Installing Windows in Your Home

Posted on: 18 January 2018

The enormous advantages of installing double glazed windows in your home are well known, and the improved heat and sound insulation they bestow upon homes makes them an enormously popular choice across the country and around the world. However, any window is only as effective as the frame that holds it in place.

Since double glazed windows have a unique structure and weigh considerably more than conventional windows, choosing the right frames to keep them in place is particularly important, and aluminium frames are an increasingly popular choice. These distinctively modern frames have many advantages over other framing materials:

Durability

Aluminium frames are the last word in window frame durability, and can shrug off pretty much anything you can throw at them. They are immune to the rot that plagues aging timber frames, do not perish in intense sunlight like uPVC frames, and can take a tremendous beating from physical impacts (such as falling tree branches) without denting or buckling. Unlike other metals, aluminium is also rustproof.

While this level of durability would be a boon to any window, it is particularly useful for double glazing applications. An airless vacuum must be kept between the two panes of glass to maximise the heat and sound insulation double glazing provides, and even minor frame damage can cause air to leak into the void between the panes and undermine the effectiveness of your double glazing. The enormous toughness of aluminium frames makes this a very unlikely occurrence.

Minimal framework

Because double glazed windows are considerably heavier than single-pane windows, they require larger, thicker frames to keep them in place. If you opt for uPVC or timber frames, this usually means choosing a larger, thicker frame which can reduce the amount of sunlight your windows let into your home, as well as hamper any views.Aluminum's great strength when compared to these materials means that the thickness of your frames can be kept to a minimum, even if your double glazed windows are enormously heavy picture windows.

Low maintenance

This combination of great strength and immense durability means that aluminium frames for double glazed windows need very little maintenance, and a quick wipe down with a damp rag to remove dirt and lichen is generally all you need to do to keep your frames looking new. They are particularly low maintenance compared to timber frames, which often require regular surface treatments to stave off rot.

Variety of finishes available

A common criticism levelled at aluminium frames is that their looks are somewhat spartan, especially when compared to ornate timber frames. However, advantages in aluminium coating techniques give double glazing buyers and unprecedented choice of finishes for their aluminium frames, which can be found in a wide variety of colours. COnvincing wood and stone-effect coatings are also available.