# Windows Painted Shut=Paint is One Kickass Adhesive?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526 "2003-11-21T16:42:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526/1 "2003-11-21T16:42:59Z")

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I’ve always been amazed at the fact that common household paint contains enough adhesive power to render windows immobile to the point that Vasily Alexeev himself would not be able to budge one. Since this is the case does it follow that paint would make an excellent adhesive?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526/2 "2003-11-21T17:09:30Z")

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Paint is good at resisting sheer, the type of force encountered in sliding windows. However, it’s lousy at resisting tension, because it has little mechanical strength.

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**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526/3 "2003-11-21T17:17:29Z")

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I think it has to do with it drying fast enough so a larger amount can adhere to the surfaces.

That and maybe its brittle.

Could be you’re weak though 😛

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**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-painted-shut-paint-is-one-kickass-adhesive/214526/4 "2003-11-21T19:27:14Z")

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Paint would make a lousy adhesive. Windows stay shut so well because there’s usually a very large area painted over to hold it shut.

Easy comparison:  
Spread some wood glue on a couple of pieces of wood and clamp them together.  
Spread some paint on some pieces of wood the same size as the other two and clamp together.

Once the stuff has dried, try pulling (chiseling) them apart. The painted pieces will pop right apart along the painted surface - the glued stuff will be (almost) impossible to get apart without damaging the wood.