Atlas Glass logo

If you’ve got timber joinery for your double glazing, then you’ve already got an energy-efficient, practical, and aesthetically pleasing frame for your windows. That’s not something you want to let go to waste! Maintaining your timber joinery is as simple as finishing it with sealant, keeping it clean and dry, and repainting or re-oiling it 18 months after installation, and then again every six to eight years. In this article, we look at why you should put the effort in to keep your timber joinery in top form.

Energy-efficient and economic window design

Timber has a storied history as a building material, and has always been considered a great accomplishment of nature. It acts as a natural insulator, keeping the temperature of your house warm and comfortable. This helps lower carbon emissions, and lowers your energy bill by better retaining heat. You might think this would make them more expensive than aluminium or PVC joinery options, but this isn’t necessarily true! Top-range wood joinery -like mahogany – can cost much more, but middle-range timber can work out cheaper. With proper maintenance, timber joinery can easily outlast the competition, saving you ever paying to replace it.

Timeless, beautiful aesthetics

Another benefit of timber is its visual versatility, and huge potential for aesthetically pleasing window design. Depending on which wood you settle on and how you choose to stain and finish your timber, it can be made to suit any surrounding architecture. You can even have it carved to fit in with your house – an option you may not have with other building materials.

Ongoing maintenance and weatherproofing also serves to keep your joinery looking amazing. Repainting and varnishing your joinery improves the value of the house, making it a great investment for a property you plan to renovate and sell. Contrary to popular opinion, window frames made from other materials - like PVC - aren’t completely maintenance free, and no amount of maintenance will make PVC look as good as timber does.

Environmentally friendly

Wooden window frames are much more environmentally sound than their counterparts. Over their lifetime, they save so much energy that they have a negative GWP (global warming potential), reducing your total carbon footprint. Timber nowadays is largely from sustainable sources, whereas the production of other building materials can involve the release of toxic chemicals. Environmental activists are in favour of using timber joinery over PVC – the waste involved in producing timber is far more manageable and recyclable than the alternatives. Maintaining your timber joinery is not only directly beneficial to your power bill – it directly benefits the planet.

A lifetime of benefits

All of these benefits increase in value exponentially when you combine them with the lifespan of timber joinery. If looked after properly, wooden window frames can easily last a lifetime – resisting weather wear and tear for generations.

If you’ve been looking into retrofit double glazing, why not take the opportunity to look into timber joinery too? The Atlas Glass team are experts in glazing and double-glazing windows for timber joinery – we provide glazing for several timber joiners throughout Auckland, and we can point you in the right direction! Talk to us today!

If you’re a homeowner, it’s likely you’ve heard of double glazing. It’s a simple technique - two panes of glass with a gas-filled vacuum between them – but it’s an investment you’ll want to protect.

Looking after double-glazed windows is relatively easy, and well worth doing to protect them from wear and tear. It helps to regularly check the seals around the windows, looking for gaps or ruptures – take the time to do this whenever you clean them and you should be alright. While cleaning windows, don’t save the job for a sunny day. Cloudy days are better, as your windows could streak if they dry too quickly. Also ensure you clean them with the right products – certain cleaning products can damage the seals of your double glazing.

Keeping your house dry and ventilated will also improve the lifespan of your double glazing, and help you avoid any moisture build-up between the panes of glass – potentially leading to mould, and subsequent replacement costs.

Today, we go through some of the benefits of double glazing, and why it’s worth maintaining, or replacing if needed.

Heat retention

The most commonly known benefit of double glazing is its heat retention. The extra pane of glass and space between them helps retain much more heat within your building. This makes heating your home and keeping it warm much easier and cheaper.

Sound insulation

Living next to a noisy road, sports stadium, or loud neighbours can be a struggle, but double glazing reduces noise pollution by a significant amount. After living in a double-glazed space, you’ll be surprised at the difference in noise pollution when you visit friends or family without it.

Reduced condensation

By maintaining a stable indoor temperature, the chances of cold air meeting warm air on the inside of your windows is reduced. Choosing double glazing, along with a few other minor changes – like keeping windows uncovered by furniture – can greatly mitigate the risk of winding up with mould in your home.

Longer lasting

Single glazing can weaken with time, sometimes over only a decade or so. Modern double glazing generally lasts at least 20 years, and can last longer with proper care. Double glazing also looks better for longer – single glazing can become dirty or misted much faster over its lifetime.

Adds value

If you’re planning to renovate and sell, double glazing goes a long way to increasing the sale value of your house. Any real estate agent will agree that it makes your house worth more in the eyes of prospective buyers, and much more appealing to certain demographics, such as new families.

Can be retrofitted

If you’ve got single-glazed windows, but would like all the benefits discussed above, retrofit double glazing is absolutely an option for you. Atlas Glass provides the best double glazing NZ has ever seen, offering the greater Auckland area glass cut-to-size and installation. Contact us now for a free quote!


cross