP but they're not the kind to get things done in a hurry.
Are there any treatments that are better/worse for being painted over? I'd like to know what to avoid just as much as what to look for. And obviously the cheaper the better!

Thanks again to all those who contributed valuable info. Cheers!

 

[ColeyS1]

Send it out witha couple coats of aluminium primer

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I do mine one Cuprinol, one primer, one undercoat. If it gets left for 12 months or so it won't hurt. I have an acquaintance who is a very good joiner and he prices this into the job. If the customer objects he doesn't do the job, as he's had too many cases where he'd supplied something untreated and 3 or 4 years down the line he's had complaints about discoloration or rot resulting from its not being painted.

 

[heimlaga]

I have used a mixture of 50% turpentine and 50% boiled linseed oil.

I have also used raw linseed oil which I heated with a heat gun and wiped off after application.

 

[Harrris303]

Ok thanks guys. Glad I asked! As I say the window is likely to get a lot of abuse once installed so best to be safe.

Any opinions on whether the turps/linseed oil would last as long as the primer options? I imagine it would be the cheaper option but ideally I'd like to use the most hard-wearing method.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I've never used the linseed oil option in this situation but I have used the aluminium-based primer (as part of the Dulux trade range from bigger builders' merchants or specialist paint suppliers) in exactly this situation in our wet and windy climate and it's very good - if you do the priming properly it'll keep in good nick for months if necessary. Cheers, W2S

 

[Mike.S]

+1 for Alu primer, though recently switched to using Zinsser Coverstain - goes on well but too early in my experience to speak of l/t longevity without a top coat.

Like the idea of linseed oil, particularly if clients can be steered towards using a linseed oil paint on top.

 

[ColeyS1]

ages ago we made a front door and sent it out with ally primer. it stayed that way for years and the customer only finished painting it when he sold the place :lol:

 

[Harrris303]

Well sounds like aluminium primer has got most votes. Someone mentioned possibly a coat of cuprinol first, or do we think just a coat of the primer should be enough?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

How long's a piece of string? It's certainly worthwhile if the work is your own. My garden gate was softwood, and when I moved house 20yrs later there was no rot whatsoever in it. I think it had been painted three times in total. It was soaked while it was still in pieces so the insides of the joints were soaked as well, then ali primer.
Don't forget to knock the sharp edges off - paint doesn't cling well to sharp edges.

 

[Harrris303]

Thanks Phil, yep that's one of the key lessons for finishing that we were taught at college. "Don't forget to remove the arrises!"