Recommendation points
- Problem one – thermal expansion
- The second problem is lamination damage
- The third problem is the price
Plastic windows have long been a common and popular choice. However, just white, standard PVC windows already seem too boring to many. Therefore, some homeowners choose a profile with lamination, most often for wood. Our tips site will tell you what problems may arise with it..
Problem one – thermal expansion
Remember school physics – when heated, all bodies expand. Plastic windows, of course, are no exception, they also exhibit linear expansion. And if the white profile will mostly repel the sun’s rays, due to its strong reflective properties, then dark windows will heat up much more.
For homeowners, this disadvantage of dark laminated plastic windows can result in a serious problem – the profile begins to fit loosely, the glass unit is difficult to close. As a result, the window loses its tightness.
Experts advise against installing dark plastic laminated windows on the sunny side of the house. But such a limitation, of course, will not solve the problem, because it is to the south that the front facade of a private house usually goes.
In addition, experts advise using steel reinforcement for dark-colored lamination profiles, which differs from that used for standard white profiles. If you decide to order exactly dark PVC windows for the sunny side of the house, be sure to discuss with professionals what kind of reinforcement will be used during the installation process.
The second problem is lamination damage
Despite the fact that manufacturers assure that colored plastic windows serve as long as standard ones – lamination is damaged much easier than the profile itself. Moreover, most often damage occurs already during transportation and installation. In most cases, workers do not care what they install, transport and carry – an ordinary white plastic window or a colored laminated.
As a result, scratches, chips remain on the surface of the profile, and in some places the coating can be completely peeled off. And if the lamination was carried out on a white base, as is most often the case, it is not easy to repair these damage – coloring pencils and putties do not help 100%, the problem will still remain noticeable.
According to the reviews of the owners of colored plastic windows, it was often necessary to change the damaged impost in order to remove the defect – no other measures helped..
Important! Problems with lamination can be made by the manufacturer of plastic windows. For example, in places under the lamination layer, grains of sand, some kind of garbage that has not been removed in production, can stick out. Attention should also be paid to the quality of welding of the lamination at the corners – this is the weak point of the coating.
The third problem is the price
Colored plastic windows are always more expensive than standard ones. Yes, they are decorative, decorate the interior, look non-standard. But you have to pay extra for such exclusivity! Moreover, it is often difficult to assess the quality of lamination, there is a risk of getting a profile, which over time will start to look much worse.
Not so long ago, individual manufacturers began to use new nano-technologies that allow making colored plastic windows without the two disadvantages listed above. But the cost, of course, will be even higher than in the case of lamination. And it is still difficult to find such offers.
Recall that the portal wrote in detail about the choice of traditional plastic windows. Follow our advice, including choosing colored PVC windows.
What are the main problems or drawbacks associated with laminated plastic windows compared to other types of windows?
Are the main problems with laminated plastic windows related to their durability or their energy efficiency?