Do you have white replacement windows? An old house that has replacement windows is considered a damaged house to those of us in the historic preservation field.
Maybe the evil previous homeowner committed this crime and you are left to deal with it. Don’t worry though, there are options to save the curb appeal of your house at least a little.
Replacement windows are bad for many reasons. The sales people are super trained and have all the stats to show that their windows are what you need and it is virtually impossible to say no – trust me.
Replacement windows are bad for the environment and a foolish investment. Their design is very bad -they look cheap, especially when they are white. Go here for more information on wood windows versus replacement windows .
The good news is that these replacement windows will only last 20 years! You can replace them with a wood window that can be painted to coordinate with your house colors.
A typical cheap looking white replacement window with matching white trim and tan body color.
Using White Paint on Your House
Be careful when using white on your house! An all white house is good or a house that is half white (for instance white trim and a colored body) is also good. White paint is fine when you have a balance of white to another color. If your house is painted green and your trim is painted white, that’s a good balance because they are the most dominant colors on the house.
If your house is one color and the trim is another color, having white just on the window sash in such a small dose will stand out like a sore thumb and look out of place on the house. The small amount of white paint will attract your attention first and prevent you from experiencing how the other colors work together.
So if you want an all white house – that works. If you want a colored body and white trim, that works too, although other trim colors will look better. Avoid small doses of white on your windows or gutters at all costs!
Window Sash Colors
If you have a Victorian house, you should never have a white window sash. Your window sash should be a dark color such as black, dark green, dark red, or brown. The windows are the eyes of the house. When this most important feature is painted a dark color, it helps them recede and harmonize with the rest of the house. It’s like putting eyeliner on eyes. The window sash can make or break your house. See some before and after photos of how the window sashes can improve curb appeal .
Painting the window sash a dark color is not only historically correct but makes the windows pop and enhance the other colors.
The image above is a painted replacement window. The window sash for a replacement window also contains an extra trim making the replacement unit wider. When painted, the window appears bigger and heavier. Painting the sash only appears too thin. Just another problem all replacement windows have that you will need to accept. Read more information about how to paint a window sash on a wood and replacement window . Lots of people get this wrong.
If you have a Colonial Revival house or a newer 20th century house, your house should have a light window sash that matches the trim.
Trim matches window sash. This is good for Colonial Revivals and most 20th century homes.
I rarely recommend white windows or white trim for a house unless it is all white or the body is a very pale color. White trim on a colored body looks like a vinyl-sided split-level home. White trim is what you see on just about every house and it looks cheap these days since it is associated with vinyl sided homes.
This looks like every other house – white trim again – how interesting. The body color looks too dark against the harsh white which looks like plastic. Color placement is correct however. If your window sash cannot be painted then the trim must match the window. Not the best solution but this is how it must be.
If Your House Has White Replacement Windows
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
If your house has white replacement windows vinyl or aluminum clad, they should be able to be painted. Any paint will void the manufacturers warranty. However, even if you do nothing you will find there will be some excuse to void the manufacturer’s warranty. A gutter company will also tell you not to paint your gutters (gutter color MUST match the trim color). How in the world can painting gutters void the warranty and what warranty would you need for aluminum gutters except for leaking? It seems that soon washing your underwear will void the warranty.
If you are painting your vinyl replacement window a dark color, you must use a paint designed for vinyl. A white replacement window is not designed for the heat absorbed as a black replacement window is therefore it is prone to warping. There is a special paint available through Sherwin Williams and has reflective properties in it to prevent warping. Here is a listing of paint colors made for vinyl . The colors are still not as dark as they should be. If you are painting your white replacement window a light color like tan, you can use regular house paint. Just make sure the LVR (Light Reflectance Value) is higher than 55.
It seems that paint manufacturers are now less likely to endorse the painting of both Vinyl and Aluminum Clad windows for they are afraid of getting sued. This is because anything you do to any product – not only windows, will void the warranty. Based on reader comments, it seems that even looking at the product the wrong way will void the warranty. The warranty is a key selling feature although it almost always turns out to be useless if something goes wrong. See comments from readers on my blogs about Anderson, Marvin, Pella etc. (window manufacturers – scroll to bottom of page )
So what to do? A dark window sash is important for the best appearance if your house is from about 1860-1920 (except Colonial Revivals). You can ignore the possibly useless warranty and paint the windows anyway or the best option is to replace your windows. If you paint your vinyl or clad windows and they have a relatively new surface I recommend using steel wool to buff down the surface first before painting.
