uPVC windows are available in a wide range of colours including 6 different shades of white, woodgrain effects attempting to replicate, mahogany, oak and rosewood among others, and solid colours such as red, blue, black, green and cream. When specifying white uPVC windows it is important that the frames and sills are made from the same compound and therefore are the same shade of white.
O1 is the whitest shade of white but it would be unsatisfactory to fit it onto a creamy coloured white sill. The issue is highlighted when it comes to conservatories as many installers use conservatory roofs and frames from different manufacturers. This could result in the frames being a different colour white to the roof spars – and sometimes a different white again from the sills and trims.
Those uPVC extruders which manufacture their own uPVC profiles for the many types of window and door frame, conservatory roofs, trims and sills are therefore at a distinct advantage as they can offer a colour match across the full range of products.
Add to that all the different types of insulating glass sealed units that are available – clear and obscure, float, toughened and laminated, different thicknesses of glass and widths of sealed unit – and there are an infinite number of combinations, each being more suited to one application than another.
The many different types of decorative glass such as Georgian bar, leaded designs, coloured and bevelled glass add not only to the choice but also to the confusion.
The choice widens even further when conservatories are included in the equation as glass roofs can now include anti-sun and self-cleaning glass, and that doesn’t account for the many types, colours and thicknesses of polycarbonate sheets for conservatory roofs.