Metal windows

Do you know what kind of metal? I assume they are aluminum? I don't believe the paint can't be removed, I do believe no body wants the job.

One clue is you're saying this paint job lasted, interior I assume, only 2 years. That tells me right there this is strippable.

Ask your next painter if the paint is water based or oil based. If he or she can't tell you, you need a better painter. Two years falling off?----I suspect water based.

This is interior? Aluminum? You have a This Old House kind of problem, so find that kind of painter and get an opinion.

Another idea is to sand the paint down so that edges are smooth, and to repaint. In NYC the labor for all this stuff is so outrageous---we paid $15,000 to have a five room apartment painted, and not particularly well----it could actually be cheaper to replace windows.

Your condo board's advice might be worth getting too.

Thanks. I did ask the staff of my building. They suggested I replace one window at a time to spread out the cost. I had one painter in who told me he could strip the windows and repaint them all for $1000. I didn't call him back because it was so little money, I was afraid of the mess he might make!

If it were me I would keep calling painters. BTW do your bylaws say you own the windows? In my building the condo assoc owns the windows. When a neighbor's window cracked because of torquing, the building had t pay to replace it, not her or her insurance.

We own the windows. Fifteen years ago, the building decided to replace all windows. Then each owner was charged (assessed) for the cost. :-(

The issue is that the original aluminum window frames are not painted but anodized, and there probably was a sealant applied over it. You need to thoroughly clean the surface, scratch the surface with light sandpaper or steel wool, apply a self-etching primer, and paint away. In the end, the anodizing should help the paint adhere.

They suggested I replace one window at a time to spread out the cost.
Replacing a window is not as simple as popping out the old and popping in a new. It's the removal of all the stuff around the window, replacing the window and then having it all returned to normal. Huge messy job you might not want to do 6 times. Once and done is the choice.