Finish Types
The two most common materials used in US windows today are aluminum and vinyl. Both have a variety of appealing properties — ease of manufacture, comparatively low cost, performance, and thermal properties — but both tend to be deployed in the field with surface coatings of paint or another material. The industry term for these surface layers is “finishes.” Because these finishes are often paint or a similar chemical that is less sturdy than the underlying frame material, a variety of testing standards and methods have emerged to certify the durability of these finishes.
In contrast, certified coatings tend not to be available for steel or bronze, because these strong and beautiful materials tend to have minimal chemical treatments to bring out the color of the material itself. Wood also doesn’t have a common certified finish standard, even though it is often painted. This is because wood windows tend to be field-painted not factory-painted, and even when they are factory-painted those processes have not yet reached the level of mechanical precision necessary to justify a certification process.
Testing Standard for Window Finishes
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) offers several certification programs for aluminum, vinyl, and fiberglass finishes. These certification programs test a finish’s ability to withstand sun, water, and general wear, simulating years' worth of stresses in a matter of weeks. Manufacturers of window products whose finishes pass these certifications can use these certifications to advertise their product’s longevity, quality, and durability, as well as offer longer finish lifetime warranties. For these certification programs, higher numbers indicate that the window finish has successfully passed a more difficult test.
In the case of the aluminum testing standard for powder coatings…
AAMA 2603 - the lowest standard certifies that the product will last for one year
AAMA 2604 - the middle standard certifies that it will last for at least five years
AAMA 2605 - the highest standard certifies that it will last for at least 10 years. This is the minimum standard, so in practice manufacturers with a product that passes the AAMA 2605 standard will often offer warranties that are longer than 10 years.
Details of all of these testing regimes can be purchased on the AAMA website.
Different Types of Windows Finishes
Aluminum Window Finishes
There are four common types of finishes for aluminum windows: paint, an oxidized aluminum surface, wood veneer, and metallic paint.
Painted Aluminum comes in several different levels of certification, each of which guarantees a different minimum lifespan (AAMA 2603/2604/2605). These finishes also offer a wider range of colors than other options but are only available for 25% to 35% of aluminum windows.
Oxidized Aluminum chemically or electrically treats the surface of the aluminum to create a thick coating of aluminum oxide which protects the aluminum from degradation while retaining the look of bare metal. These finishes are extremely strong and can be clear or colored. The stronger variety, Class I, is by far the most commonly available aluminum finish. Over 90% of the products in Acelab’s database have this option.
Wood Veneer covers the aluminum in wood and gives the window the look of wood, but is less durable. This is a rare finish that is only available for 10% of products.
Metallic Painted Aluminum is similar to normal painted aluminum, except their paints come in a variety of exotic colors and sometimes include mineral flecks. The table above shows the finish types that are available for this product. This is a niche application that is only available for 3% of products.
Wood Window Finishes
There are four common types of finishes for wooden windows.
Unfinished Wood is bare wood that has not been treated yet. Coating it during or after installation is strongly recommended. 44% of wooden windows have the option to come unpainted.
Stained Wood looks similar to unfinished wood, but its color is changed by a chemical that is soaked into the wood. 57% of wooden windows can be stained.
Painted Wood has a top layer of paint, so the wood’s color is not visible anymore. 48% of windows made of wood can be ordered painted.
Primed Wood has a top coating of primer that is meant to be painted afterward. This is the rarest wooden surface finish option, available for only 25% of products.
The table below shows the finish types that are available for this product and which are more durable.
Vinyl Window Finishes
There are three common types of finishes for vinyl windows: painted vinyl, laminated vinyl, and colored vinyl.
Painted Vinyl can be either uncertified (“Not AAMA rated”) or certified to have a minimum lifespan (AAMA 613/614/615). Its uncertified variety (“Painted”) is available for 63% of products, whereas the certified painted options are much rarer (2% - 5% of products).
Laminated Vinyl which adds a layer of a different material is generally quite weak but allows for great freedom of color and design, including imitating wood. About a quarter (27%) of the vinyl products in Acelab’s database have a laminate surface finish option.
Colored Vinyl, where the color is mixed into the vinyl itself, is more durable than all but the hardiest of the painted types of vinyl. The main downside is that vinyl can be less scratch-resistant than tough paints. However, if it does get scratched, it is colored all the way through, so the color does not change. This is a very common surface finish, available for 58% of products in our database.
The table below shows the finish types that are available for this product.
Steel Window Finishes
There are two common types of finishes for steel windows.
Powder Coated Steel is steel that has been colored using a special dry powder process that produces durable color coating. It is available for 33% of steel windows.
Aliphatic Urethane Top Coating is a different, stronger, kind of paint-like finish that is also resistant to chemicals. 16% of the windows in Acelab’s database have this as an option.
The table below shows the finish types that are available for this product.
Types of Finishes for Fiberglass Windows
There are two common types of finishes for fiberglass windows: painted fiberglass, and fiberglass covered in a thin layer of wood.
Painted Fiberglass can be either uncertified (“Painted”) or certified to have a minimum lifespan (AAMA 623/624/625). The uncertified paint variety is extremely common (70% of windows), while the AAMA-certified paints are much rarer (5% - 15% of windows).
Wood Veneer, which covers the fiberglass in wood, gives the window the look of wood, at the cost of durability. About one in eight fiberglass windows (12%) have this as an option.
The table below shows the finish types that are available for this product.
Types of Finishes for Bronze Windows
There are three common types of finishes for bronze windows: uncoated bronze, bronze treated with a chemical, and bronze covered in a thin layer of wood.
