Picking the suitable frame style when installing new windows

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Last week, I told you how to measure for your vinyl replacement windows when replacing aluminum windows. Now that you happen to be prepared to order your new vinyl replacement windows, we want to talk about the diverse frame style alternatives offered. In most of the country your madonna silhouette choices are limited to either new construction or replacement frames. New construction frames come with a nailing fin to attach the frame to the studs in the course of the construction of the new property. The replacement frame is generally the new construction frame minus the nailing fin.

But in the west, where stucco houses are common, manufacturers came up with a third type of frame named a retrofit frame. The retrofit frame has a fin about 2 inches wide, situated flush with the outside face of the window. This is the greatest choice when replacing old windows, but not all jobs will accomodate a retrofit frame application. So let's discuss how to decide which frame is going to perform for you.

If you have a stucco exterior, retrofit is the way to go. You install the new window from the outside, and the flush fin covers the old aluminum frame that you are going to leave in spot. Then you screw the new window in using deck screws through the side channels as well as the top header. We will get into much more detail on the actual installation in a future report. If you have a stucco exterior, but there is a wood trim around the opening of the window where the flush fin would usually go, you can nonetheless use the retrofit style frame. You would require to remove the wood surrounding the opening, install the retrofit window, then obtain and install new wood trim. The old trim will no longer fit considering that the retrofit window frame dimensions will be bigger in width and height than the old window frame. One more alternative is to install the retrofit fin on top of the wood trim. You can do this as extended as the depth from the face of the wood trim to the point in the property of the innermost portion of the old aluminum frame is much less than three inches deep. The reason is due to the fact a good top quality retrofit window will have a 3 inch frame depth from the back of the flush fin to the innermost element of the frame. That innermost part wants to be additional into the property than the innermost part of the aluminum frame so that the aluminum frame will be hidden immediately after we apply the inside trim. What if you have brick about the window openings? Or siding? Then what? Well, if you can install the window against the face of the brick or siding and nevertheless breviary case have the innermost component of the vinyl frame be additional into the property than the old frame, then you can use the retrofit style frame. If not, then you flagon have to use the replacement style frame,then use trim to finish the outside. If you are able to get a retrofit frame with a reasonably thin fin, you can also trim down the fins so the window fits in between the brick or wood. That would get rid of the need to trim out the outside. Some manufacturers of retrofit frames will have grooves in the back of the retrofit fins. You simply run a utility knife in the groove until you are in a position to break off that piece of the fin.

The principal point to bear in mind when figuring out whether or not to use a retrofit frame or a standard replacement frame is that in order to use the retrofit frame there needs to be much less than three inches from the outside point where the flush fin will rest to the inside point in the area where the old frame ends. If it is less than 3 inches, go with the retro, far more than 3 inches, use the replacement frame and add trim to the outside in lieu of the flush fin.

Subsequent week I am going to explain the procedure of removing the old aluminum window.