Understand that I advise on design and do not know anything about the composition of the material or the coating on the vinyl or clad aluminum used by each manufacturer. I just know what worked for me and what would normally work in an “old school” sort of way. You can contact the paint manufacturer but it seems that what was advised in 2019 and earlier is now different and more cautious.
This is an extremely important judgement call for you. Depending on your house having a dark window sash can almost be a requirement. Speaking to the paint manufacturer technicians and hearing their warnings can be frightening. Is this just a scare tactic to avoid a law suite? Their story used to be different. Either way there is a sacrifice or risk. Do you protect your replacement windows or have a good looking house?
Here is a good article I found from The Decorologist about Painting Vinyl Windows Dark.
If your replacement window has those tacky fake grills that are supposed to fool the simple minded into thinking the grills are muntins , and they are installed in between the glass, there is nothing you can do. You are stuck with these ugly white replacement windows until it’s time to replace them in about 15 years. Don’t even think of painting the window and leaving the grill white.
Since you are now stuck with a white window sash, the color of the trim on your house must be white to match. The trim on a house is everything that is not siding. The trim is the window casing/frame, the soffit, the porch railing, etc. This all must be white otherwise the white replacement window will jump out and just shout “cheap plastic”.
As I said before, I try to discourage the use of white trim and white windows on a historic house. White windows and trim may be my last choice but it works and will look good. Just not as good as it should look. Substituting a white trim for a cream colored trim with a white replacement window will NOT look any better than a darker trim. It will still look very bad. You will still see the unfortunate difference as in the example below.
DO NOT DO THIS. If the window sash is the only element that is white your house will look tacky. The trim must match the white replacement window.
So if you have white replacement windows that you cannot paint you must paint all your trim white to match for the best appearance. Do not do what you see in the above photo.
What Color to Use With White Replacement Windows
Both Anderson and Marvin windows sell white replacement windows. The color of their white windows is not bright white but more of a gray although it still reads white. The replacement window color is Sherwin Williams Frosty White 6196. The trim on your house should be painted this color. First you must verify this with a 6196 swatch from the paint store.
Since this is basically an unappealing white, I have modified this color to look slightly better than, but not be noticeably different from the white replacement window from 10 feet away. Your eyes should see the two colors and your mind should interpret them as one. If this doesn’t work, let me know.
With replacement windows, the trim is noticed more since it covers a larger area. We want the trim to be a real nice white with depth while looking the same as the replacement window.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Paint Color Replacements
I recommend the following trim colors be tested in the order listed. There are many factors that can alter a paint color so I suggest you try each. #1 is the closest to the vinyl window color. #3 is the most creamy. Try them out and once the difference is noticed go back to the previous white.
- Sherwin Williams Incredible White 7028
This is a nice, slightly warmer white compared to the cooler white replacement window. - SW Nacre 6154
Warmer than the above and more saturated yet neutral. - Benjamin Moore Navajo White 947 or OC-95
A timeless shade of creamy white. Inherently sophisticated and endlessly versatile. The SW equivalent is Steamed Mild 7554 with just a bit more yellow in it.
In case you were wondering, I’m not including an image here because most monitors cannot show such a small difference in the colors.
Try these paint colors out and let me know what you think. Remember you do NOT want to see a difference between the window and trim colors from about 10 or so feet away.
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Hi, Unfortunately, my old house has only a few original windows (the POs kept the ones they thought were “fancy”). Surprisingly, they used bronze-colored metal replacement windows, so they are slim, but the color is not ridiculous.
Well, except in the bathrooms and kitchen where the interior finish is white vinyl (who knew you could combine the two materials into one window).
Do you have any suggestions for paint type or painting techniques for painting vinyl windows? I have used plain old latex indoors without mixed success—its fine on the outermost parts of the sashes, but where they “scrape” past one another it scratches off.
I have dark green window sashes and storm windows. I recently replaced two storm windows but the cost was a real lot more for this green for only two windows. I therefore ordered black aluminum windows and painted them dark green. With the black you won’t see if I missed a spot.
