Just moved into a one-bed in Dyker and the kitchen window is absolutely painted shut. The super did a “fresh paint” job before we moved in and now the edges look like they’ve been caulked with white paint. I’m trying to cook without setting off the smoke detector every time. Do I take a box cutter to the seams? My partner says that’s on the super, but our management takes forever. It’s not a lead thing, right? It looks like regular latex. Help.

Classic landlord special. You can score it, but don’t use a box cutter—you’ll gouge the wood and probably nick the sash. Grab a 6-in-1 painter’s tool or a stiff putty knife. Run it along all four seams, especially where the sash meets the stop. If it’s only latex, it’ll crack loose pretty cleanly. But yeah, write the super first. If the window is near the stove or you need it for ventilation, say that specifically. Management moves faster when you mention “can’t vent a gas stove.”

Agree with CollegePoint_C. Don’t just yank it open one morning unless you want to be the person who leaves a window in the alley. I dealt with this in East Harlem. Super said “all windows open” then ghosted. I scored the paint with a 5-in-1 and tapped the frame with the heel of my hand. It popped. But if it’s been painted from the outside too, scoring inside won’t do squat. Check the top and sides before you put your back into it.

Before you touch it, take clear photos of the paint bridging the sash to the frame and send them to the super or management in writing. In a lot of NYC rentals, a window that’s painted shut isn’t just an annoyance—it can be an egress issue in a fire, and that’s the phrase that tends to get a work order. As for lead: if the building is pre-1960 and there’s old paint under the fresh coat, don’t sand or scrape it. You’re only cutting a seam, but keep it wet if you’re worried. I’d use a flexible painter’s tool or a drywall knife, not a box cutter. Work the top and side stops first, then lift from the bottom. Go gently; old sash weights can be rusted or loose. Once it opens, it may not stay up—a wooden dowel in the track is your friend. If management ignores you, call 311 for a windows/egress complaint, but usually the written request plus the word “safety” gets it done.

This. I’d add: if you want to cook before they fix it, open another room and point a fan toward the kitchen. I know that’s sad in a small apartment. But also, a hair dryer on the seams can soften latex enough that a putty knife slides through without you bearing down. If there’s paint on the lock or thumb turn, dig that out too or you’ll strip it when you unlock. Once it’s open, clean the track or it’ll scrape every time.

Painted windows are a super specialty. My old Flatbush place had every room painted shut except one. I did the score-and-shim thing with a butter knife and a spatula once—it worked but dull as hell. The trick after you get it open: prop it with a cut-down broomstick or a chunk of 2x4, because the old sash cords in mine were shot and the window would slam down on my fingers. So if you do DIY, have a prop ready before you open it all the way.

Check your lease before you do anything too. Some leases say you’re responsible for maintaining windows in your unit, but painting them shut was their move. If you score it cleanly and don’t damage the frame, I don’t see it becoming a lease issue. I’d call the super once, then email. If you don’t hear back in a couple days, do what EastHarlem said. In the meantime, a cheap window fan pointed outward at the top of another window does a lot when you’re searing anything.