ᐅ Types of Windows: uPVC, Wood, or Aluminum? Recommendations and Experiences?
Created on: 26 Feb 2018 15:08
B
blaupuma
Hello, I am currently looking into the topic of windows.
I originally wanted to have wood-aluminum windows and had already factored in the additional costs. However, I was told that wood-aluminum is slowly disappearing from the market because the wood underneath the aluminum tends to rot over time. Has anyone here had longer experience with this?
Pure aluminum windows are also rarely in demand for single-family houses.
Thanks for your information.
I originally wanted to have wood-aluminum windows and had already factored in the additional costs. However, I was told that wood-aluminum is slowly disappearing from the market because the wood underneath the aluminum tends to rot over time. Has anyone here had longer experience with this?
Pure aluminum windows are also rarely in demand for single-family houses.
Thanks for your information.
M
Mastermind126 Feb 2018 23:10We have a strong aversion to plastic – hence my current reluctance to use it.
A major German sectional door manufacturer once tried for a short period (2008–x) to meet customer color preferences through film wrapping. Their brochure claimed long-term durability and colorfastness... I would have loved to throw our garage door at the marketing person responsible!
On our window gray sectional door, the film started peeling off after just under five years (after the warranty period). The door was from 2009.
However, to their credit, the manufacturer replaced the entire door (double garage!) with a new one featuring proper paintwork. The only cost was the installation service, about 300€ (around $320). More than fair!
I have since become wary of plastic and films.
In my opinion, windows in dark colors should only be wood-aluminum. Painting is a completely different process compared to this plastic film trend.
A small local manufacturer near us no longer produces plastic windows with film wrapping but uses colored acrylic plastic instead, as they experienced numerous problems with film wrapping among customers. Whether they source this material from large profile manufacturers or developed it themselves, I cannot say.
A major German sectional door manufacturer once tried for a short period (2008–x) to meet customer color preferences through film wrapping. Their brochure claimed long-term durability and colorfastness... I would have loved to throw our garage door at the marketing person responsible!
On our window gray sectional door, the film started peeling off after just under five years (after the warranty period). The door was from 2009.
However, to their credit, the manufacturer replaced the entire door (double garage!) with a new one featuring proper paintwork. The only cost was the installation service, about 300€ (around $320). More than fair!
I have since become wary of plastic and films.
In my opinion, windows in dark colors should only be wood-aluminum. Painting is a completely different process compared to this plastic film trend.
A small local manufacturer near us no longer produces plastic windows with film wrapping but uses colored acrylic plastic instead, as they experienced numerous problems with film wrapping among customers. Whether they source this material from large profile manufacturers or developed it themselves, I cannot say.
munger71 schrieb:
The plastic on the outside will discolor over the years, the plasticizer will migrate out, and then it will become brittle.What purpose are plasticizers supposed to serve in windows?
M
Mastermind126 Feb 2018 23:2177.willo schrieb:
What purpose are plasticizers supposed to serve in windows?Are those really plasticizers? I rather suspect silicone-based paints used in the coatings... Over time, the color fades here... Our basalt gray (7016) has now shifted somewhere between basalt gray and window gray (700x). The windows are only 9 years old... We’re curious to see how the color will look after 20 years. If we had known back then, we would have chosen either white uPVC windows or wood-aluminum windows with painted finishes. The price would have been worth it for us. The wood look on the inside is also quite pleasant...B
Baumfachmann26 Feb 2018 23:26That was in the past; with good quality, nothing becomes brittle or discolored anymore, only with inferior quality.
K
Knallkörper26 Feb 2018 23:43Mastermind1 schrieb:
Our basalt gray (7016)That would be RAL 7012
77.willo schrieb:
What purpose do plasticizers serve in windows? They help the material age more slowly and become brittle less quickly than without them.
Just “for the sake of completeness”: there are also plastic windows that are coated rather than foil-wrapped (by Gealan), and aluminum windows can also be wrapped with foil (for example, if a wood finish is desired on the inside).
I have managed an aluminum window manufacturing company and still need reading glasses to visually identify a plastic window from a reputable manufacturer that is less than three years old as “not aluminum.” The long-term material quality of aluminum pays off, but only after some time, and it comes with a premium price that doesn’t make it everyone’s favorite. For heavy use (front door, especially in multi-family buildings) or large sizes (for example, a 4m (13 feet) wide lift-and-slide door) I would not use anything else. However, I understand every builder who appreciates the roughly 20% lower cost of plastic, especially when it’s “only” about standard-sized windows.
Wood/aluminum windows are the most expensive by design (essentially a complete wooden window with an aluminum outer shell on top) — but especially a material combination that is not quite trivial (this relates to the differing coefficients of expansion).
In our climate, plastic windows can definitely be used; I have not heard of warping except with very large sizes. However, in Egypt, plastic windows are indeed less popular due to temperature-related reasons.
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