Uncoated Bronze varies from rough (Unpolished) to so smooth that it is like a mirror (Mirror or Polished). The most common option for bronze windows is to be slightly polished (39% of them are given a #4 polish), followed by 15% of them being unpolished. Very smooth polishes (#6 and #8) are much rarer.
Custom Finishes, where bronze that has been treated with a chemical, is selected when the customer wants the classic aged bronze-green look sooner than would occur due to natural weathering. About one in nine bronze windows (11%) have custom finishes.
Wood Veneer finishes cover the bronze in wood and give the window the look of wood, at the cost of durability. About one in twelve bronze windows (8%) have an option to have a wood veneer finish.
The table below shows the finish types that are available for this product.
Aluminum-clad Wood Window Finishes
Aluminum-clad wood windows are aluminum on the outside of the building and wood on the inside. There are three common types of finishes for aluminum window surfaces in aluminum-clad wood windows: paint, an oxidized aluminum surface, and metallic paint.
Painted Aluminum comes in several different levels of certification, each of which guarantees a different minimum lifespan (AAMA 2603/2604/2605). The strongest variety is the most common, with AAMA 2605 being an option for 37% of windows.
Oxidized Aluminum chemically or electrically treats the surface of the aluminum to create a thick coating of aluminum oxide, which protects the aluminum from degradation while retaining the look of bare metal. These finishes are extremely strong and can be clear or colored. The stronger variety (Class I) is much more common, being available for 58% of aluminum-clad wood windows.
Metallic Painted Aluminum is similar to normal paint, except their paints come in a variety of exotic colors and sometimes include mineral flecks. One in sixteen aluminum-clad wood windows (6%) have the option to apply this coating to the outer surface of the aluminum.
There are three common types of finishes for wooden window surfaces in aluminum-clad wood windows.
Stained Wood looks similar to unfinished wood, but has had its color changed by a chemical that soaked into the wood. It’s the most common option for aluminum-clad wood windows, with 68% of windows offering it.
Painted Wood has a top layer of paint, so the wood’s color is not visible anymore. 44% of aluminum-clad wood windows have this as an option for their wood surface.
Primed Wood has a top coating of primer that is meant to be painted afterward. 25% of aluminum-clad wood windows can prime their wooden interior surface.
The two tables below show the finish types available for both surfaces.
Finishes for Aluminum-clad Vinyl Windows
Aluminum-clad vinyl windows are aluminum on the outside of the building and vinyl on the inside. There are two common types of finishes for aluminum window surfaces in aluminum-clad vinyl windows: paint or an oxidized aluminum surface.
Painted Aluminum comes in several different levels of certification, each of which guarantees a different minimum lifespan (AAMA 2603/2604/2605). The intermediate strength variety, AAMA 2604, is available for 36% of aluminum-clad vinyl windows.
Oxidized Aluminum chemically or electrically treats the surface of the aluminum to create a thick coating of aluminum oxide, which protects the aluminum from degradation while retaining the look of bare metal. These finishes are extremely strong and can be clear or colored. The stronger variety, Class I, is available for 38% of aluminum-clad vinyl windows.
There are three common types of finishes for vinyl window surfaces: painted vinyl, laminated vinyl, and colored vinyl.
Painted Vinyl can be either uncertified (Painted) or certified to have a minimum lifespan (AAMA 613/614/615). 43% of aluminum-clad vinyl windows can come with their vinyl interior surface painted with uncertified paint, but only 4% have the option to paint their interior surface to the AAMA 614 standard. No windows offer AAMA 613 or AAMA 615.
Laminated Vinyl, which adds a layer of a different material, is generally quite weak but allows for great freedom of color and design, including imitating wood. 26% of aluminum-clad vinyl windows can come with a laminated interior vinyl surface.
Colored Vinyl, where the color is mixed into the vinyl itself, is more durable than all but the hardiest of the painted types of vinyl. The main downside of vinyl is that it can be less scratch-resistant than tough paints. However, if it does get scratched, it is colored all the way through, so the color does not change. 44% of aluminum-clad vinyl windows can come with colored vinyl.
The two tables below show the finish types available for both surfaces.
Vinyl-clad Wood Window Finishes
Vinyl-clad wood windows are vinyl on the outside of the building and wood on the inside. There are two common types of finishes for vinyl window surfaces: painted vinyl and colored vinyl.
Painted Vinyl can be either uncertified (Painted) or certified to have a minimum lifespan (AAMA 613/614/615). 86% of vinyl-clad windows can be painted with certified paint, 20% can be painted with AAMA 614 certified paint, and 13% can be painted with AAMA 613 certified paint. No windows with AAMA 615 certified paint were found.
Colored Vinyl, where the color is mixed into the vinyl itself, is more durable than all but the hardiest of the painted types of vinyl. The main downside of vinyl is that it can be less scratch-resistant than tough paints. However, if it does get scratched, it is colored all the way through, so the color does not change. It is only available for 1% of vinyl-clad wood windows.
There are four common types of finishes for wooden window surfaces.
Unfinished Wood is bare wood that has not been treated yet. Coating it during or after installation is strongly recommended. 49% of vinyl-clad wood windows can be delivered with an unfinished interior wood surface.
Stained Wood looks similar to unfinished wood, but has had its color changed by a chemical that soaked into the wood. 46% of vinyl-clad wood windows can have a stained interior wood surface.
Painted Wood has a top layer of paint, so the wood’s color is no longer visible. 86% of vinyl-clad wood windows can be painted.
Primed Wood has a top coating of primer that is meant to be painted afterward. 16% (one in six) vinyl-clad wood windows can be primed.
The two tables below show the finish types available for both surfaces.
