Many homeowners suffer sticker shock after receiving an exterior estimate from their painting contractors. Most often, the homes in question are older homes or those with dated window frames. The reason for the higher cost is the extensive labor required to scrape, repair, seal and restore the window frames to their original glory. While your professional painting contractor may work wonders when restoring the appearance of your window frames, you’ll still be left with dated, poorly operating and inefficient windows.
Window Restoration
The process to restore old window frames takes a lot of preparation and hard work, thus driving up the costs of your exterior painting project. Common window frame materials include wood, aluminum and vinyl. Complete restoration often requires stripping the original paint by scraping, sanding and sometimes applying harsh chemicals to the frame surfaces to remove the original finish. In addition, wooden windows that have been neglected over the years often require extensive wood replacement, including exterior and interior trims and even window sills before the first lick of primer and paint goes on.
Window Operation
During your exterior painting project, you could also face the added expense of restoring window operation. For example, your old, wood-framed windows may rely on hidden, encased weights that act as counterbalance to aid in window operation. As the years go by, the ropes and pulleys attached to the weights can fail, leaving you with an inoperable window that is difficult to open, close and lock. Many aluminum and vinyl windows rely on encased, spring-loaded glides for easier operation. When they fail, you are left with a cumbersome window that will not stay open or appears crooked or half-cocked. Addressing these problems will add even more costs to your window restoration and exterior paint job project.
Window Efficiency
The Panes
Dated or low-end windows may only utilize a single pane of glass. They offer little in soundproofing and energy efficiency. Today’s modern windows offer a much improved energy efficiency rating through double- or triple-paned glass. In addition, to increase energy efficiency, the voids between the glass panes are filled with non-conductive gases such as Argon and Krypton.
The Frames
The material of your window frames also contributes to energy loss or gain. Before the advent of fiberglass window frames, common materials used were wood, aluminum, composite and vinyl. While these materials all have varying degrees of insulating factors, none compare to the insulating efficiency of fiberglass. According to Energy.gov, fiberglass window frames offer superior thermal performance when compared to other window frame materials such as uninsulated vinyl, aluminum and wood.
Homeowners stuck in the quagmire and costs of repeated window painting would be wise to consider window replacement with Infinity from Marvin fiberglass windows. The benefits of window replacement are numerous and include:
- Little to no window maintenance
- Increased energy efficiency
- Reduced energy costs
- Increased durability and lifespan
- Enhanced curb appeal
- Possible tax credits from the federal government.
Durable Infinity from Marvin fiberglass windows are available in a wide selection of styles and colors and can be painted, providing limitless color options for your decor.Getting ready to paint your house? Contact North Georgia Replacement Windows first.
