Blog Archives - Page 13 of 26 - Aluplex Glass and Skylights

Windows, Doors, and Frameless Systems for Your Dental Office

September 1, 2021 By Webmaster

If you want your dental office to stand out from the rest, it’s time to invest in windows, doors, and frameless systems for your interior. What are frameless systems? Aluplex is here to shed some light on these fantastic design pieces. Let’s take a look.

What Are Frameless Systems?

Frameless systems are the interconnecting, glass walls and doors that help to divide an office space. These can be used in any type of office. What makes them different from standard office walls is that they’re completely glass and have no metal framing. That means there’s a seamless transition from one glass panel to the next. Cool, right?

What Are the Benefits?

The real question is, what’s the point of frameless systems for your dental office? There are actually a lot of benefits to having a frameless system in your office. Let’s take a look at some of those benefits:

Having no frame helps your frameless system feel unobtrusive and “lightweight.”
Because frameless systems provide glass wall panels instead of solid walls, light flow is better. This can increase productivity, improve employee morale, and make the entire office a happier place to be.
One of the biggest benefits of having a frameless system installed is the increase in privacy. Offices with many people working in them tend to have little privacy. You can overhear everything being said on the phone next to you. This can make touchy topics difficult to discuss between high level employees.
There is also a decrease in noise levels. When you have many people working in an office together, noise levels can get quite out of hand. Not only can high noise levels lower productivity due to loss of focus, they can also increase stress and blood pressure.

Frameless Systems for Your Dental Office

While there are many benefits to frameless systems, in general, we want to take a moment to show how those benefits translate to a dental office. Frameless systems for your dental office mean:

Dentist/patient conversations can be kept private, with each chair in its own glass room.
The inside of the mouth is easier to see with more natural light flow.
Loud tools, like drills, will be significantly quieter outside of the room they’re being used in. That means a notable decrease in general patient anxiety.
Opting for fogged glass between treatment rooms improves patient privacy as well.

Take the Next Step

If you want to improve your dental office by installing a frameless system, your next stop is giving us a call at Aluplex. We offer high quality glass for windows, doors, and frameless systems. You know when you order from Aluplex, you’re getting the best in Toronto.

Is Window Film a Worthwhile Investment?

July 30, 2021 By Webmaster

If you’ve ever heard of window film, you may be wondering if it’s worth considering. After all, it comes with a number of benefits. Are those benefits really true? Are there drawbacks? Is window film a worthwhile investment? Your local window and glass experts are here to break it down for you.

Privacy Without Blinds

Before we address the drawbacks, we want to talk about the benefits of window film and what most people agree makes window film a worthwhile. The first thing is that many types of window film provide privacy without you having to install blinds. This is really great for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, even if you enjoy having curtains, there is a period in the evening when many people’s homes are visible to the outdoors. If you open and close your blinds each day, you likely wait until it’s already dark to close them. Between the sun setting and the blinds being closed, anyone walking down the street can see inside your home. That’s a huge breach of privacy that most people aren’t fond of. If you get a one-way window film, you’ll be able to forego closing the blinds or curtains entirely or close them at your leisure.

The ability to forego blinds is especially useful to those with floor-to-ceiling windows, as they’re hard to cover. Not needing to find specialized blinds or curtains saves a lot of time. Plus, you can enjoy those huge windows at all times of day without sacrificing privacy.

UV Protection

Window films typically come with UV protection, often with some tinting. This protection is extremely beneficial to the home’s occupants, including plants and animals. Minimizing UV exposure helps prevent skin conditions, including cancer, and more.

Glass Reinforcement and Security

Privacy and UV protection are great quality of life updates, but the reinforcement of glass is probably the most important feature of window film. Window film is thick and adds a significant amount of strength to glass. Breaks are way less likely to happen and, if they do, the film holds the broken pieces of the window together. This prevents injury on broken glass, but it does something else as well.

Because breaking a window coated in window film is so much harder, break-ins relying on windows are no longer viable. Even if a would-be intruder can manage to break your window, they’ll be unable to pass the barrier window film provides. The additional time it would take to get past the window film makes entry impossibly risky. Would-be intruders will flee to avoid being caught.

Drawbacks

Now that we understand the benefits of window film, the question becomes, is window film a worthwhile investment? Is there something I’ll regret? The answer is pretty straightforward. The main and drawback to window film is that installation can ruin your windows. That is, it can ruin your windows if installed incorrectly. If the installation is messed up and someone attempts to remove the film, it will leave behind a messy coating of adhesive that’s literally impossible to remove effectively.

The second and final drawback is that installation, even if not botched entirely, can lead to imperfections. Window film is covered in a strong adhesive on one side. When the film is applied to the window, any dirt or air that gets trapped between the film and window will be stuck there permanently. This can be quite unsightly.

Because of these two drawbacks, the most important thing to understand is that you need professionals to install the film. Ensuring you hire competent window film installation specialists will save you from needing window replacements. If, in the end, you do make a mistake in installation, or the professionals you hire do, Aluplex is here and waiting with window replacements. Though, in the end, we hope you don’t need them.

