ᐅ Refinishing wooden windows: is it paint or a stain?

Hello everyone,

Before winter, I definitely need to repaint the windows.
I haven’t done anything to the wooden windows in this house so far and I’m not sure if the existing coating is paint or stain.

Please take a look at the picture, maybe you can tell what it is.
Thanks in advance.

xola

Stain does not provide full coverage; it only tints and is designed to penetrate the wood rather than form a surface layer like a film.
Paint provides full coverage and forms a coating on top of the wood.
Nowadays, there are several types of products that combine these properties, such as paint-stains or heavy-bodied stains. I would guess the latter, as it offers good protection against moisture.

I had black windows myself, made of meranti wood from the 1970s. I thoroughly coated them with a common heavy-bodied stain in ebony color after lightly sanding them.

xola123 schrieb:

whether the existing coating is paint or stain

The real question is: what is it supposed to be, meaning what purpose does it serve?
The main difference is this: if the window frame material is wood that is sufficiently protected (for example, by impregnation), then the coating was applied only to change the color, and the actual protection underneath is still intact (so the only thing that might “need” renewing is the cosmetic layer).
- Or is the colored substance itself a protective layer (and/or has it dissolved a factory-applied protective layer underneath)?

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