For white plastic windows go to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams and say you want X color in paint for vinyl.
Yes – paint the parts that do not touch. The problem is if you have white windows and paint them black you will have a difficult time covering all the white on the jamb. This may be noticed unfortunately.
Hi Jim,
Love this site!
We have a 1820 Federal brick farmhouse that I replaced windows with vinyl in 1975. Of course they need replacing and I wish I had kept the originals. Husband is considering making them and possible using ext. storms. The house is painted white. Would you advise to paint sash in a black two over two design? It is not a formal house just front room and kitchen in rear. We have added some additions for the kids when they were here.
Windows in Federal style homes in 1820 were white. Greek Revival buildings that came about around 1830 were the first to have black windows. I would not recommend black for your home. White as we know it today was not the same white in the 1800’s but more of a cream- yellow color. Sherwin Williams has some good historic whites in their Historic 2800 series. If you prefer more neutral try Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan.
Ken, I’m confused by what you mean when you say you modified SW 6196, to be a more appealing white? How? I have Andersen vinyl windows on my carriage house only (wood windows on my house), & had used SW Superwhite on the trim, when it was painted 15 years ago. It looks ok. Can you clarify when it is, that you are recommending SW 7028? I already subscribe to your newsletter.😊
Hi Cindy!
The white that Anderson uses on their white windows is Sherwin Williams 6196. That is a bright white but really has a lot of gray in it making it appear like a cold white.
You do not want the trim to look different than the white windows, so instead of painting the trim SW 6196, paint it a white that is very close to SW 6196 but just a bit warmer.
Think of window white as 10 on a scale of 1-10. 1 being cream/tan. The color I recommend you try is SW 7028. That would be like a 8 or 9. You need to check this but from 10 feet both colors should look the same but less of a harsh white.
Does this make sense?
We’d like to paint our in-town farmhouse white. Unfortunately the house contains vinyl replacement windows (Wincore 5400) that appear to match SW Pure White. We love the color of SW Alabaster, which appears creamy with a yellowish tint, and we’d like to have it for our exterior color, and we’re afraid Pure White will look too sterile. Is it a good idea to paint the siding Alabaster and the trim Pure White to accommodate the windows? Or since they’re so close in color, should we just do the whole house, siding and trim, with Alabaster? Or if that’s a bad idea, should we settle forthe one color that matches the windows – Pure White?
I would try painting the casing the pure white and the body the Alabaster. You must test the however because the pure white is a very gray white and the warm alabaster may not work with the cool pure white. Test it and see what you think.
We just bought a somewhat remuddled late (1904) Shingle Style with diverse, original stylistic influences going on. Currently there are no shingles, but in c. 1970s photos there were shingles and in c. 2010 photos there were visible shingle ghosts. Recently, however, we found copies of the original architect drawings for the home. They are very detailed and no shingles are indicated (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/18858892177196832). Is it safe to think we have our answer?
I looked at your drawings and what is drawn on the body of the house actually looks like brick but the word Shingles is written on top. I would restore the house with shingles and do not paint them.
Ken, can you suggest which dark brown paint colors I should be looking at for circa 1885 window sashes? Home is a reddish/orange brick Italianate. Thanks
Probably any dark brown will work. Try Benjamin Moore Branchport Brown HC-72
I very impressed with this article. My disdain for replacement windows is mirrored here.
I would like to say that Navajo White is a color to explore. I’ve long been a fan of its elegant sophistication and yet lack of pretense. This color with naturally weathered cedar shingles is what I call a perfect pairing.
Christopher
Yes it is a great color. Another real nice combination with natural shingles is Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green. I saw it on a house and was very impressed – very elegant.
Please give recommendations for wood windows to replace the horrid, cheap, hateful white vinyl windows. I own a “re-muddled” house and can’t replace the vinyl windows soon enough. Thanks.
I have my recommendation posted on all the pages. Go to Heirloom Windows. As small business with just a few guys making replica windows.
https://www.heirloomwindows.com/
Most of your correct colors are ugly.
