Home Improvement Aluminum window frames


by Jakob Jelling - Date: 2007-04-22 - Word Count: 402 Share This!

Choosing the right window frame can be a more important decision than we might think. Without us noticing it, window frames have an impact on our daily routines. Their style affect the visual perception we have of our house and their material and design affect our comfort, depending on how well they isolate elements from the exterior such as cold, heat, or noises, as well as even how easy we can open or close them.

As long as it is well designed and properly assembled, an aluminum window frame can be a great choice. Window frames in aluminum are amongst the most reliable and endurable choices you might find, due to the strength and tolerance of this material. This explains why, even though many new materials have been appearing in the market through the past years, traditional aluminum continues maintaining one of the first positions in the windows frame rankings.

One of the main cons of aluminum window frames is the fact that this material is a great conductor of heat. Aluminum conducts heat around 1000 times more than other materials such as vinyl or wood. But, on the other hand, due to its strength, aluminum frames can be made by using less material than the less conductive ones, offering this way a smaller exposure area and maximizing the amount of glass and visibility the window can offer.

If you are worried for the heat conduction power of regular aluminum, you would be able to find frames made of thermally improved aluminum. Thermally improved aluminum is among the best materials you could find for a window frame. This material has the benefits of aluminum, being strong and durable, while it also has a reduced capability of conducting heat. These frames achieve such capability by being built with a thermal break separation which doesn't allow heat to be conducted directly from one side to the other.

However, frames made of thermally improved aluminum require a much more detailed and difficult work and therefore are more expensive than regular ones. These frames have to be built carefully, since all breaks should be in the right place in order for it to function properly. You might also find vinyl window frames offering strength comparable to aluminum and a much higher isolating capability for about the same price.

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Related Tags: diy, do-it-yourself, window frame

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