Attic Skylights and Windows for Your Attic Remodel

July 30, 2021 By Webmaster

Doing an attic remodel can open the door to a lot of possibilities. You can add a new bedroom, an art studio, storage room, or even a full suite, if the attic is big enough. However, with an attic remodel comes the need for attic skylights or windows.

Providing Sunlight

Attics aren’t typically built to bring comfort to its visitors, as the visits are usually short. That means there usually aren’t any windows. If you have bigger plans for your attic than holding into some dusty old boxes, you’ll want to install attic skylights or windows.

Attic skylights are a great option, as there’s very little wall space in an attic, but plenty of roof and ceiling. These skylights will provide plenty of sunlight to anyone who will be visiting the renovated attic for longer than a few minutes. Whether that’s someone doing some crafting at their work station or a new inhabitant is entirely up to you.

Improving Safety

Attics are not the safest place in any house. In the case of a fire, the attic’s lack of windows can quickly lead to injury or death. Therefore, if you intend to use your attic space as something more, windows are a necessary safety feature. Attic skylights should be able to open to allow anyone inside to escape if worse comes to worst. Any regular windows on the walls of the attic should be able to open as well.

Regardless of what type of windows you install, you should also keep a rope or rope ladder somewhere accessible near the window. This ensures anyone trapped in the attic during an emergency like a house fire will be able to descend safely to the ground without using the interior stairs.

Buy Quality Windows

Quality glass is important no matter what part of the house windows are installed in, but attics have some quirks. Because they’re at the top of the house, attics are the final destination of any warmth in the house. During cold months, heat will quickly escape through low quality windows with bad insulation and cold will seep in. Ensuring you buy quality windows with good insulation and glass that won’t break during stormy weather means a better quality of life for anyone frequenting the renovated attic space.

Aluplex is Toronto’s favorite window and glass manufacturer. We offer a quality that’s hard to match and are happy to help you install your new windows. Get results that satisfy you for years to come by relying on us.

Aluplex Repair Services

In the future, if something should befall your new attic skylights or windows, Aluplex has emergency repair services that could save you a lot of money and trouble. Get help as soon as possible by calling our number. Rain or shine, we’ll head over and make sure your attic skylights are put back in working order. This prevents extensive water damage and a number of other interior casualties caused by a broken or malfunctioning skylight or window. Call us today if you have questions about our products or services.

Durable Frameless Shower Enclosures

June 30, 2021 By Ezra Vogel

Looking for an update to your bathroom? A built-in, stand-up shower is exactly what you need. Let’s take a moment to consider how a built-in shower with one of Aluplex’s durable, frameless shower enclosures can change your showering experience.

More Space to Shower

Switching to a built-in shower from a tub/shower combo is a massive difference in experience. While a built-in shower comes with a number of positive changes, the biggest ons is having more space to shower.

While a tub/shower combo allows adequate space for most people, there’s not a lot of room for your arms while you clean. This leads to bumping into your curtain or shower door throughout a shower. Or, if you know how to avoid knocking into those, then at least feeling cramped.

When adding a built-in shower, you have the opportunity to give yourself more space to clean. Even if the shower space is shorter than a tub, you can expand its width, creating a square space more suited to your body size. However, what’s to stop you from keeping the length of your old tub/shower combo and simply expanding the width as well? Let yourself shower in luxury.

Shower Together

One great bonus to a bigger showering space is that couples can shower together. A tub is hardly wide enough for two adults to comfortably switch places beneath the water. However, with a built-in shower, you can install multiple showerheads or simply use the additional space to switch places with ease. Having room to clean and also enjoy each other’s company without stepping on each other’s toes is a great experience for many couples.

Ditch the Curtain

Shower curtains come with a number of annoying downsides. When you switch to using durable, frameless shower enclosures from Aluplex, you can say goodbye to these shower curtain issues:

Having to adjust the ends of the curtain each time you shower to keep water from getting out
The bathroom fan’s airflow blowing the shower curtain into your space and against you while you’re trying to shower
The shower curtain coming unhooked from the curtain hooks
Low light levels when showering from the curtain obscuring it
Having to replace a moldy shower curtain every few months and creating plastic waste

Easy-to-Clean Frameless

Installing one of our durable, frameless shower enclosures comes with a bonus. Even compared to many other shower enclosures, these ones are easier to clean. Why is that? Well, a large number of shower enclosures come with frames around the glass. These metal frames make a shower enclosure cheaper to install, as you can use thinner glass and metal hardware to attach the door. However, the drawback is that they allow ridges for mold and mineral buildup.

A frameless shower enclosure is easy to clean with a standard foaming cleaner and a sponge, brush, or cloth. There are no difficult crevices to scrub at where grime has collected. Plus, that easy-to-clean frameless build makes it easy to keep your shower enclosure sparkly clean, allowing maximum light flow and a great view of the rest of your updated bathroom.

Call us today at Aluplex if you’re interested in getting one of our durable frameless shower enclosures and have questions about how to order.

