Blog Archives - Page 12 of 26 - Aluplex Glass and Skylights

How to Repair a Cracked Window

November 30, 2021 By Webmaster

Getting a crack in your window is a huge pain. It lets in cold or hot air from outside and can even leak water when it rains. So, how can you repair a cracked window? It’s actually pretty easy. If you don’t want to splurge on repair services, you can DIY the whole thing. Let Toronto’s window and glass experts tell you how.

Prepare for Repair

The first step is preparation. When you repair a cracked window, there are a few things you need.

Dish soap and a rag
Two-part epoxy
Acetone
Putty knife
Toothpick or other disposable item for mixing
Paper plate or other disposable mixing surface
Straight razor blade

To start, clean the area around the crack with liquid dish soap and water. This will remove any oils, dust, or grime from the glass. Once clean, let the glass air dry completely. This may take some time, so cleaning your cracked window is best done ahead of time.

Apply Epoxy

Now that your window is ready for repair and you’ve gathered everything you need, it’s time to apply epoxy. To repair a cracked window with epoxy, you’ll want a two-part epoxy. This can be found at a hardware store and is made to be mixed up at the time of use. One part is a hardener, so don’t mix it up until you’re ready to apply it.

Mix the epoxy with a disposable mixer, like a toothpick or popsicle stick. Make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging. Every epoxy is a little different. Then, spread the epoxy along the crack in your window with a putty knife. Press the epoxy into the crack and swipe over it from different directions to ensure the crack is filled entirely. Scrape the flat edge of the putty knife over the entire crack to scrape away any excess epoxy.

Clean Up Window

As soon as you’ve finished applying epoxy, use a flat-edged razor blade to scrape away any excess epoxy. You can do this to remove any that got onto the intact glass surrounding the area as well as any raised epoxy along the crack.

When you’ve finished scraping off the leftovers, dampen a rag with acetone and wipe down the surrounding glass to get rid of any little remnants of epoxy before it hardens. You can wipe over the repaired crack with this rag as well to ensure the surface is flat and there’s no raised epoxy left. Then, let the epoxy cure for 24 hours.

Replace a Cracked Window

While you can repair a cracked window with epoxy, it may be worthwhile to replace a cracked window instead. If you have a modern window with two panes of glass, there’s an insulating gas between the panes that does most of the insulating for that window. When the glass cracks, there’s a chance for that gas to seep out. This is especially true if the crack has been present for a while.

If your window is old and single-pane, replacing your window is definitely the right choice. Single-pane windows have no insulation, costing you money in electricity to make up for heat and cold that leak in during summer and winter. Upgrade to Aluplex windows and improve your quality of life. Call us if you have questions and we can give you a hand.

Open Concept Designs for Medical Offices

October 31, 2021 By Webmaster

Medical office design is an important part of what brings comfort and confidence to patients. Offer a comfortable medical office to your patients to ensure they come back for future appointments. How do you make your medical office design a success? One of the most foolproof methods is using open concept designs for medical offices. Here are some of the ways you can make your medical office more open concept.

Light Flow

One of the biggest features in open concept design is light flow. Without good light flow, open concept design is meaningless. So, how do you achieve good light flow in your open concept medical office? One great solution is using a frameless system.

Frameless Systems

A frameless system is a glass dividing system for office spaces. They’re most commonly used in business offices, but can be implemented in medical offices as well. Instead of walling off the actual office space behind check-in counters, put up frameless system dividers. These glass walls will allow seamless light flow, a less restrictive space, but will still provide privacy and noise dampening.

More Windows

The next solution to providing light flow in open concept designs for medical offices is by adding more windows. Too many medical office buildings skimp on windows, leaving the office dark and closed-off. By implementing large windows in your office design, you let the sun inside in all its glory.

Don’t stop at regular windows. If your medical office is its own building or on the top floor of a shared building, opt for a skylight. Putting a large skylight into a medical office space lets in tons of light and a view of the sky. Nothing feels quite so open as being able to look up and enjoy the morning sky.

Save Electricity

Because large windows let in ample light during business hours, you can save a ton of money on electricity. Especially in offices with skylights, electric light may not even be necessary during the brighter months of the year.

Bring the Outdoors In

There are more benefits to additional windows than just added light. Bringing the outdoors in is a huge bonus to office likeability. Patients love getting to admire the surrounding scenery when waiting for their appointment. This is especially true in more suburban or rural areas with lots of trees.

If you’re building or remodeling a dental office, large windows also go great on the stretch of wall your dental chairs are facing. Giving patients, young and old alike, a view of the birds and trees outside is a great way to offer peace and a sense of calm. This will help a lot with those who have dental anxiety.

