Article:

 Comparing Replacement Window Frames made of Fiberglass or Wood   

Fiberglass Replacement Windows: 

      Fiberglass home replacement windows are rarely sold for houses (as of 2006) but are making themselves more available.

       You will find some replacement window manufacturers of them if you look hard enough. They will either be part of a high-end line costing much more than traditional home replacement windows, or will be offered by a windows store as a low-end product because they carry a fiberglass type that is cheaply made.

       Fiberglass frames must be painted even if they are white. They can therefore scratch or chip and the paint could weather.

       Fiberglass window frame corners must be screwed and glued together because they can not be welded. This can cause future leaks in the windows if cheap materials are used.

       Even though some window manufacturers claim their fiberglass window model can be as good an insulator as other non-metal materials, some versions of fiberglass windows actually conduct as much heat and cold as the glass panes themselves which lowers the energy efficiency of the window!  A fiberglass window frame is a very different material than the fiberglass batting seen in house insulation.

       Fiberglass frames will not warp or crack and is often chosen for homes with high levels of UV radiation like high-mountain homes, however, many mountain homes also experience huge and immediate temperature swings (50 degrees within a 24 hour period) which can cause the various materials put into the corners (metal screws, adhesive, corner pieces and the fiberglass) to expand/contract at different rates which will weaken the corners and can cause eventual air/moisture leakage.

       Some fiberglass makers say their frame is strong, but the entire construction of the window-- glass pane thickness, seals, frame thickness, corner finishing, etc. must ALL be accounted for when deciding if a fiberglass window is strong or not. Some fiberglass replacement window frames are actually as brittle as the glass sheet panes if pressed a certain direction.

        If thinking about buying fiberglass windows, it would be a good idea to get the newest Department of Energy statistics as well as compare U-Factor ratings (a 3rd party evaluator). Some fiberglass replacement window sales people show old charts when selling their windows, and updates and ratings measurements of various new products can change yearly or more often.

Wood Replacement Window Frames:

      Wood windows are often thought as high-end windows. Some wood replacement windows are made that way, but MOST wood windows are cheaply made and only look expensive at the BEGINNING of ownership.

      Wood windows are a good choice for esthetics. They look pretty! 

      Wood is highly conductive of moisture and the new-growth-tree wood used today is unstable. They tend to rot and warp and must be painted or stained on a regular basis. They are not very energy efficient.

       The better wood replacement window manufacturers try to make up for that with sealants and construction features like cladding of aluminum or vinyl, but then those sealants can get leaks behind them and the rot continue unseen by the homeowner until too late.

       The wood replacement windows makers often seen at the big brand home improvement centers are the low-end variety though the homeowner will still pay a premium for them. You will see aluminum spacers between the glass, oddly shaped drainage and weep holes (to drain rain outside the house), rickety decorative grilles/grids parts and all of them are clad on the outside frame in some way to help protect the wood frame on the outside of the house.

      The wood in wood home replacement windows is most often pine unless you buy the MOST PREMIUM wood windows.

      Most wood windows are part wood and part another material.

     Michael Dennis

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About the author

IPS Group, Inc. Board Member and Director of their Home Improvement Division, Michael Dennis is an avid real estate fix and flip investor, a former long-time replacement window salesman, and the author of several books and websites on home replacement windows including How to Save Thousands on Replacement Windows: The Homeowner's Insider Secrets Manual, and the tell-all report on the big-brand home improvement centers, The 7 Myths The Big-Brand Home Improvement Centers Want You to Believe About Replacement Windows.  Visit their website at www.vinylwindowmanufacturer.com to get your copy TODAY.

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