Jerry – I’m sure others will agree with you. Many people have grown up in uncared for neighborhoods surrounded by cheap looking vinyl siding and badly remuddled architecture. You and a lot of these people have been brainwashed by this and the many advertisements promoting replacement windows and other ugly modifications which they promote as “improvements”. All this is to sell more stuff to innocent homeowners that don’t know any better. You may want to try to expose yourself to better things. Tour some historic buildings etc. This will help you “refine” your taste and appreciation for better things.
Wow !
Ken, I believe I understand that your “modification” of SW Frosty (for replacement windows) are the # 1-2-3 selections you offered, beginning with SW Incredible White.
For a recent addition to our home, we chose Pella Lifestyle Casements – which are not vinyl, but in “White”, are probably the same unappealing “grey-white” as you described.
Is #1 Incredible White the color I begin testing with, if I want to paint my home a new color, like slate, grey blue? What about if I am leaning towards a white (I like SW Alabaster sli warm & BM Swiss Coffee warmer). Do I still want to try Incredible on the window trim (& I suspect trim at the roofline), or can I get away with whole house Alabaster – with color at the doors & shutters?
Many thanks, I’m lucky to have found your site – so educational!!
Yes – start with #1 if you have a color on the body. If you want a white body you still want the trim to look like the window. Start with the trim. Then if you want a white body color you can choose the same trim color or a different slightly warmer white. Two whites – body and trim can look real nice. The two colors may not be noticed as two different colors but the trim will stand out more.
Hello,
I’m finding your advice really helpful. I have a 90’s light-medium beige brick and beige wood-sided house with rustic dark chocolate brown roof and trim. I am shopping for windows and don’t know what to get. Advice from Sherwin williams was to paint less trim and offered Loggia sw7506 to replace the beige and sw7505 Manor House for the trim. We are looking at Pella and Marvin windows. Options for Pella look like Portabella, Tan, or Brown. Marvin has bronze and pebble gray. I keep looking for interesting windows to copy close to our palette and I’m having a really hard time. Happy to send in a photo if you would care to look at it.
Hi – no way can I visualize this. Please email a photo.
Hello,
so much good information here. I have white 20 year old vinyl windows by Jen Weld, white limestone with a warm tone, and Hardiboard in certain areas. Now I know why I have never cared for the trim around the windows. What whites should I consider for the window and roof trim, that would blend in with both the very white of the windows and the warmth of the limestone? Once I figure that out, I can choose the color for the hardiboard but I am leaning toward a warm white with enough contrast with the window trim. The painter we are working with works with sherwin williams paint.
Thank you .
I’m not familiar with the color of your windows. I would contact your paint store and give them the brand and color of your windows. They should – especially Sherwin Williams have the color information to match the windows.
Hello I have a awful cheaply built 1991 subdivision house that I decided to replace the cheap disgusting “contractor grade” (which means even cheaper) windows. They are while/with white trim which looks too wide to me. I chose Renewal by Anderson farmhouse black windows for only the top window of all the double hungs. I found your article about not choosing a different color sash and I almost got black ., thanks for that
Q: I look at the entire exterior and think that possible with color, I can make it look somehow…..better. Maybe change the white trim to a muted complimentary color with the siding or maybe change the siding color also. I have just a short time to give Anderson sales my final choice for color of casing because they do offer many colors that match sherwin williams paints and this would be a good time to make the right decision. Can you please help or refer me to someone who may?
Please contact me by email.
I love your blog and appreciate all your advice! I never realized the charm I loved most about old houses were those with old windows until reading your posts. Our house was built in 1890 and sadly the previous owner installed replacement windows 🙁 We’d like to repaint our house and will take your advice on white trim color to match. What shades or colors do you recommend on an old house with replacement windows? You briefly mentioned something “very pale.” Thank you!
With white windows and trim, any color would work.
We have a 1920 Four Square in Lexington VA. I am in the process of having all the vinyl siding removed and the casings around all the windows restored and the 5″ crown that was discovered restored as well and all the poplar siding restored or replaced. We are rebuilding the porch with Black Locust that is harvested by horses in Floyd VA. We are going to let it weather to light grey.
