Best exterior white paint for wooden sash windows?

Emmia

As per the title really - we're due to get our wooden sash windows refurbished and repainted this summer, and we've been told that we should provide the final coat. 

What is the best white paint for this? This doesn't need to be super MSE in terms of upfront cost. We're happy to buy a more expensive paint, if it is easier to get a good finish, and it will last well. We have windows which get a lot of sun, and those which are more shaded, if that makes a difference?

Thank you for any  advice on this question. 

baser999

Go for a decent brand gloss

Emmia

baser999 said:

Go for a decent brand gloss

Which one? Dulux, Zinsser, Crown? Professional? Water based?

Or, are they all much of a muchness - any exterior white paint will do.

geordiejon

i use dulux trade weathershield exterior high gloss, its got 8 year protection.its expensive but well worth it.

ThisIsWeird

Refurb'd mil's softwood window frames last year, and before the paint was applied I had a multitude of different surfaces to cope with - old paint, bare wood, 2-part filler, putty... Applied three coats of Zinsser AllCoat Gloss, 15-year life, straight on with no primer required. After the first coat, subsequent ones were much easier to apply.

Looks as good a year on - so it should, of course!

Only issue was the weather - it was during a blazing hot spell, which altho' ideal for ensuring the timber was bone dry, made the paint dry too quickly, and also was tricky to closely see the application - it was brilliant white paint. Blindin'.

No doubt it's good paint, tho'.

I chose gloss as I thought it would shrug off dirt better than satin - don't know if that's actually the case - but it's still completely bright and clean.

Chickereeeee

ThisIsWeird said:

Refurb'd mil's softwood window frames last year, and before the paint was applied I had a multitude of different surfaces to cope with - old paint, bare wood, 2-part filler, putty... Applied three coats of Zinsser AllCoat Gloss, 15-year life, straight on with no primer required. After the first coat, subsequent ones were much easier to apply.

Looks as good a year on - so it should, of course!

Only issue was the weather - it was during a blazing hot spell, which altho' ideal for ensuring the timber was bone dry, made the paint dry too quickly, and also was tricky to closely see the application - it was brilliant white paint. Blindin'.

No doubt it's good paint, tho'.

I chose gloss as I thought it would shrug off dirt better than satin - don't know if that's actually the case - but it's still completely bright and clean.

I second the Zinsser Allcoat. 
I used Dulux Weathershield etc on a difficult area a few years ago. It cracked after just a year. Re-did: same result. Stripped the Dulux off, re-did with Zinsser. No problem after 3 years. 

Also: I have used white gloss on exterior window frames in the past, but I found Allcoat Gloss was not easily available locally. I therefore tried the satin. I am not going back to gloss! I would say it's as easy to clean as gloss, still has a sheen, but does not highlight imperfections as gloss does. It looks more 'modern' but I don't think the casual observer would notice its isn't gloss.

(I first got 'into' Allcoat satin when I painted a cast Iron soil pipe. It was a bit of a mess, and I thought I might have to strip it. But a quick rub to remove loose paint, and a couple of coats of Allcoat satin black, and it looked like new. Rusty bits, bare metal, filler, old paint, surface imperfections - all covered. Still good 14 months later.)

ThisIsWeird

Good to hear.