Congratulations on finally deciding to give up on your old, inefficient, and drafty windows! Now comes the dilemma: fiberglass or vinyl replacement windows. Which is better? What are the drawbacks salespeople haven’t told you about? At Windura, we want you to be satisfied with your beautiful, high-quality replacement windows, both now and ten years from now. This means providing you with all the information you need and respecting your decision about what is best for your home.
Your Old Windows
It’s likely you are replacing wood-frame or aluminum-clad windows when you choose superior Windura windows. While those materials were considered the best in their time, today you can significantly enhance your home with 21st-century materials that offer ease of use, excellent energy efficiency, and lasting beauty.
Your old windows are probably sticky, drafty, or hard to clean. Perhaps you have endlessly scraped and painted the old wooden frames. You might have also noticed that your aluminum windows feel cold indoors on a chilly day in Kansas City. By choosing either fiberglass or vinyl replacement windows, you can say goodbye to all those concerns. With either choice, you get an energy-efficient, easy-operating window that requires almost no maintenance.
Fiberglass Replacement Windows
Think of fiberglass as a super-wood. Fiberglass is dimensionally stable (wood is not), so your replacement windows will not stick, bind, or pinch. Fiberglass can be painted or stained, but requires no constant maintenance. Wood can crack, peel, or warp; fiberglass cannot.
Combining all these factors with the excellent energy efficiency of fiberglass windows, you have a nearly perfect material for replacing your home’s old wooden or aluminum windows. Between vinyl and fiberglass, fiberglass has a more upscale appearance. However, this also means its cost per window is higher than vinyl.
Fiberglass is an excellent choice if you are replacing windows on all four sides of your home. The north side usually gets colder, while the south side tends to be hotter. However, fiberglass windows won’t be harmed by UV rays, infrared radiation, wind, heat, or water. Unlike wood, fiberglass does not absorb water.
All modern replacement windows provide the same convenient features:
- Tilt-in sashes for easy cleaning
- Tight, built-in locks
- Effortless opening and closing
- Choices in energy-efficient double- or triple-pane low-e glass
Fiberglass is far stronger than vinyl or wood; if you need strength, long life, and a generous budget, fiberglass is the better choice.
Vinyl Windows
Vinyl windows used to have a bad reputation. They were seen as a cheap alternative to aluminum windows and were often made with low-quality materials. Today, vinyl windows are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the same strong material used in plastic pipes and patio furniture. Our manufacturing partners use high-quality vinyl to guarantee economical windows that stay clean, hold their shape, and provide good insulation.
If you need to replace many windows, vinyl is cheaper than fiberglass. The color you choose goes all the way through each frame and window, so scratches are hard to see. Vinyl still offers easy-to-use features like tilt windows for simple cleaning, but the cost per window is lower.
How to Choose?
Remember that your home does not need to be all one thing or another. For grand entrances, the living room and that breathtaking view out the master bedroom, consider the sophisticated look and high quality of fiberglass. Vinyl may be a perfect economical choice for the upstairs bathroom window or the children’s bedrooms. Specific window shapes, such as half-round, ellipse, or eyebrow, may only be available in certain materials.
To learn all about your modern replacement window options, contact us today. We would be happy to help you select the right replacement windows for your home and budget.
My mother and I are looking for window and doors replacement services because our home’s windows and doors got so old now. This is really great information you shared because choosing windows and doors which are durable and provide all the benefits is a tough job. I am sure this will help me a lot. Thanks for sharing.
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