"Has anyone tried to paint the ugly gray jamb liner"

Will not last as the sash slide up and down and the jamb liner will move slightly, paint will not stick for more than a very short time.

I am really bothered by the gray jamb, what alternatives are fully black? Most of the house will be casements - the master suite will be double hungs. Could you use Andersen casements and something else for the double hungs or would the difference be noticeable?

My preference is to source windows and doors from the same manufacturer, preferably from the same range. Merging windows and doors from different suppliers is doable but difficult to get right.

I agree with millworkman but, if i desperately wanted the jambs black I would remove and bring the jambs to an autobody shop. A two part automotive paint will stick to vinyl as well as it sticks to plastic ABS/PE bumpers and rear view mirrors. Once cured, there's no tacky surface like a single part paint (rust-oleum). And the paint will survive UV and temperature swings. If the windows were in a kitchen or bathroom with constant opening and closing you might see signs of wear but the wear would be less noticeable than the gray strip.

Side note, nowadays homes are designed and built with the intention the windows will rarely ever be opened to manage temperature and humidity control. Our house is old, and I'm old school so I open windows at night and close during the day.

If the gray bothered me, which it does, I would have them painted. Worse case scenario you could always order a replacement set of jambs if in fact the two part paint doesn't work out. Why am i not painting mine you might ask, I've got too many other projects going on so the gray jambs are simply a lower priority.

Marvin has a fully black double hung. After the mistake with Anderson we did more research and decided on Marvin for rest of the house. They are definitely higher quality for similar price… never again will I buy Andersen

So today i went to finalize my 400 series double hung windows and with that i was made aware of this issue everyone is disscussing. My salesperson asked white or gray jams ? I was cofused as logically you would think black goes with black ?!?!? Not grey or white !!! I was in shock as now i am.back to.the drawing board. This is totally ridiculous and makes no sense as a manufacture standpoint. The salesmen told me andersen defaults to white jams which makes no sense for black. Still baffled by this information. I am very lucky that i was told as i now have a hard decison to make.

Its crazy there is no actual image on the site to show this flaw ,assuming this is on purpose. Thank you for starting this conversation and hearing everyone's concerns has made me really think Marvin is the way to go !!!

If anyone has a picture of the marvin windows can they post a picture?

Thanks a million all!!

These are the Marvin ultimate that we chose after the Andersen issues. Love them so much! Everything is black, even in between the glass. We get compliments from everyone who comes in that the complete black just pops! This picture was taken right after install per trim of course

Thank you John, they look amazing!! I discussed the option of Marvin with my salesman and they are way higher then the andersen 400 series.

Was this the case for everyone who went this way?

Started looking into pella now as they offer the black jam. anyone else try them ? Marvin was way more money than andersen for me.

"Started looking into pella now as they offer the black jam"

To me I would take any color jamb liner over anything Pella, just my .02....

Really are they that bad compared to andersen ???

Had Pella Casement windows in our last house and never had an issue. Would have re-ordered the same for the house we just built but delivery delayed by by a few months when we were ordering, so we went with Anderson.

Performance, quality control, fit and finish, as well as customer service have been poor to fair since the 70's

Appreciate everyone comments ! Does anyone have more pictures of their 400 or woodwright with the black exterior/white interior?? Trying to make the best decision

Have Pella Lifestyle double hung in 6000 sq ft house. They are perfect. Looks, mechanisms, locks, etc.

"Have Pella Lifestyle double hung in 6000 sq ft house. They are perfect. Looks, mechanisms, locks, etc."

How long have they been installed?

1 full year.

I think it’s been a while since I shared a photo. My construction has been a very long process, 4 years in the making. The gray jams don’t bother me anymore HAHAHA but glad this post has brought awareness. I learned so much about all of this. Here’s a pic of my windows gray and all. My trim will be gray (London fog) I’m hoping that will make it less apparent.

