What materials are the best windows made of?
Enhancing the interior of your windows with the warmth and beauty of
natural wood is an excellent way to create comfortable, welcoming spaces. The exterior of most windows are made of either, aluminum cladding, fiberglass, or vinyl plastic. Of these, aluminum, especially extruded aluminum, and fiberglass exteriors are the most durable. Here are some advantages of each.
Extruded Aluminum Cladding
- Low maintenance, long-lasting finish
- Thicker than roll-formed aluminum
- Better able to resist dents than roll-formed aluminum
- Extreme heat and UV rays will not distort or cause to become brittle like vinyl
Fiberglass
- Low maintenance, long-lasting finish
- More resistant to dents and scratches
- Most efficient thermal properties
- Does not expand and contract like vinyl plastic
How do I measure my windows and doors for replacement?
In order to get the conversation started with potential replacement contractors, you may want to measure your own windows and doors first. But don’t worry about
getting the measurements 100 percent accurate, because every contractor will want to measure them themselves before ordering the products. And depending on your type of installation, they may want to remove a piece of window or door casing trim to get an exact picture of what will be needed to successfully complete your project. In addition to the width and height of the windows and doors, they will also want to know if the walls of your house were built with 2x4s or 2x6s.
Window measurements are recorded in inches, width first and then height (WxH). So, a 36x60 window is 36 inches wide by 60 inches tall. Here’s how to measure them: From inside your home, measure the distance between the two side jambs (sometimes called jamb extensions) and then measure the distance between the top and bottom jambs. If your window is finished with drywall instead of jamb extensions, just measure the distance between the drywall from side to side and then top to bottom.
Door measurements are also recorded width first then height, but door measurements can also be expressed in feet and inches. So, a 32-inch-wide door is often referred to as 2/8 (pronounced two-eight) because 32 inches is the same as 2 feet 8 inches. And a door that is 80 inches tall (the most common size) is also known as a 6/8 because it's 6 feet 8 inches tall. One easy way to measure a door is to simply open the door and measure the door slab from side to side and then top to bottom.