If you’re like many Sacramento-area homeowners, chances are you find shopping for new windows a bit overwhelming. There are a number of choices that must be made when buying new windows in Sacramento, including the style, size, and features you want them to include. However, the most important decision you’ll make regarding your new windows is the type of material you’d like. The material of your windows can dictate the comfort, expenses, and energy efficiency of your home. Currently, the two most durable window frames on the market are wood and fiberglass composite windows. Each material comes with its own list of benefits, which can make it difficult to choose between the two.
Style
Wood Windows: If there’s one thing wood windows are known for, it’s their style. Homeowners love the natural look and feel of wood windows and enjoy the fact that they are available in a wide variety of species and colors. Wood windows can also be easily customized by simply staining or painting them to fit your color needs.
Fiberglass Composite
Like wood windows, fiberglass and fiberglass composite windows can be easily customized by paint or stain that fit the color needs of your home. In many cases, composite windows are manufactured with a texture that resembles wood grain – a look that is further enhanced with the right stain. And composite windows hold up well when exposed to moisture.
Upkeep
Wood Windows: One major complaint homeowners seem to have with their wood windows is the amount of maintenance and upkeep they require. Homeowners with wood windows are encouraged to regularly maintain wood windows as they would in wood furniture. At some time, however, they will have to peel, sand, paint, and stain the windows to keep them looking like new as sunlight and the elements take their toll.
Fiberglass Composite: If you want to keep your windows low maintenance, fiberglass composite windows may be the material for you. They will not peel, crack, rot or rust, and they expand and contract at the same rate as the glass in the window. An occasional cleaning with simple soap and water can keep these windows looking good.
Energy Efficiency:
Wood Windows: Wood windows can be considered energy efficient, as long as they don’t become weather damaged. Once the windows have held on to too much moisture, the frames begin to rot and warp, causing drafts to form within the frame. This means a good deal of heating and air conditioning will escape your home.
Fiberglass Composite Windows: Fiberglass composite windows are weather resistant, are made from a material that expands for a snug fit, and come with double or triple frame glass. The composite material is less susceptible to the expansion and contraction that can cause a window frame to fail and leak. Perhaps that’s why they’re considered one of the most energy efficient window materials on the market.
Still not sure which window material is the right choice for your home? Download our free Replacement Window Buyer’s Guide for more detailed information. Or, simply speak with a Halls Window Center window expert. Give us a call at 916-669- 1469 or stop by and view our selection of windows on our showroom floor, located at 11297 White Rock Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742.