Looking great Julie!

we are in the middle of a build from HELL..Between GC, general delays, poor scheduling, increase of cost on everything, and just these crazy times.. I wouldn't do it again. we are still waiting on many items that are either backordered or just poor lead times. I've learned through all of this a damn gray jamb is not going to be something I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. The windows themselves look pretty nice now that the walls are going up, they are quiet, easy to open/close/lock and they are air tight! They perform as a window should. 6-8 months behind a ”normal” build schedule. But we’re still truckin’

Isn’t it funny the things we let go of Dakota? The windows look amazing! These times are just so hard the costs of everything it’s just madness. I will never do this again either ha ha ha

Can anyone tell me how long it took to receive their Andersen windows, especially if you ordered black/black?

Just received our 38 Andersen 400 series black windows and the gray jams look terrible. They look cheap and unfinished. I'm so upset after spending so much money. Andersen is offering no solutions. Please beware out there! Don't be fooled by the sales person. The team seem so caring and professional. As soon as they receive your money, it's a different story. Now I have to live with windows that I literally loathe and my bank account is empty.

What were you expecting? They have other options that would give you the look.

Did you have a chance to see a sample window prior? 38 windows is a significant purchase no matter what product you are talking about.

Toddinmn, the point from this thread is that there are numerous customers who had no idea about the black windows with gray jambs. I was expecting black and black, just like how with white windows they are white on white.

It’s unfortunate and ya know a lot of us don’t necessarily have experience in this department. I had a contractor who showed me a catalog book and the windows weren’t shown in color. I was focused on the grill and the sizing.

Anderson windows needs to step up their marketing, and customer service. Windows are a big investment and it’s unfair when they are so poorly described, or even sold by vendors/contractors etc

Toddinmn, The salesman showed me a picture on his computer which was all black. I ordered BLACK windows, not black with gray jams or so I thought. I assumed when I ordered black windows, they would be black. The gray is ugly and has a look of being unfinished and stands out against the black. Obviously, Andersen does not care about aesthetics of their product. Shame on Andersen!!! Because of the expense, I assumed I was purchasing high end windows. I wish I was offered different options. I wasn't; I believe the sales guy didn't want to lose the sale.

I completely empathize with recieving a finished product that doesn't meet your expectations, but it should be pointed out that it is quite common for windows to have some sort of "neutral color" in jambs and other surfaces that don't directly face the interior or exterior. Same thing applies to windows with stained interior, where surfaces that will see friction from weatherstripping etc are beige or brown. If there is anything to take away here, it would be to view the product that you are considering upfront and ask questions, as something that is "normal" may not be what you are expecting.

I could see that happening looking at the the window head on. Views from an angle or close ups make it very apparent. I wound not say Anderson does not care about aesthetics, it is more of a limit of what they can do with a color of a jambliner. I think they and the salesperson could do a better job to highlight this.

Black windows should be black, white windows should be white, and sand stone windows should be sand stone. Period. This two tone look needs to go. Andersen do better.

Hugs Stacey I feel your pain. I can say that after a long time it becomes less of an eyesore

This is from there catalog.

The jambliner system is older and very limited in color options. The 400 Woodwright and A-Series use a modern hidden liner that have covers that are stained or painted to match the window. The two tone look has its place which is a cheaper option.

Do you know what year they started having covers for them?

The 400 does not have any covers available.

The 400 Woodwright and A-Series cone from the factory with wood covers that hide most od the vinylTL jamb parts.

Update. Anderson came out to the house to discuss options and seemed sincerely apologetic that double hung window hardware wasnt fully explained to us. They gave us several options to choose from. Although the options arent my first choice, i feel like customer service is important to them. Andersen is attempting to work with us and come to some type of resolution. Not sure what we are going to do, but at least Andersen cares enough to dialogue about it.

What did they give for options?