My question is the ” darn replacement windows ” ! I hate the white but was all set to paint the house BM Kendall Charcoal and then match the white for the trim. Then I saw SW Black Forest Green on a Gardenista house today. I love the color ! I also like that they did the porch in SW Grey Owl. I see there are white replacement windows and they did a white that doesn’t quite match. I have written the designer to ask the color of the trim. What do you think about me not quite matching the white ? Get samples and see what I think? Bite the bullet and have the replacement windows which are metal and 12 yrs old ( previous idiot owner) ? I look forward to what you think. I love your website ! c
WOW – this is very confusing for a comment reply. Please contact me directly.
Ken,
Thanks for the great article! I’m confused about one thing–Benjamin Moore Navajo White working as a trim for the gray/white Anderson replacement windows. This is a yellowish white–I’ve bought the sample and tested it. I thought you said avoid off-white. How does BM Navajo White work if this is the case? Thanks!
Hi. If the windows are gray-white the trim should match. Since the gray-white is not an appealing trim color in many cases, a warmer white (yellow-white) can look better. I do recommend an off-white that is warmer than cool or gray-white. Navajo as you know is a warm white and will look great providing you cannot notice the difference between the two whites from the street. I didn’t find anything stating to avoid off-white.
Hi Ken, I just discovered your blog, impressive all around. Out of curiosity, do you have any opinions on window replacement options (brand, material, colors, etc.) for brick rowhouse window replacement? I live in a 1900 Philly brick rowhouse and want to replace my existing replacement windows (25 year old aluminum). Most folks simply pick white vinyl but I think black looks infinitely better against brick.
To replace replacement windows I recommend Heirloom Windows. A wood window with insulated glass. Black and Benjamin Moore Essex green look great with brick.
Thank you for your input, Ken. Heirloom windows do indeed look quite impressive but I’m assuming they are substantially over my budget. I own a corner rowhouse, thus my externally viewable window count (16 in total) is quite high for a rowhouse. If I had a typical in-row rowhouse whereby I had only 4-6 “show” windows to replace I might opt for something like Heirloom. Also, I agree, Black and BM Essex green do look great together!
I do know that they cost less than a name brand wood or plastic window. Cant hurt to check.
Hi, we are building a Texas style farmhouse. The windows are Marvin Ultimate casement in Stone White. The brick is Pinehall’s Chesapeake Pearl with white mortar. The roof is planned to be galvalume metal. What color trim would you recommend to match this color combination? I have about 10 white swatches from Sherwin Williams. The GC talked me out of black windows but now I’m wondering if i messed up.
Casement windows will not give you the traditional look you see – however I don’t know what your house looks like. You need to match the trim to the window sash if they are white. If you go for black that will look nice but green is more farmhouse looking. If you go with a painted sash (make sure the sash color placement is correct – see blog article on painting sashes ) then you can have a different trim color. For a real traditional farmhouse look a dark green window sash and matching dark green trim will look typical.
I have enjoyed reading your website. I have a 1928 dark red/raison brick bungalow with gray roof and white replacement windows and trim. In driving around the area it looks as though most homes like mine, replacement or original, have white windows and trim. I am pretty sure white was the original color. I am looking at replacing with black or dark bronze but worry that will change the original intent too much. Any advice?
You are correct. Most window sashes in the 1920’s were white. If any dark color it would be dark green. If you look at old photos, many times the window sash would be white and the storm window green. Your options are to have white window sashes or dark green only. Good luck!
Thank you! I love your website and have learned a lot.
We have all white colonial – wood siding, not brick. I recently removed the black shutters that were louvered (but fixed) and didn’t quite look right. I need to do some repair and restoration on my windows, and I am debating painting the windows black or another dark color for contrast. I would love your thoughts on if keeping it all white would be better or adding a pop of color with the windows would be appealing. 1929 built.
A white colonial is perfect but the window sashes must also be white to match the trim. Use black shutters and a bright red door.
I have old windows in a 1920s home – but I have three main problems with them:
1) they have lead paint.
2) they don’t work (painted shut)
3) energy inefficient
3) they block very little sound – single pane
#1 – #3 are fixable through an expensive restoration process, but I don’t think #4 is.
Plus, the window restoration person said he strongly recommends storm windows. Storm windows cover up the historic wood windows – so for the people who love the aesthetics of historic wood windows, what is the point if they’re covered up by modern storm windows?
You’re correct about the storm windows covering up the beauty of the original window but it will protect it. I recommend interior storm windows. They are super noise reducers. https://www.oldhouseguy.com/interior-storm-windows/
The restoration process is usually less than a replacement window.
