Fibrex® is Andersen’s own composite: reclaimed wood fiber bound in a thermoplastic polymer. It was developed to solve the problem with the two materials either side of it — wood needs painting and vinyl moves.
That is the whole pitch, and it is a good one.
This is the one that matters in a NY Metro/New Jersey winter. Every frame expands in the heat and contracts in the cold; the question is how much, and what that does to the seal around the glass. Fibrex® is far more stable across that swing than vinyl, which is why the seals it holds stay under less stress through a hard freeze-and-thaw cycle.
Because the material is stronger than vinyl, the frame holding a given pane can be slimmer. On a double-hung that shows up as more daylight and more view for the same hole in the wall — the difference is visible when you stand two windows side by side.
No painting, staining or sealing. The color goes through the finish rather than sitting on top of it, and Andersen puts its finish at twelve times the thickness of paint on vinyl. It does not rot, and it does not need a weekend every few years.
Reclaimed wood fiber from Andersen’s own manufacturing, bound in polymer. Worth knowing if that matters to you; not a reason to choose it on its own.
Fibrex is Andersen’s own composite material: reclaimed wood fiber bound in a thermoplastic polymer. It was developed to avoid the maintenance of wood and the movement of vinyl, and it is used in the Andersen 100 Series.
No. Vinyl is a plastic. Fibrex is a composite of wood fiber and polymer, and it behaves differently: Andersen rates it twice as strong as vinyl, and it moves far less as the temperature swings between summer and winter.
Because we want every window we install in our customers’ homes to last. Vinyl frames expand in summer heat and shrink in winter cold, much more than Fibrex, wood or fiberglass. Through a New York and New Jersey winter, that movement wears out the seal around the glass, so the insulating gas escapes and damp air gets in. That is how windows fog up. The Andersen windows we install hold their shape much better.
Because the material is stronger. Andersen rates Fibrex twice as strong as vinyl, so a frame can hold the same pane with less material around it, and the same opening in your wall holds more glass. That means more daylight and more view.
Yes. Vinyl usually comes in fewer colors, and dark colors are hard on it because they soak up the sun’s heat. The Andersen 100 Series comes in dark colors, black among them, and Andersen says its finish is twelve times thicker than paint on vinyl.
Usually not. The corners of a vinyl window are melted together, glued or screwed, so a cracked vinyl frame usually means replacing the whole window.
No. The 400 Series is a wood window. Its outside is clad in rigid vinyl so it never needs painting, but the frame itself is real wood.
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