Anderson told me for months they were going to fix. Then stopped calling me back. They don’t care about customers. I will literally never purchase them again. I’d be interested to see what they tell you. If the suggest painting, do not do that. They suggest a processes to heat jams and seal the paint on, but after calling a local shop they said it will chip quickly given the rubbing of the sill.

I just had Pella double hung outside dark brown and inside almond hung. Immediately, I noticed the white jam on the outside view so now I have a brick house with cream trim around the window, a dark brown window and grid with a white stripe in between the trim and window. Unbelieveable! Nearly 80K retail (discounted through our contractor) and I’m sick about the exterior look. I really don’t know what recourse I have, but NOT HAPPY at all. Dark Brown window should be dark brown all around!

FYI: I am in the middle of revising/double-checking an order for Windsor Pinnacle windows. One of the things on the order (though not a feature pointed out to me by the sales person) is the color of the jambliner. Windsor's options, I believe, are black, white and that warm grey.

Here is my kitchen done, and I’m really glad my trim is gray. It makes all of this look deliberate. If it helps for any others, just an idea to throw out there. It is annoying still, but at least now it looks like it was part of my design.
Note: trim was not selected for the jambs lol it’s an old colonial and so I was trying to do period style (colored trim) but with a modern color.

That is lovely! I really appreciate the close-up pictures. Other people really need to see the iighter jambliners with dark windows. In the store where I shopped, the only had a white window and white jambliner. That doesn't tell you what you need to know when ordering dark windows. Thank you again!

OMG i have the same issue except jeldwen black windows with whute jam liners !!! it really sticks out & is noticable from inside as well as ouside. Jeldwen says it is not a warranty issue (dah) & u cannot paint them or it can inferfere with the operation of the window so I too an stuck with these windows short of removing them & returning them ..:.: really disappointed 🤦‍♀️

We just installed our jeldwen black windows & they have white jam liners ! Of course we were not aware of this when we ordered them either. we waited 6 weeks to get them so short of removing them & returning we are stuck with them. Jeldwen say it isnt a warranty issue (dah) & u cannot paint them because it will interfere with the operation of the window ! i am so frustrated as we paid $850 per 3x6 window !!!!

Sorry HU:(

Part of the problem is these windows are often sold at big box stores with people who are not famiar with the product. The visible jambliner systems are pretty old tech and sold on the lower lines. Both of these companies have higer lines with hidden liner systems with paintable covers and much easier tilt in features. .

Does having screens on the outside cover a little bit of the gray? I just got my windows installed and I’m having the same issue with the gray showing.

Has anyone found anything better? Have the same issue. So glad we ordered ONE window to test first (garage side). Made it expensive but worth it. Attached is what ours looks like. Outside looks okay because we ordered white clad and screen. Screens hides the tan jamb liner.

Just found this thread today when I went to go check out my window installation in my dream house construction. Purchased from Home Depot 38 windows - Andersen 400 Series Double Hung Tilt Wash with black exterior windows with some having white interior and some having black interior. Pull up to my house and immediately ask my wife what the hell is that huge white strip behind the black exterior frame? Stands out like a sore you-know-what! Immediately called Andersen this afternoon and spoke with a man in their spare parts department - he didn’t find anything about it and told me to call my dealer. Called Home Depot and went to the store to talk to the Mill Wright Supervisor. Go to meet with him and see the order and he shows me the two options - white and gray! I he says it was discussed with my wife and builder and that he selected white for the ones with white interior frame and gray for the black/black ones. I told him it looks like crap, black and black should be black at a bare minimum. He advised he was contacting his rep. I even showed him this thread from Houz and told him this has been encountered by Andersen before because it’s such an eye sore issue that is misleading to say the least. I’d love to hear what Andersen has discussed with others in this predicament to find a solution. I don’t know why they just don’t offer to do a special run using black vinyl to replace this. I’ll be glad to update this post once I hear back from Home Depot/Andersen.

Photos below

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And? Question or comments?