Office Resale Value

If moving your office to a bigger space later is something you’re considering, don’t fret. Open concept designs for medical offices offer great resale value. Even if someone intends to move in a different type of practice, windows and skylights are always a plus. You’ll have no trouble selling an office space with a lot of light and an open concept interior.

Operable Kosher Sukkah Skylights for Your Porch

October 31, 2021 By Webmaster

For observant Jews, Sukkot is a great time to get together and celebrate with family. However, building your own Sukkah can be a time consuming process. For busy families, disabled Jews, or anyone else who struggles with creating their own, Aluplex has a solution. Check out our operable kosher Sukkah skylights and make Sukkot a bit easier in the years following.

What is Sukkot?

For those who aren’t aware, Sukkot is a Jewish holiday. During the holiday, observant Jews create a Sukkah – an enclosure made of natural materials. The Sukkah represents the kind of fragile dwelling the Israelites dwelt in during their 40 years of desert traveling. For the duration of Sukkot, observant Jews will eat, and sometimes sleep, in their Sukkah. The Sukkah must be taken down and rebuilt each year.

Operable Kosher Sukkah Skylights

Aluplex has a fantastic solution for building your yearly Sukkah. Instead of having to build an entire structure from scratch, we’ve come up with a more convenient, kosher alternative. The alternative starts with adding an enclosed porch to your home. After that, all you have to do is add our operable kosher Sukkah skylights, which are installed in the roof of your porch.

Build On Top

When it comes time for Sukkot, you can simply open up the skylights and build your sh’chach over top of the uncovered porch. Our kosher skylights can be opened manually or pneumatically, since observant Jews are not permitted to operate electric switches during Sukkot and Shabbat.

After opening the skylights, you can build your sh’chach however you like. Your porch will then become your Sukkah. You can then eat and sleep in more comfort than the in the average Sukkah, all while remaining kosher. This option is more accessible, which is great for disabled Jews who can’t build something elaborate each year. Plus, it allows for more temperature regulation and more comfortable sleeping arrangements.

When Sukkot Ends

When Sukkot is over, your sh’chach can be removed and the skylights can be closed. Your porch is then returned to normal and you can use it however you like the rest of the year. If you like plants, you could use your porch as a greenhouse. Keeping them inside the porch will prevent the harsh Canadian winter from killing them. You could even add a porch swing or hammock. With the wonderful addition of operable kosher Sukkah skylights, your porch will be full of sunshine year round. These skylights are a worthy investment for any observant Jew.

If you’re interested in buying some of Aluplex’s operable kosher Sukkah skylights, we’re only a call away. Contact us to learn more about our skylights and what other products we have to offer that may aid in the construction of your enclosed porch. We’re more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Modern Fiberglass Door Designs You’ll Love

September 30, 2021 By Webmaster

Is your old front door just not doing it for you anymore? When it comes time to get something better, consider one of Aluplex’s fiberglass doors. Fiberglass doors are great for home aesthetic. So, let’s take a moment to look at the benefits of fiberglass door designs and what styles they come in.

What Are Fiberglass Doors?

Fiberglass doors are a lot more than they seem. These doors are made of a frame, polycarbonate insulation filling, and a fiberglass skin. The fiberglass skin is the outer layer of the door – the part that you can see. You might be wondering if fiberglass is actually made of glass. In fact, it is! However, it doesn’t look like glass. Fiberglass doors are made to look like all kinds of materials – like wood or metal.

Fiberglass doors take a visual that everyone loves and makes it more durable. Wooden doors are prone to damage. They can chip, dent, split, and take damage in a number of other ways. Steel doors are the other standard for front doors. Those can rust, dent, scratch, and generally aren’t very welcoming. Fiberglass takes the best qualities of both – appearance and strength – and polishes out the things that make both weak or unappealing.

Flexible Design

A fiberglass door is great for any home because they’re made by such a flexible design. You can buy a fiberglass door in virtually any color you want. You can choose a style that looks like natural wood. Or, if you would rather it look painted, you can have that as well. There are also sleek designs that fit more modern homes. No matter what kind of design your house calls for, Aluplex can offer you a fiberglass door that fits perfectly.

Windowed Door

One of the most popular styles of fiberglass door are those with a window at the top. Peep holes are functional, but they don’t look very nice and can be hard to see through. Instead of squinting into a hole, you can simply look through the window. Windowed doors can have curtains or shades put over them as well to improve privacy.

Windows in fiberglass doors can come in any shape or size. Arched windows are traditional, but there are also modern door windows, such as those that are more rectangular. In either case, your window pane can be divided into wedges or blocks to add flair.

