Fiberglass Vs Aluminum Clad Windows

The architect series is an aluminum clad wood window with exceptional beauty.

Fiberglass vs aluminum clad windows.

There are five main types of window frames. Fiberglass windows come in a wide range of colors not found with vinyl windows. Aluminum is essentially unusable as window material in cold climates unless it includes a thermal break. I ve received quotes from pella and lincoln on aluminum clad and marvin for both fiberglass and aluminum clad.

Expect a mid range aluminum or fiberglass window to run 550 to 650 installed for a typical sized double hung window. Vinyl windows come in a number of baked in colors as do fiberglass windows. Aluminum windows are more costly than vinyl but less costly than wood. Aluminum wood clad vinyl and fiberglass.

Best of all it carries a solid warranty including glass protection for 20 years. But they are pricey. Fiberglass has a distinct advantage when it comes to coastal salt water corrosion. Fiberglass frame windows are the best choice for energy efficiency.

Double pane fiberglass windows high end replacement project. If you want the natural beauty of wood these aren t for you. Pella windows are available in 3 vinyl window series 3 wood window series including the architect series in both traditional and contemporary formats and impervia fiberglass windows. The result is a tough maintenance free exterior and a natural wood interior that you can paint or stain.

Fiberglass and composite windows cost more than vinyl windows and low cost wood windows. We carry andersen windows which are built with a vinyl exterior clad to resist water and seal out the elements. But fiberglass has the additional advantage of being paintable while vinyl windows are difficult to paint and maintain over the long term. Aluminum s main weakness as a window material is that it is a poor insulator.

Marvin has been the cheapest to replace the windows doing either style. Aluminum frame windows are inexpensive and durable but a bad choice from an energy efficiency standpoint. To remove an old window and replace it with a 36 by 60 fiberglass window ranges in cost from 700 to 1 000 per window. These advantages mean clad wood windows usually cost more than ordinary wood.

The fiberglass cladding is resistant to this corrison. There are an array of exterior colors to choose from and 4 interior which include white black dark bronze and pine. Some manufacturers address that required upkeep by cladding the wood with vinyl as is the case with andersen windows or aluminum. One of the major drawbacks that aluminum windows have always had versus their counterparts has been energy efficiency.

Some aluminum windows actually have wood inside aluminum cladding to act as a thermal break.