Secondary Glazing features overview
Craft Glass Secondary Glazing services consist of a slim aluminium outer frame joined to a seasoned hardwood surround, with a standard finish in white. The product is suitable for all types of buildings including Grade I and II listed as well as conservation areas.
A comprehensive range of styles are available to suit many different applications, including horizontal sliders, hinged units, lift-out units, vertical sliders, as well as balanced and tilt & turn vertical sliders. The most popular style is the horizontal slider and these are fitted with brass rollers ensuring a smooth, reliable sliding action. There are also twin brush seals that provide more effective draught proofing and insulation.
The standard colour finish is white however we can accommodate any R.A.L. colour to suit individual requirements and paint schemes. We can also provide a wide range of glass types such as clear, patterned, toughened, laminated and acoustic. Other options include locks and shaped units such as circular or arched heads, and even Gothic.
Situations where Secondary Glazing is best suited
- Listed buildings and properties in a conservation area requiring double glazing
- Homeowners on a budget or cost of replacement prohibitive
- Sellers or landlords looking to improve the living conditions or add value
- Commercial buildings where heat loss or noise is detrimental
Major Benefit 1: Draughty windows solved
Many properties with single glazed windows will suffer from draughts which tend to get worse as time passes with breakages or cracks adding to the issue. A minimum cost solution would be on-site repairs (if suitable) and making use of heavy curtains or blinds.
A medium cost but effective solution would be to have a high quality secondary glazing system professionally installed. This is much less disruptive than removing and replacing existing windows, is usually more effective than standard double glazing (as the air gap is at least 100mm) and eliminates draughts. This also means less money spent on heating bills and over time a substantial offset against this investment.
A higher cost solution would be to refurbish the single pane, maybe leaded windows and timber or steel frames, then add secondary glazing to achieve a double glazed solution. This will naturally more disruptive but is an excellent option for reducing further heat loss and ongoing maintenance, and enhances the value of the property significantly.
Major Benefit 2: Noise pollution dramatically reduced
Unfortunately a fact of life but noise pollution is frequently substantial from transport or more public areas and particularly within busy towns or cities. It is a fact that the cavity or gap that exists between a primary (usually single glazed) window and the secondary window makes a massive difference to the transmission of noise. The greater the cavity the more the noise is reduced and therefore it is more effective than a standard sealed (double glazed) unit.
Cheaper secondary glazing solutions that stick to the existing window frame using magnets, or do not use glass (maybe thin plastic) are therefore not going to offer anywhere near the same benefit. Craft Glass use a market leading product with a high quality aluminium frame, hardwood outer frame and choice of glazing.
A choice of glazing is important so that we can cater for extreme noise (e.g. aircraft) with a special laminated product (stadip silence) but we can also use different thickness of standard gazing (e.g. 6mm or 10mm). A different thickness glass on the inner secondary unit increases noise suppression. Even with basic 4mm glazing traffic noise can be reduced by over 30 dB.
Additional Benefits of Secondary Glazing
- Reduced condensation – compared to existing single glazing, windows that have an extra inner secondary pane are less vulnerable to heat and moisture, which can otherwise result in a build-up of condensation, which increases damp.
- Increased window security – as well as the visual deterrent of a secondary window system we can optionally include locks and use laminated glass, both of which enhance the overall physical security – useful of existing crittall windows do not have locks.
- Fade protection – With a laminated glass option the secondary glazing will block 99% of harmful UV rays that enter the home, reducing the fading effects in fabrics, artworks and interior furnishings.
- Quick installation – Our secondary glazing system will arrive on-site fully fabricated, with ready to install frames that reduce time to fit considerably. This shortens installation time but Craft Glass still ensure that the quality and standard of finish is excellent regardless.
- Range of styles and types – If you have a larger property, secondary glazing gives you flexibility in terms of budget. For instance where openers are rarely if ever used a Lift Out unit may be perfectly suitable and cheaper than a vertical or horizontal slider, and the sight lines much slimmer of course.