Doors with Sidelights

You know those windows people often have beside their doors that make their entryway feel nicer? Those are called sidelights and we have plenty of fiberglass door options available that include them. Sidelights open up an entry area by providing more visibility and letting in light from outside. If you like the accessibility and beauty of sidelights, order your new fiberglass door with one, or even two, sidelights.

If you have questions about our fiberglass door designs or other products, call us at Aluplex today. Our excellent staff can help clear up any confusion or concerns you may have and assist with your order.

Porch Windows That Benefit Indoor Gardens

September 30, 2021 By Webmaster

If you’ve got a garden in an enclosed porch, we’re sure you want the best for your plants. Fortunately, there are some ways you can improve your plants’ environment. The first way is, if your enclosed porch was built more than ten years ago, it might be time to replace your enclosed porch windows. Here are some of the reasons you should consider replacing your porch windows and how it benefits indoor gardens.

Insulate Your Home

To start, your porch enclosure windows are a vital part of insulating your home. All windows in the house are weak points for insulation. Because your porch enclosure has a lot of windows, it’s easy for it to become the weakest link.

The reason why windows are so important to insulation is because of how they’re made. Old windows are often made of a single pane of glass. These single panes do very little to keep out heat or cold. More modern windows are made with two panes of glass with a layer of insulating gas between them. This insulating gas is heavier than air, making it harder for the heat or cold to travel through it.

People frequently forget that porch windows matter. So, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to have all of the windows in their home replaced only to forget to replace the porch windows. The porch is considered more outside than inside, especially if it used to be a patio space. If you’ve put an interior door where an external door used to be, or if you leave the door to the enclosed porch open often, the windows there are just as inside as the ones in the living room.

Even if your porch enclosure windows were put in a few decades ago and are double-paned and insulated, this insulating gas leaks out over time. Once the gas has escaped the windows, they no longer insulate much at all. This is why replacing old windows is so important.

Stabilize Temperature

When you replace old windows with those of higher quality and better insulation, your porch windows help to stabilize the temperature of your porch. The fluctuating temperature outdoors won’t affect indoor gardens negatively if the fluctuation is kept to a minimum. Nighttime cold and noontime heat will be held at bay with proper insulation.

Block Out UV

Something else that people don’t often consider about porch windows is that they have the power to protect your indoor gardens from UV. Regular windows don’t necessarily come premade with UV blocking features. However, a window film, in combination with good, insulating windows, can mean better plant growth and longer plant life.

Shop Aluplex

If you want a new set of porch windows to benefit your indoor garden to improve your indoor gardening experience, get Aluplex glass. Our windows are high quality and affordable, making the ideal replacements. Call us today if you have any questions about replacement and installation services.

Extend Summer Gardening with an Enclosed Porch Garden

September 1, 2021 By Webmaster

With the summer coming to an end, so are many of our wonderful summer plants. It’s always a sad sight when the temperature begins to drop and our favorite plants begin to wither. So, instead of saying goodbye, consider extending your gardening season with an enclosed porch garden. Don’t have an enclosed porch? Aluplex is here to help.

Quality Windows

If you want to keep gardening into the fall, and even in winter, you need to start with some quality windows. If you have an existing porch or patio, turning it into an enclosed one is easier than you think! While some contractors will be needed to prepare the surrounding walls, the main event is the addition of new windows.

If you want to get the most out of your enclosed porch garden, you should consider floor-to-ceiling windows. Windows that reach from hip to ceiling will also work. However, there’s something about the way floor-to-ceiling makes you feel surrounded by nature that we just can’t ignore.

Greenhouse Porch

With some big windows lining the walls of your new enclosed porch garden, you can begin reaping the benefits. Your porch will work just like a greenhouse. The windows will take in all of the sunlight that the sky has to offer while insulating your plants from the cold. Without additional appliances, this can extend your gardening season by a month or two.

Winter Oasis

However, if you want to garden year round, all you have to do is buy a few appliances. Mainly, you’ll want some plant lights and a humidifier. Plant lights produce heat and offer light on a spectrum that encourages photosynthesis – that is, they keep your plants alive. The humidifier will ensure your plants don’t dry out in the winter air. A space heater may also benefit your plants, but you’ll want to try going without first to see if that’s necessary. Monitoring the temperature of the enclosed porch garden will tell you everything you need to know.

With your garden growing happily throughout the winter, your enclosed porch garden will become your own little winter oasis. Did you know seasonal depression is often brought on by a lack of vitamin D due to staying indoors more? It’s also pushed forward by a lack of life surrounding the affected person. Surrounding yourself with large windows and beautiful plant life is a great way to keep up your mental health during the long, winter months.

Quality Glass from Aluplex

If you’re in the GTA, you can get all of the glass you need right here at Aluplex. We specialize in windows and glass, just like you need. Our quality is unbeatable and will leave you with a lasting porch garden for years to come.