{"id":9546,"date":"2015-01-22T22:43:08","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T04:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?p=9546"},"modified":"2022-08-04T07:01:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T12:01:02","slug":"painting-windows-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/2015\/01\/22\/painting-windows-like-a-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"Window Painting Like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FF<\/p>\n

I’ve written before about my affinity for painting car windows, especially when celebrating wedding anniversaries<\/a>. As you can see in the video at the bottom of this post, I’ve gotten pretty fast at it.<\/strong> That’s what several decades of window painting practice will do for you!<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

It’s a skill that has come in handy more often than you might expect.<\/strong> The big twelve- and fifteen-passenger vans our family drives provides a perfect canvas. We’ve used it for everything from school field trips…<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

… to ultimate Frisbee tournaments. Our vehicles have transported lots of sports teams over the years, and the window paint ensures they all ride in style.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

When our boys’ basketball team won the State Championship a few years ago…<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

… window paint (in the team colors) helped us broadcast their victory to everyone else on the road.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The trick to getting professional-looking results is to ditch the applicator sponge. Just pry it off the tube and toss it in the trash.<\/strong> Once you give this method a try, you’ll never go back.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Use a paint brush to do your lettering instead.<\/strong> I use a 1″ flat brush for larger lettering and a smaller, pointed brush for fine lines and accent colors.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

If you cannot find paint specifically formulated for car windows, don’t worry. Cheap acrylic paints (not enamel) work equally as well. I use acrylics whenever I need to mix paints to match team colors.<\/strong> Brushes clean up easily with water, as does the window writing while it’s still wet (good to remember for mistakes or misspellings).<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Once the paint is dry, it can easily be removed with a clean, nick-free razor blade or window scraper.<\/strong> Just hold it flat against the window and take smooth, broad strokes from bottom to top, wiping blade with a clean, dry cloth between passes.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

A friend of ours hosted a backyard wedding a couple of months ago and asked if they could borrow our van (and one of our sons to drive it) to help shuttle guests from off-site parking to the wedding.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

My son asked me to paint the windows of our van for the occasion, so guests would climb aboard without his having to shout instructions out the window. I thought that was a smart idea, and decided to video the actual painting. Here it is:<\/p>\n