Hi, Ken
I am desperately looking for help and I found your site. I just have replacement bright white windows done by Window World, the interior trims are wood (mahogany colored) . It does not match . So, I need help what color to paint the wood trims to match the white vinyl windows. Also all the bedrooms doors are same color with the window trims. Should I paint the doors same color with the window trims?
Wholeheartedly appreciate your response the earliest possible.
Hi – I am assuming this is in the interior. All wood – baseboards, trim, and sash on the interior should match. Sometimes you see all white trim but the doors are stained. Interior sash can be stained but usually painted. Time to save for real windows.
Hi
We are installing new pella 250 series windows in our home and need help choosing an interior window casing/jamb color. Pella vinyl is essentially an untinted/bright white; however, our existing baseboard and door casing is SW pure white.
Should we paint casing/jambs to match the window (bright white) or will pure white be ok?
I hope you are not removing old growth windows.
Any recommendations for exterior trim color (Sherwin Williams) to match Harvey white classic windows?
A paint store should have that info, if not contact the manufacturer.
Hi Ken,
I came across your post while searching for help for my tragedy of a craftsman exterior (thanks to prior owners). The original wood windows were replaced with bright white vinyl, unfortunately, and on the inside, this generally looks okay with the white sashes and white trim all around. Outside, even more unfortunately, they added vinyl siding almost up to the sashes, removing the original window trim. Woe to me. Currently, the sashes are bright white and the (narrow) remaining trim is blue. Based on your post, I think we need to paint that bit of trim white to match the windows. Two issues: 1) much of the vinyl siding is also white (elsewhere light gray). Is it okay then if the trim and window sashes are also white, giving no contrast where the house is white? 2) they KEPT the original leaded glass transom windows on the living room and dining room, which have wood frames. Can those transom windows outside have a contrasting trim color if the windows below them have white trim? They are “attached” to the windows below (no siding in between), so it may look odd to have two different colors, but it will otherwise make for a very white house. I know the real solution here is to paint the siding a darker contrasting color, restore proper craftsman trim, and then paint ALL the trim white to match the window sashes, but we simply cannot afford a project of that scale and are looking to improve things in the short term. Thank you very very much for any advice you can provide. Grateful to have found this informative post!
Hi – yes – all white is best to hide the problems. You may be surprised to find what is hiding under all that vinyl. If you haven’t already check out this page https://www.oldhouseguy.com/vinyl-siding/ Towards the end I show what was under the siding people found. Removing the siding is easy as you see a group of volunteers would remove it in half a day. You can play it safe and just remove the porch area. The window casings should still exist for it would be more work to remove them. The window crown is probably cut off but that can be remade. Give it a try in baby steps by removing one section. You would just need to get a vinyl guy to add trim to the edge between the removed vinyl and existing vinyl.
Thank you so much for your reply! So you’re saying the exterior window trim might be hiding under the vinyl? Worth a look! And if not, we can have a vinyl guy cut back the siding and add trim back around the windows? This would be such a huge improvement. Do you recommend wood for the trim in this case or a product like Azek or other PVC option? Thanks again!
I still stick by wood and one reason most do not think about is the expansion and contraction during the seasons. They both have different rates. Keep me posted!
Hi! I so agree! Are there good vinyl windows that are creamy/light beige vs bright white? Most of the beiges I see are too dark!
While the color is good for one reason, the vinyl is a poor investment, bad for the environment meaning going to the landfill in 15-20 years instead of 200, does not save the enery as told. Looks like you missed this page https://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows/
Thanks! A lot of helpful info there. A follow up…our windows are close but not adjacent to each other, so if we do wide trim as you suggest, I will have a tiny strip in between them that should be siding? Or what how would you handle that? IE I have more than one place where we have three tall windows about 10” apart, and above those there are three transom type, about 10” above the first set. Our windows are currently pretty proud and no trim, not even brick mold on back. Front is brick. I feel like it will look funny to have big strips of trim between the windows without siding there? But a tiny strip of siding doesn’t work either? Is the only answer “scrap it all” per se?
Hi – this is difficult to imagine. Go to the contact us and send a photo and I will get back to you.