We have hardwood frames now but the seals are not working so there is a build up of condensation. The guy who came to give us a quote for replacing the units wrinkled his nose and keeping the hardwood frames and was recommending we go for upvc instead (he wasn';t very keen to do the job otherwise because it would take a lot of time). But I'm not sure brown upvc will stand up to the direct sunlight we get on our house. Anyone know of problems with this?
Brown UPVC - any problems
- Thread starter kheenand
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When the foil covering these is scratched - the white PVC behind it shows through and looks terrible.
The wooden frames may require a little more annual maintenance, but look much better, and can be secured better.
The wooden frames may require a little more annual maintenance, but look much better, and can be secured better.
Now that was a problem I never thought about. I can see it would look a mess and since the next door neighbours have cats who insist on getting onto our window ledges, its pretty likely we'd get scratches. Thanks for the tip off
If you have hardwood frames in good condition just get the glass units replaced. I think it heresy to replace wood that's in good condition. The quoting company will make much more money replacing the whole lot than just the glass that's why he is not keen.
Try a good local D/G fitter ask him to replace the glass, or buy your own replacement glass units and pay a fitter to replace them or even fit them yourself. If you are competent at DIY it is not that difficult.
Try a good local D/G fitter ask him to replace the glass, or buy your own replacement glass units and pay a fitter to replace them or even fit them yourself. If you are competent at DIY it is not that difficult.
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Dark foiled PVCu (mahogany/Rosewood) is only ever foiled on white profile if specifically requested.
It is normally on a dark brown profile. Golden oak foil is also foiled onto Caramel PVCu, so there is no issue there.
Aside from that, It is 'extremely unlikely' that under normal service life conditions that foil will be scratched to the point where the profile is visible underneath. The force required would leave an equally unsightly, not to mention unprotected mark on a timber window.
The timber boys keep banging the 'wood for good' drum but the fact of the matter is:
PVCu windows are Thermally efficient (96% of all A rated windows are PVCu)
PVCu is Fully Recyclable (50,000 Tonnes of Post Consumer PVCu recycled last year)
PVCu is maintainance free (it doesn't require painting/treating every 4 years to maintain its structural integrity)
PVCu windows seal better (reducing sound ingress and drafts)
PVCu windows have a life span in excess of 35 (quoted by BRE)
PVCu can be recycled up to 10 times giving an overall lifespan of upto 350 years (timber goes to landfill... or burnt.... very green!!)
PVCu is cheaper....
The BRE rates steel reinforced windows A & A+ giving them the same environmental credentials as timber.
Whilst i will concede that in certain circumstances timber has it's place the old arguments by disgruntled 'old school' tree huggers and timber window lovers are just factually incorrect. Whilst I understand them trying to conserve there livelihood, constantly bad mouthing superior products at every opportunity just sounds like sour grapes to me
It is normally on a dark brown profile. Golden oak foil is also foiled onto Caramel PVCu, so there is no issue there.
Aside from that, It is 'extremely unlikely' that under normal service life conditions that foil will be scratched to the point where the profile is visible underneath. The force required would leave an equally unsightly, not to mention unprotected mark on a timber window.
The timber boys keep banging the 'wood for good' drum but the fact of the matter is:
PVCu windows are Thermally efficient (96% of all A rated windows are PVCu)
PVCu is Fully Recyclable (50,000 Tonnes of Post Consumer PVCu recycled last year)
PVCu is maintainance free (it doesn't require painting/treating every 4 years to maintain its structural integrity)
PVCu windows seal better (reducing sound ingress and drafts)
PVCu windows have a life span in excess of 35 (quoted by BRE)
PVCu can be recycled up to 10 times giving an overall lifespan of upto 350 years (timber goes to landfill... or burnt.... very green!!)
PVCu is cheaper....
The BRE rates steel reinforced windows A & A+ giving them the same environmental credentials as timber.
Whilst i will concede that in certain circumstances timber has it's place the old arguments by disgruntled 'old school' tree huggers and timber window lovers are just factually incorrect. Whilst I understand them trying to conserve there livelihood, constantly bad mouthing superior products at every opportunity just sounds like sour grapes to me
We had a lean to conservatory installed by a reputable company two years ago but have noticed some blistering or bubbles on the brown exterior UPVC (Profile). When a fitter from the Company who sold us the Conservatory visited us he was able to peel away the profile on one of the affected areas like elastic. Could there be a problem with the product itself, caused during the manufacturing process or may the blistering have been caused by any adhesive used during the installation process? The Company, suppliers and manufacturers all insist that it is something we have caused and yet we have only used mild washing up liquid for cleaning purposes, as recommended by the manufacturer. Does anyone know how this blistering might have occurred and offer us some advice as to our next course of action. Proving liability is very difficult.
We have brown UPVC windows which must have been in for around 10 years and still look fine. Having said that, if you are happy with hardwood I would get someone who can be bother to do the work in for a quote.
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