How to refinish indoor window molding wood

finishtrimwindows

The window molding in my house feels very "rough," for lack of a better word. The house is 25 years old.

I assume this is from the sun beating down on the finish and wearing it down over the years, since the trim that is not in direct sunlight (like the top of the window molding) has held up much better.

The damage ranges, depending on which room you're in. Some moldings appear as if the stain has evaporated away. Some moldings have black discoloration in the corners (What is this?). Only one molding is in good shape.

The unfinished wood attracts a lot of dust. The moldings all have a perpetual layer of dust. When you dust it, more dust comes out and I can never really seem to get all of it out. As someone with allergies, this is terrible, and this is actually the main reason I am trying to repair it.

Here are photos (it's kind of hard to see what I'm talking about just by looking, which is why I took a bunch of photos):

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

(Notice how the vertical wood (on the right hand side) is much smoother and shinier than the horizontal wood in the following photo):

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

Kitchen window (it has a lighter stain, like butterscotch):

enter image description here

Here's the black stuff I mentioned earlier:

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

Here is the only window molding in the house that feels totally smooth and looks great. I don't know why this one hasn't deteriorated like the others just a few feet away from it. Maybe it's the figurines…

enter image description here

My first question: Can a newbie handle this project?

If it is easy enough for a beginner, how should I go about doing this? Please be as specific as possible…for example, instead of saying "sandpaper" please tell me what grit sandpaper to use. Assume I know nothing. Thanks in advance.

Best Answer

The dark discoloration in the corners looks like water came through at some point, check the outside of the window for damaged or missing glazing putty or weatherstrip material and repair as necessary (seal with exterior caulking, maybe?).

For the wood, I would start with 220 grit sandpaper and give the entire frame and trim a quick sanding. Then get a small can of wood stain and stain the whole thing, this will blend and improve the appearance of the discolored areas. Then use a high quality water-based gloss varnish and coat using a good paintbrush. It will look much better when you are done and the gloss finish will make it easy to clean and dust in the future.

Related Topic