window Materials

Solid wood, PVC clad wood, aluminum clad wood, aluminum, PVC and fibreglass those are but a few of the choices that will make your decision difficult when it comes to windows. And that's before you consider styles such as double hung, casement, sliding or awning to further complicate your life. First, determine the style that better suits your house from an aesthetics perspective.

PVC

PVC is the most popular material in window renovation, partly because of its low cost, also because of its easy maintenance and because of the narrowness of the jamb it can be installed in existing frames. You should, however, be careful in your choice because PVC quality varies. Among the selection criteria is the thickness of the PVC, which can vary between 1.8 mm to 5 mm. As PVC is sensitive to temperature fluctuations, a way of life in our climate, its quality is directly related to thickness. Therefore, jambs and posts must be steel-reinforced on larger windows. In summary, PVC remains a very good choice provided it's high quality.

Wood

Although very traditional, wood windows remain very popular and keep increasing in quality, thanks to new manufacturing processes. Their rigidity and insulating capabilities are well known. Wood, however, loses points to the competition in the area of maintenance, as it requires periodic applications of paint or stain to ensure it can withstand the weather. But it's worth the effort if you consider that no other material can match the warmth and charm of natural wood.

If you choose wood for its charm and intend to varnish rather than paint, be sure your windows are built without unnecessary joints.

Clad wood

An attractive compromise for those who want to be spared maintenance chores, the wood window with a PVC or aluminum covering on the outside may still be in natural wood inside.

• Aluminium. More expensive models are covered in extruded aluminum attached to the outside of the wood frame, while less expensive models are clad in thin aluminum.
• PVC. The PVC-covered wood window is built on the same principle as the aluminum-covered type. Even though PVC is only used to protect the wood, it must be thick enough to resist our climate.

Whether wood is covered in aluminum or PVC, it must be protected from water and humidity. Any failure in this respect could result in the wood rot.

Aluminium

Without doubt the most rigid of all materials used in the manufacturing of windows, aluminum allows designers more flexibility in developing windows with smaller frames that emphasize the glass panes. Aluminum windows also last longer and require little maintenance, other than seasonal cleaning.

The only downside to aluminum windows is energy efficiency. The high degree of thermal conductivity of aluminum makes it not very engery efficient, even though manufacturers have improved the situation by injecting polyurethane foam inside the actual chassis of the window and adding a thermal barrier (or thermal bridge) between exterior and interior components. Rigid insulation has also been added to the extrusions that form the actual frame.

Fibreglass

Pultruded fibreglass is new to the world of windows. Polyurethane foam injected frames and casements give fibreglass rigidity that compares to that of metal, and good energy efficiency. The fibreglass window is also very versatile. It can even be covered in aluminum on the outside while the inside is covered in wood. In short, it can offer the best of both worlds. Its quality is superior on every level. Unfortunately, so is its price!

 Go Back To Articles
This article is from Rona Web-site