Are Wooden and Fibrex Replacement Windows Really That Different?

If you’ve been shopping around for replacement windows in New Jersey, you’ve probably heard the same spiel from half-a-dozen companies promising their product delivers “the best”, “the most efficient” and “the biggest bang for your buck” neatly packaged with a pay-as-you-go financing program to sweeten the pot. But how do you know who you can trust and who is just painting a pretty picture with superlatives and empty-promises?

Every home has distinctive features and design elements and the colors you choose, your preference in hardware finishes and the framing materials used to build your replacement windows work together to create a look and feel that is unique to your New Jersey home.

While some companies focus your attention on glass performance alone, we think that energy-efficient glass is only one component – albeit an important one – that affects customer satisfaction.

Foundation Building: Replacement Window Frames

The glass in your windows is supported by a frame. If the frame fails and and your windows don’t open and close easily, or worse, leave gaps for air, moisture and insects to get into your home, the efficiency of your glass will mean nothing. Two popular framing materials that have been around for a long time are composite and wood. Let’s look at the similarities and differences in these two materials.

Where Does Composite Material Come From?

Naturally, everyone knows that wood frames come from trees harvested in a forest just as it has for as long as anyone can remember. And, until a few decades ago, wood was perhaps the most desirable framing material on the market because it is sturdy, durable and easy to paint or stain according to decorating preferences, and recognizable. It’s natural, so it must be better—right?

You won’t find “composite” materials growing in a field or forest – rather they are born in a lab. Simply stated, a composite window frame is the product resulting from combining two (or more) materials to create a new material with the best features of the individual building blocks. Composite materials used in manufacturing and construction are generally stronger, more adaptable to diverse uses and often more durable than the original building blocks.

Renewal By Andersen’s Patented Fibrex Composite Framing Material

Fibrex, created by Andersen Windows’ scientists, is an example of a composite that outperforms the original building blocks – PVC and wood. It is light weight and water-repellent like PVC, but exhibits the strength, stability and low-heat transfer characteristic of wood products.

Which is Better – Wood or Fibrex?

Now that you understand the difference in the origins of the different framing materials that hold your window panes in place, let’s explore some other differences. Fibrex’s main “ingredient” is wood. This means that Fibrex responses to changes in temperature and humidity much the same as the walls in your home.

Unlike some vinyl replacement window frames, Fibrex doesn’t expand and contract disproportionately during seasonal weather changes that often cause gaps between your home’s exterior and your vinyl replacement window frames.

Fibrex has many of the most desirable qualities of natural wood, but Fibrex won’t absorb moisture and succumb to rot and mildew. Plus, termites aren’t interested in nibbling away at your investment. Finally, and perhaps most conveniently for you, you’ll never have to deal with the fading, chipping paint and the maintenance to scrape, sand and re-paint required to maintain the look and weather protection of wood window frames.

Fibrex is Good for Your Family and Good for the Planet

Since Fibrex is manufactured with wood reclaimed from building other Andersen Windows products, choosing composite frames for your replacement windows means:

• Fewer harvested trees.
• Less waste finds its way from our factories to the landfill.
• Our corporate carbon footprint is smaller since we ship fewer raw materials.

A Kaleidoscope of Decorating Options

At the risk of sounding like “those other guys”, Renewal by Andersen does have some benefits you won’t find anywhere else. We offer our composite frames in a wide range of colors and finish styles so you won’t have any trouble finding paint or stain options to match your décor. Our wood grilles and stainable wood interiors give you even more decorating choices if you don’t find an off-the-shelf color in our lineup.

Plus, our patented Fibrex frames are guaranteed to perform beautifully for 10 years – that’s something not too many other local dealers are willing to offer you.

Have More Questions About Replacement Window Frames? Call 866-609-5033

No time to talk on the phone right now? No problem. Just fill in the form on this page and leave us a note with the best time to call. We’re always happy to answer questions about our home improvement products.

Check out this post for more information on about window frames.