A breath of fresh air can be tough to come by if your windows are painted shut. This unfortunate condition occurs when paint seals the joint between the window frame (called the sash) and the stop. In the case of double-hung wood windows, the stop is the trim that holds the sash in place allowing it to glide up and down. With wood casement (swing-out) windows the stop is the surface against which the window sash closes.

In either case, freeing a stuck sash can be accomplished by using a few common tools such as a utility knife, putty knife, pry bar and hammer.

Start by using a sharp-bladed utility knife to cut through the paint between the sash and the stop. Repeated passes with the knife will likely be required to get through several layers of paint. For double-hung windows this should be performed at both sides of each window, inside and out.

Although this may free the window, it will result in cracked and chipped paint on the joint. The appearance of the joint can be restored by giving it a thorough sanding using sandpaper or, better yet, a sanding sponge. The latter is a small piece of foam with a sponge-like texture that is covered on all sides with a sandpaper-like surface. The beauty of the sanding sponge is that it is pliable and will take the shape of the surface being sanded.

If the razor knife treatment doesn't do the trick, and the sash still won't budge, try forcing a wide-blade putty knife into the joint between the sash and the stop, tapping it with a hammer. As with the razor knife method, this treatment should be done on the entire length of the sash for each window on both sides. A thorough sanding will smooth out any chips, cracks or gouges created by the knife.

Some sashes will resist both of the methods described. In this case, we suggest the "pry bar" method. It's simple. Insert the flat end of a pry bar under one corner of the sash. It is best to do this from the outside since there is no trim to prevent easy access to the underside of the sash where it meets the sill.

Place a thin piece of wood such as a cedar-shim shingle between the pry bar and the window sill to avoid damaging it. With the pry bar wedged securely under the sash, push down on it until the window lifts about an eighth of an inch. Next, move the pry bar to the opposite corner and repeat the process. Alternate prying at the corners until the sash can be raised by hand.

Regardless of the method used to free the stuck sash, the window may still be difficult to open and move up and down. If you encounter this problem, pry off the inside stops using the pry bar and remove the old nails with the claw end of a hammer. Move the stops out about a sixteenth of an inch and reinstall them with 4d finish nails. An alternative is to remove the stops and lightly sand both the face of the sash and the inside face of the stops.

Chances are that any one of these repairs will require some painting ranging from minor touch-up to repainting the entire sash. Here's a painting tip that will prevent the "stuck-sash syndrome" from recurring: Paint the sash and the stop independent of one another. This can be done by using a wide-blade putty knife as a paint shield. For example, when painting the stop, place the putty knife in the joint between the sash and the stop. Excess paint will strike the putty knife rather than the sash. Once the stop has dried, place the putty knife against it, and paint the sash.

To keep wood double-hung windows operating smoothly, periodically spray furniture wax on the meeting surfaces of the stops and the parting strips which are between the sashes. A block of paraffin wax rubbed along the edges also acts as a first-rate lubricant.