Woodgrain Vinyl Windows

I'm looking for a quality vinyl window with wood grain finish. I'm more inclined to go with well known manufacturers, since they stand behind their product (in case of delamination/other failures). Does anyone have suggestions on some good products?

Thanks Art

Reply to
arrtform
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25 YR IN THE WINDOW INDUSTRY AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN A WOOD GRAIN VINYL WINDOW THAT LOOKED ANYTHING LIKE WOOD BUT HERE ARE SOME OF THE MANUFACTUERS. VINYL BUILDING PRODS. (VBP.COM) AND SILVERLINE (SILVERLINE.COM (I THINK)) FOR A NICE LOOKING WOOD REPLACEMENT WINDOW TRY HARVEY WINDOWS IT IS A WOOD INTERIOR WITH ALUMINUM EXTERIOR AND WHILE YOUR AT IT SEE IF ANY HAVE A COOL NEW PRODUCT CALLED THE SAFETY WASH SYSTEM IT IS USED TO SUPPORT THE DOUBLE HUNG SASH WHEN TILTED INWARD

GOOD LUCK

Reply to
GORALINDS

wrote

You didn't mention what part of the world you're located in. If by chance it's in the Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, or Michigan areas, Modern Builders is a distributor for Polaris. Modern is wholesale only, so you would need a contractor to order for you. I used to install these for 14 yrs. They have an excellent product.

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Alsides has more locations Nationwide. They also have a superb replacement window available with a laminated woodgrain on the interior. Alsides is also wholesale only.
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Reply to
Cooper

Just curious, but wouldn't it be easier to find a wooden window with wood grain finish? Wh the insistence on vinyl? It's tacky, too. (IMO)

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote

Having been in the trades for almost 30 yrs. b/4 I retired. I had/have access to almost any product. I put vinyl windows in my own home, one year after first installing them. I would put them in again in a heartbeat.

I have no idea why you would say they're tacky, except that you never seen a laminated vinyl window. From the outside, they look better than the wooden windows which are vinyl/aluminum capped from the factory, PLUS you don't have the problem of water infiltration to the wood. On the inside, you don't get water spots from _sweating_ during the cold weather as you do on wood. I like the vinyl to clean over the wood, interior & exterior.

You don't have to worry about vinyl swelling as you do wood. Vinyl will not rot as wood.

Reply to
Cooper

Oh the irony. Wood windows do not have any raised "wood grain", they are sanded smooth. Wood siding is similar. Vinyl clapboards have "wood grain", while my actual wood clapboards are smooth.....

-v.

Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

Reply to
v

I did not assume he wanted a raised grain, but rather the appearance of wood grain. Even on fine furniture (sanded smooth) can you see the grain of the wood.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

Vinyl has its own set of problems like discoloration. I do not think a vinyl window will last as long as a good wooden window, which can last for almost forever. As to whether they are tacky, that is my personal opinion and I will never, ever install a vinyl window. I am working hard to remove the vinyl windows the previous owners 'upgraded' to. Also, to stay on topic, if this guy wants the appearance of stained wood then the best way to accomplish that is with stained wood. No vinyl window will give the appearance of oak or mahogany or whatever this guy is trying to achieve.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

Depends on how it's finished--don't see much grain on a Steinway grand, for example. :)

But, in general, I get your drift...and concur wrt vinyl--in areas w/ high UV exposure even expensive vinyl tends to break down. On a related topic, some of the expensive vinyl fences in town have sagged and discolored so badly in only about 10 years they're being taken down.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote

Discoloration occurs with recycled vinyl, not virgin vinyl. Virgin vinyl will not crack like recycled vinyl. There is a huge difference between the two. Many vinyl windows are made with recycled products, this is what gives someone with limited experience or knowledge, the impression that they are junk.

You can think whatever you want on how long they will last. The fact is, both links I posted, the vinyl is guaranteed for life and both the windows are transferable to new ownership. You will _not_ find that guarantee on a wood window. I've installed literally thousands of both wood and vinyl windows.

You are wrong on the appearance, I can tell you _never_ had the opportunity to examine a quality laminated vinyl next to a wood window.

You would do yourself a world of good to explore all the possibilites of todays products instead of just what's in your own home. I don't blame you for being sour, especially if the previous owner had some garbage windows installed.

Reply to
Cooper

"Duane Bozarth" wrote

Expensive, BUT no doubt was recycled products. Virgin vinyl will not discolor. Thickness & cavities plays a huge part on strength. This is what the consumer must be aware of.

Reply to
Cooper

I disagree with this. At some point the material is going to discolor, simply because dyes don't last forever. The color will fade. With a wooden window, you just paint it and it is like new. With a vinyl window you are stuck replacing it. Lots of people consider the fact that you don't have to paint vinyl to be a plus, but it's actually a drawback. What if you change the color scheme of your house, for instance?

Well, we definitely know the track record with wooden windows. There are very old buildings that still have the original timber intact. I will be shocked if your vinyl windows look good in 150 years, but if they do then they are still no better than wood.

What would be a 'quality laminated vinyl window'? Milgard? Champion?

The previous owner's windows are doing fine, but they are *VINYL*. Who is a good manufacturer of vinyl windows that can do true divided lights with insulated glass? I have never seen such a beast. Neither will you find a vinyl window that you can stain.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

But what's the sense in paying as much (or even more) than wood for a product that doesn't do that much better? Painting a good quality wood will keep it functional and look better besides (the vinyl products like vinyl--edges aren't crisp, slats are wide...)

I'm wondering where're you're located...in milder climates, a lot of things last better than here in the arid southwest with strong sun, high winds, temperature extremes...

