How to Paint Egress Window Covers

My family gave me a collective eye roll when I mentioned I wanted to paint the window well covers in our backyard. I never paid attention to the window well grates. As a Realtor, I check for window well covers and exit ladders on egress windows, but as a homeowner? I saw the window well covers as a cosmetic issue. The aluminum finish was dull and tired.

Kind of like my complexion after the long winter. 

Window well covers are the goalies for blowing leaves, little critters, and at our house tennis balls. The egress window cover’s job is to catch the debris before it tumbles into the bottom of a basement (cellar) window well.

And, if you have a garden level or walkout basement you may have a few window well covers for your egress windows. These are the steps I used to paint the egress window well covers.

How to Paint Egress Window Covers

1. I used craft paper to tape to the home’s exterior to minimize paint spray on the house. I covered about 12″ from the ground up and a little wider than the length of the window well. 

         I’m not always the most diligent when it comes to the prep part of a                 paint project. I always say, “That is why there’s touch up paint.”

   2. I removed the debris and gave the window well cover a good spray with the hose.

  3. I used a primer + paint black flat spray paint. That’s it! 

I sprayed over the window well multiple times making sure to spray from different angles of the grate.

This was a one hour project that made the window wells look so fresh and pretty. I love the finished look! This project was inexpensive with the cost of one to two cans of spray paint. Do you have basements where you live?

You can find more details and code details about egress windows here.

Looking for other one-hour paint projects? This garage entry door before and after was so fun!

Subscribe to Everyday Edits Newsletter