How to Fix a Leaky Skylight Window

June 30, 2021 By Ezra Vogel

If your skylight is leaking, you’re likely rushing for solutions to avoid water damage. Or, maybe it just keeps dripping on your carpet and leaving a wet spot. Either way, getting your leaky skylight window fixed is a necessary step in ensuring damage doesn’t occur. Aluplex, your local skylight experts in Toronto, are here to help.

Check It’s Closed

If you’ve recently moved into a new home and your skylight has leaked every time it’s rained since moving in, the first thing you should check is if it’s closed. Some skylights can be opened, even if they’re not within easy reach. Grab yourself a stool or a step ladder and make sure the window isn’t ajar.

Check the Seal

While you’re up on your stool, the next step is checking the seal of openable windows. Even if it was firmly shut, if the window is able to open and close, there may simply be damage to the seal. This is easy to check for. Look for areas where the rubber strip is coming loose from the window frame. If it’s not loose, look it over for weak points where it’s cracking, has split, or is otherwise damaged.

Look for Cracks

If your seal seems just fine, or if your leaky skylight window isn’t one that opens, the next step is checking for cracks. One of the most common ways a skylight window begins leaking is if debris, such as a tree branch, falls during a storm and leaves a small crack. These cracks aren’t always obvious, as they often happen near the edge of the window. A flashlight will be helpful in searching for small cracks along the glass.

Replacement Skylights

If your window is closed, has a proper seal, and isn’t cracked, a leak means bigger problems. There is likely a leak coming through the frame somewhere. That means potential roof damage, installation issues, and the possible for future water damage within your ceiling. Therefore, the best solution for this kind of issue is skylight replacement.

In order to get a professional diagnosis of your leaky skylight window problems, give us a call at Aluplex. We know skylights the best in the area and can help you find the problem and fix it. We can also replace your skylight for you as soon as possible to prevent further water damage.

Leaky Skylight Window Repair

If your skylight is leaking because of a broken seal or cracked glass, the repair solution is simpler than replacement. Skylight glass can often be replaced without having to reinstall the entire skylight, frame and all. Sealing strips can be bought from a hardware store and attached with a strong glue or adhesive. For either of these repairs, call us at Aluplex and we can help with questions and repairs.

Why Is My Window Frame Molding?

June 1, 2021 By Ezra Vogel

Tired of the mold lining the cracks of your window frame? Unfortunately, a moldy window frame is a common problem for people – especially those in older housing. The question people are asking is, why? Why is your window frame molding, and how do you prevent it from happening? The answer is actually fairly straightforward. Let’s see what’s causing your window mold problem and how to fix it.

Long-Term Accumulation

The good news is, some of you homeowners are simply dealing with long-term accumulation. If you don’t have cleaning your window frame on your chore list, it’s possible that your windows have simply been growing mold for years. A little bit of moisture is all a window frame needs to start accumulating mold in the cracks and crevices. If left to its own devices, that mold can spread across the window track and leave it looking coated in grime. The solution is to simply buy some mold killer or a powerful cleaning spray and clean the window track out.

Rapid Accumulation

If cleaning your window frame has only temporarily solved your problem and mold has returned in less than a year, you are dealing with rapid accumulation. This isn’t caused by simply time; it’s a sign that your windows aren’t doing so great. Let’s look at why that is.

Window Insulation

Modern windows are made with two panes of glass. The space between those two panes is filled with an insulating gas. This insulating gas is heavier than air, which makes it hard for temperature to pass from the outdoors to the indoors, or vice versa.

As windows age, the seal between the window panes and window frame begins to weaken. As it weakens, the insulating gas can leak out. When the insulating gas is diminished or has leaked out entirely, you’re left with an uninsulated window.

Old Windows Cause Mold

When old windows have lost their insulatory properties, they become susceptible to two things: moisture leakage and temperature leakage. Both contribute to window mold.

Let’s start with moisture leakage. If the seal between your window panes has been damaged or weakened, rain water can begin to leak into the space between window panes. You can tell if this is happening if, on warm days, you can see condensation on the inside of your window panes. You can frequently spot this moisture along the edges of the panes. This is not a normal occurrence with functioning windows. This moisture can than cause mold growth between the window panes or further seep past the second pane and into the window track, encouraging mold growth there as well.

Next, we have temperature leakage. You know how a cold glass of lemonade will sweat with condensation on a hot, summer day? If windows aren’t properly insulated, they’ll do the same thing during winter. The cold temperature outside, if not mitigated by insulation, will leave both panes of your window cold to the touch. This cold will draw condensation from your warm interior toward the window. This is why your windows may fog up when it’s cold out. And, as the condensation collects, it will run down the windows and into the window track, leading to window frame molding.

Replacing Old Windows

The only solution for rapid window frame molding is to replace old or damaged windows. Aluplex offers high quality windows to the GTA and we look forward to helping you with your window replacement. Improve the appearance of your home and the quality of your air by ridding your home of window frame molding. Call us today if you have questions about our windows or the installation process.