Repainting is more frequent here than where I lived in TN/VA, too... :( but at least it be repainted :)

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote

You can disagree all you like, virgin vinyl has already been proven. There is no fading with the exception of dark brown in virgin vinyl. As I said about familiarizing yourself with todays products and technologies. You're never stuck with a product. I've seen faux finishes that fooled my trained eye, surely you have at least heard about faux finishes. They can be applied to _any_ surface. Maintenance free is what vinyl is all about.

I seriously doubt anyone buys a home believing they will live in it for 150 years. Or any material item for that matter. The point is pretty much moot.

I provided links to two of the best products on the market.

The mullions on vinyl are in between the panes. This makes cleaning a breeze. I don't believe even my mother if she were alive would say one good thing about divided panes, except that they were a pain.

About the staining, as I said above. Faux finishes. I've seen steel doors that I swore were wood. I've seen concrete that I swore was marble. I've seen vinyl patio doors that I swore was wood. I don't mean to be insulting, but you really need to get out.

Reply to
Cooper

"Duane Bozarth" wrote

I'll hold my tongue as far as the fences go. I'm not a big fan of them, wood or vinyl. But, I live where the extremes in the country are. The Midwest up by Lake Erie, where temperatures can be -30 to +105. The products in this area pretty much prove themselves or not, in short order.

Reply to
Cooper

Temperature extremes are even greater here, particularly daily swings are much larger in arid climates than in more humid ones (humid air has higher heat capacity, therefore doesn't gain/lose heat nearly as rapidly). We don't get the below zero stuff as frequently as there, but it has been -40 here in my lifetime and we'll normally get 110 or so at least a couple of times each year and a lot of >100 (although this past summer was surprisingly mild--I think we had only 10 or so +100 days all summer).

The primary difference I see in comparing any building materials here where I grew up and presently reside to the 30 years I spent elsewhere (SE/mid-Atlantic, whatever you want to call it) is the UV. Elevation and clear skies contribute to that as well. We'll see whether current vinyl windows installed in these areas will last over time--well, I probably won't, but the young sprouts will... :)

I'm not holding out much odds yet that any plastic product will make even 30 years here. Many of the replacement products that work routinely elsewhere just don't have the survivability here.

I'm like Dimitri, though...most of my complaint is they just like vinyl (at least everyone I've seen yet).

I'm looking at an addition to the house for sometime the next couple of years...it's a frame two-story square farmhouse built 1914-15. Windows are double hung w/ leaded glass upper lights. Nine narrow vertical sections w/ overlapping triangles at the top and bottom which make a

2-1/2"-sq diamond pattern across the top and bottom ... anybody able to do that w/ double glazing? So far, I've not found even a wood window that is a close enough match although I haven't yet done a custom-made request. I may learn how to do the leaded glass and end up building them myself except I can't do double pane. (I have all the shop stuff needed and am making new ones for the barn now--they weren't painted for 50 years so they
Reply to
Duane Bozarth

"Duane Bozarth" wrote

I'm sure you're looking at custom glass for what you want. Someone somewhere will do it, for a price. OTOH, if you could do your own glass. It would be worth a few phone calls to glass shops, and inquire about you supplying the glass, if they would make double pane units for you. Good Luck on that one, sounds like an interesting project.

Reply to
Cooper

Well, at least you are now admitting that fading can happen.

Oh? The idea is not that they will live in the home for 150 years, but that longevity is one indicator of quality. It would be nice if every homeowner remodels with this in mind. I choose materials that will stand the test of time so that later on someone else (perhaps a stranger, perhaps a descendant) doesn't have to duplicate the effort. Of course it is a cost/benefit analysis and I won't spring for the best of everything but if a better quality item costs just a bit more then it is worth it. In this case, a wooden window is far, far more attractive than a vinyl window in addition to lasting longer and being more versatile.

I guess I did not see them. Please repost.

See? Here is yet another 'feature' of vinyl windows that many people regard as a 'defect'. I cannot stand mullions between the panes. What if you want to change the color of the mullions? You regard this as a feature and I regard it as cut-rate.

Well, I don't mean to be insulting but I think you need glasses.

Dimitri

Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

[snip!]
Reply to
D. Gerasimatos

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote

Yes, in dark brown. Are you trying to say paint doesn't fade? Get real.

Noone remodels thinking 150 years in advance. Are you some kind of loon? And I say you're wrong about a wood window lasting longer than a vinyl. Remember, I had installed thousands of windows. I could count on one hand the amount of vinyl windows I took out of a home. The reason being is they bought a cut rate vinyl window, kind of like what you have in your home. I've handled more quality material than you've ever dreamed of, and the typical homeowner like yourself wouldn't know quality if it's staring you in the face.

Go back to my original post to the OP.

Many people regard as a defect? Exactly how many people have you discussed windows with? I've dealt with literally thousands of people in my career, you are the first one I've heard this from. I'm sure there are more which think true divided lites are nicer, for what reason, who knows. I've put in Marvin bow windows to the tune of $14k my cost, only to hear the owners cry about the finisher is charging $800 to stain and poly. They complained about how hard it was going to be to clean all the corners of the panes. You talk about changing the color of the mullions, are you truely insane? I can't think of one person with an older home that ever had such a thought. Wait, I seen one house that did paint the windows a tan instead of white. Ok, you got me.

No, the problem is you need to walk out your front door and see technology. You probably would think you were having a dream into the future.

You know very little about the technology and improvements that's out there. You have proven it. Until you got something useful and factful to say, please refrain from making an ass out of yourself.

Reply to
Cooper

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