Glass block · vinyl vents · 2020
Mask the glass.
Match the black.
White vinyl vents interrupted an exterior already organized around black windows, flashing, and gutters. Careful masking made it possible to carry that finish into the glass-block openings without painting the glass, mesh, masonry, or operating surfaces.
Follow the maskingProtect the opening
Expose only what
gets painted.
The first vents stayed in the wall. Plastic isolated the brick and glass-block field while painter's tape followed the small frame, glazing, and vent opening. The wide mask also caught overspray below and around the work.
Work off the wall
Mask the function.
Paint the frame.
Removable louvers and screen inserts could be prepared flat. Tape protected openings and mesh, small supports lifted the pieces from the work surface, and the fasteners received the same black finish before everything went back together.
Reinstall + step back
Small openings,
one exterior language.
Back in the glass-block fields, the vents keep their ventilation and screen functions while visually joining the black windows above. From the street, the smaller changes reinforce the same dark line established by the window frames, flashing, and gutters.