The Most Common Window Materials 

Here you can check which are the most common materials, from which window frames are made. 

Jane Wilson
4 min readJan 23, 2014

Some people say, that the windows are the eyes of each building. I know for sure, that when I was little, every time I looked at a house, I imagined that the windows are actually eyes and they are looking back at me. So, we can say, that the windows are a very important part of the house, and we need to be very careful when we choose the styles and types of windows in our new home. After all, the different materials the windows are made from have different useful qualities and durability, and we need to find the best options for us, depending on the region we life in, the exposure of the house towards the sun, and countless other factors, each of which quite important. There are many materials, which can be used to design window frames, but now we will examine only the most common materials. Hopefully, you will find the right one for you here.

Wood. The wood is a classic material, from which window frames are made. It’s not very common to put wooden window frames in the new modern buildings, but still, if you’re a fan of the classic looks, you can definitely try it. Nowadays you can mostly see wooden window frames on houses from the Revival period. The wood is a very solid element, which brings a warm outlook to the property, but it’s a fact that it’s not so dense like other materials, and it can let cold air inside during the winter season. This is why having your window frames made from this material is a good idea only if you live in a very warm climate, where there is no winter at all. But the wooden window frames also have other problems, like the fact, that the wood can be easily destroyed by moist, mould or termites. You should think twice before putting such frames in your house.

Vinyl. The vinyl window frames are the most popular and the best choice for window frames at the moment. Many old windows made from other materials are being replaced with vinyl ones nowadays. The vinyl window frames provide the building with excellent sound and heat proofing, which is essential for many residential buildings. This kind of materials is very strong and durable, and actually requires far less maintenance than any other window material. So, if you want something practical and easy to maintain, this should be your first choice. Only a few years ago the only colour of vinyl window frames you could find was the white one, but nowadays there are many other. There is even a pattern, which imitates wood grain.

Aluminium. The aluminium is one of the strongest materials window frames can be made of. This is your only option to put very heavy windows on a very thin frame. It’s the perfect choice, if you want to get maximum light from the outside. But like everything else in this world, the aluminium window frames also have their weaknesses. In this case the weakness is that the aluminium conducts the heat out of the room, and also is quite prone to condensation, which is never a good thing. This is why, if you want your window frames to be aluminium, you should consider double glazing to reduce the heat loss to minimum. Also, these windows are quite high maintenance, and this is why many offices who have them need to call for professional window cleaning in Sydney to deal with the maintenance. You should think about that when you purchase your windows too.

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