Comparing Window Frames – Looking For The Right Choice

Whilst window frames is not the only thing that matters when choosing a replacement window, it can be one of the most important. The eventual choice of the windows frame material can also be about issues of expense and appearance as well as performance.

Some homeowners may just want wood because they don’t want the look of vinyl or aluminum on their house. Hybrid or wood clad windows can come to the rescue here if you’ve only got your heart set on a wood design window on the inside of your home. Vinyl and aluminum are much lower maintenance than wood, and many more times durable to the elements.

Aluminum and fiberglass are very strong and so can support heavier glass with thinner frames than vinyl, though vinyl is stronger than wood.

Also things like the climate that you live in will also affect your choice of window composition and construction.

The Climate Outdoors, And Indoors

If you live in an area with cold winters then you will be concerned with window insulation to keep energy costs down. So you should not consider an aluminum construction window frame unless you get aluminum windows with a thermal break. This added insulating increases the ability of these metal windows to keep the heat you’re paying for from escaping to the outside.

Wood is a great natural insulator of course, and along with its looks, the insulating properties of wood windows are an excellent selling point.

Vinyl and fiberglass construction windows are good insulators anyway. And their abilities can be further increased by filling the air cavities that are designed to be inside their frames with more insulation.

Hot summers can be better dealt with by the glass than the choice of frame construction, though aluminum can let heat through inwardly as well as outwardly. And vinyl frames can lose their shape due to temperature extremes.

Window Frames - By Material

• Aluminum Windows
• Fiberglass Windows
• Vinyl Windows
• Wood Windows
• Glass Block Windows
• Stained Glass Windows