Wooden windows can frame a view beautifully and add character and style to a home's interior. But if the paint is cracked and peeling—or simply out of date—they may just look shoddy. You can hire a painter to restore the style and beauty of windows and trim, but hiring a painter to do a topnotch job can cost a small fortune. You can save about 80% of the expense by doing the work yourself.

Painting the interior woodwork of windows is a relatively easy job when you know the proper techniques and procedures. Proper preparation is imperative for a quality, lasting job. Buy high-quality gloss or semi-gloss acrylic latex paint; it will cover well and go on smoothly, without brush marks, ripples, or sags. On new, bare wood, apply a primer before painting. Have paint mixed thoroughly at the store, then stir it well right before and during application.

For painting narrow trim, choose a synthetic-bristle sash brush; the bristles are cut to a taper and beveled to make the job easier. Bristle ends should have frayed (flagged) tips, and you should check to be sure the bristles divide evenly, without gaps, when you press them against a solid surface. During painting, you'll have the best results if you don't overload the brush with paint.

Although many people prefer to protect window glass from paint by applying masking tape around the edges of each pane, this can be more trouble than it is worth. If you have a reasonably steady hand when painting, you can guide the bristles along the wooden parts. It's okay—in fact, it's a good idea—to slightly lap paint onto the glass to seal the glass to the wood.

Move furniture away from the window and cover the floor with a sheet of polyethylene. Then lay a canvas drop cloth on top of the plastic to absorb drips. Apply 2-inch-wide masking tape to the wall around the perimeter of the window trim (first test it to be sure it won't pull the paint off when you remove it).

Use a wire brush or scraper to remove flaking paint from the wood. Then sand the surfaces smooth with fine-grade sandpaper (be careful not to contact the glass when scraping and sanding). Fill any holes with vinyl spackling compound, allow the patches to dry, then lightly sand again.

Remove hardware such as latches and knobs and drop them in a small can of paint remover to dissolve caked-on paint. Or, if the hardware is in good shape, just wrap it with masking tape. Use a damp cloth to wipe sawdust from the wood.

Load the brush lightly and paint the various window parts, following the numbered sequence in the illustration. The window shown here is a double-hung model. When painting a casement window, begin with vertical muntins (the dividers between panes of glass), then do horizontal muntins, top rail, bottom rail, and, lastly, the casing (trim) around the window. With any type of window, avoid painting channels in the jamb—this can cause the window to balk, stick, or freeze up.

Just before the paint becomes tacky, remove any excess paint from the glass with a single-edge razor blade as shown. If you've used masking tape to protect the glass, remove the tape before the paint dries.