Wood windows offer a classic, authentic appearance that’s extremely appealing to homeowners with historic homes. However, wood windows require significant maintenance to remain beautiful and safe in harsh weather—a hassle no one wants to endure.
Fortunately, there’s a better option for homeowners who want to enjoy the attractive, insulating benefits of wood windows without the frustrating upkeep and storm repairs. It’s known as window cladding.
So, what is window cladding, anyway? And how does cladding protect my wood windows against moisture damage?
Here’s everything you need to know about cladding—and why aluminum-clad wood windows are an excellent option for your upcoming window replacement with JD Hostetter.
What Is Window Cladding?
Cladding is a protective exterior that guards your wood windows against water damage, rot, and mold. Inside your home, you’ll see visible, exposed wood. But outside, your windows will be covered with cladding and safeguarded from the elements.
Ultimately, cladding allows you to enjoy all the benefits of wood windows—timeless beauty, excellent insulation, and longevity, without risking moisture damage from rain, hail, or snowstorms. It’s the best of both worlds!
Benefits of Clad Windows
Homeowners install clad windows for various reasons. Here are a few advantages:
Low Maintenance
One of the most significant disadvantages to wood windows is that they frequently require fresh coats of stain, sealant, and paint to look their best.
Since window cladding significantly reduces the rate at which your window stain fades, you’ll enjoy easy, reduced maintenance.
Attractiveness
Cladding is offered in dozens of pre-painted colors, styles, and looks to match your home’s exterior without tedious maintenance.
Insulation
Wood windows are already excellent insulators. However, cladding adds extra insulation to your windows to keep your home toasty warm in the winter and refreshingly cool in the summer.
Energy Savings
Since cladding insulates your home, it’s an excellent investment to increase your home’s energy-efficiency. You’ll save money on utility bills, and you can feel good about your positive impact on the environment.
Weatherproof
It’s no secret that Indianapolis experiences inclement weather—including rain, wind, hail, and snow. Cladding guards your wood windows against storm and moisture damage, so you can enjoy long-lasting beauty for years to come.
Durability
Cladding provides an extra level of reinforcement to add strength and longevity to your window frames, walls, and home structure.
Authenticity
Love the look of wood windows, but hate the maintenance that comes with them? Cladding is the perfect option for you—you can enjoy the look of beautiful, authentic wood inside your home with confidence that your windows’ exterior is protected.
Types of Window Cladding
Once you’ve decided to invest in clad windows, you’ll have to decide while cladding material to choose. These three popular cladding materials each come with their advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a look at each type:
Vinyl Cladding
Vinyl window cladding is a popular, affordable window cladding option. Although vinyl cladding is energy-efficient and easy to maintain, low-quality vinyl can become warped, chipped, or chalky over time, creating an unsightly appearance and causing damage to your home.
Fiberglass Cladding
Fiberglass cladding is the latest option on the market and offers exceptional durability, weatherproofing, and longevity. However, since fiberglass is such a strong material, installing this type of cladding on unique window shapes can be challenging and expensive.
Aluminum Cladding
Aluminum is a popular cladding material that offers more strength, dent-resistance, and longevity than other options. Typically, aluminum cladding is affordable and can be installed seamlessly with most window shapes. Although aluminum is slightly less energy-efficient than other cladding options, wood windows are excellent insulators and aid the aluminum cladding in providing adequate insulation for your home.
Advantages of Pella’s Aluminum-Clad Windows
Overall, we believe that aluminum cladding is the best option for your Indianapolis home. It combines the strength, durability, and longevity of fiberglass with the affordability, customizability, and low-maintenance of vinyl.
When you’re ready to replace your windows with beautiful, energy-efficient wood windows, consider Pella Windows® for your installation.
You’ll enjoy these unbeatable features of Pella’s aluminum-clad windows:
EnduraClad
EnduraClad® is Pella’s low-maintenance, durable aluminum cladding that comes standard on all of Pella’s wood windows. EnduraClad protects your investment against the weather and is offered in over 20 colors to create the perfect look for your home.
Customizability
Choose dozens of frame shapes in the Pella Architect Series, Lifestyle Series, or Reserve Series to find gorgeous wood windows that fit your personal style and budget.
Longevity
Your aluminum-clad Pella Windows will endure harsh weather and stand the test of time. You can be confident your windows will resist rot, mold, and decay, and they won’t fade or lose their attractive appearance over time.
Energy Efficiency
Pella windows are rated as an Energy Star® certified product. Your investment will save on energy usage, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease utility costs.
Choose the Best in Indianapolis for Your Aluminum-Clad Pella Window Replacement
Considering a window replacement to experience the fantastic benefits of Pella’s aluminum-clad wood windows? We can help!
As a Pella Certified Contractor, we specialize in installing beautiful, durable, long-lasting Pella Windows. We’ll guide you in choosing the best windows to fit your style, budget, and lifestyle and install them correctly so you can have confidence in your investment!
Contact our reliable, friendly team for a free estimate to see how gorgeous aluminum-clad wood windows can transform your home!
