Window Frame Materials

Vinyl is the most widely chosen frame material for replacement windows, and for good reason. It delivers excellent thermal insulation, requires virtually no maintenance, and comes at a lower price point than fiberglass or wood. Modern vinyl windows bear no resemblance to the cheap, yellowing vinyl of decades past — today’s formulations are engineered for color retention, impact resistance, and long-term durability.

Pella’s 250 Series uses a fade-resistant vinyl formula with multichambered frames that are 52% stronger than ordinary vinyl, with up to 12 insulating air chambers for exceptional energy efficiency. ProVia’s Endure Series takes vinyl even further with their proprietary SunShield® compound — the industry’s highest-performing vinyl for color retention and impact resistance — paired with INNERGY® thermal reinforcements that deliver 700 times better thermal performance than aluminum reinforcements. Burris by Pella offers over 30 years of vinyl manufacturing expertise with double-strength Cardinal Low-E glass standard on every window. And Anlin’s Catalina and Panoramic Series represent the very high end of vinyl, with symmetrical engineering, narrow-profile frame options, and advanced glass packages with up to four layers of Low-E coating.

Vinyl is also the most versatile material for color and customization. ProVia offers vinyl, laminate, and custom paint options including a full black-on-black Textured Matte Coal Black. Pella offers solid and dual-color frames. Anlin offers ThermaCoat exterior color coatings in over 12 colors. And because vinyl is 100% recyclable, it’s the more sustainable choice.

Fiberglass is the premium choice for homeowners who demand the absolute best in strength and durability. Pella’s Impervia Series is built from their proprietary fiberglass material, which has tested superior in strength to wood, vinyl, aluminum, wood/plastic composites, and other fiberglass materials on the market. In independent testing, Pella’s fiberglass is 73 times more impact resistant than Andersen Fibrex, a competing composite material.

Fiberglass frames expand and contract at nearly the same rate as the glass they hold, which means tighter seals, less air infiltration, and better long-term energy performance than materials that shift with temperature changes. Pella Impervia products are engineered to meet the rigorous performance requirements of commercial buildings, so you can trust them to handle anything residential life throws at them. The durable powder-coat finish resists chipping, chalking, and fading, and never needs to be painted or refinished.

Impervia windows feature an innovative Easy-Slide Operator for casement and awning styles — simply slide to open, no cranking required. Three-way corner joints with corner locks, metal fasteners, and sealant provide added structural integrity and water resistance. And the superior strength of fiberglass allows for larger window sizes and custom combinations that vinyl frames can’t always support, including sliding patio doors with up to three panels at heights up to 10 feet.

Aluminum window frames offer the slimmest profiles of any frame material, which means more glass and less frame in every opening. This makes them a natural fit for contemporary and modern home designs where clean lines, large glass expanses, and minimal visual interruption are priorities. Aluminum is also exceptionally strong relative to its weight, allowing it to support larger panes of glass and wider spans than vinyl frames of the same profile thickness.

We offer aluminum windows through NT Windows and their Twinsulator Series. The Twinsulator name reflects the insulated glass unit at the heart of these windows — pairing the structural advantages of aluminum with modern dual-pane insulated glass to deliver improved energy performance compared to older single-pane aluminum windows. While aluminum is inherently more conductive than vinyl or fiberglass, today’s thermally improved aluminum frames with insulated glass significantly narrow the energy efficiency gap.

Aluminum is also exceptionally durable: it won’t warp, crack, or swell, and it holds up well in coastal and high-humidity environments. It’s a low-maintenance material that holds paint and finishes well, offering a wide range of color options.

Black frame windows have become one of the most requested design features in home renovation. The bold contrast of black frames against light-colored siding or interior walls creates a striking, contemporary look that works in everything from modern farmhouse to industrial to minimalist design styles. Black frames also make the glass itself more visually prominent, drawing the eye to your view rather than the frame.

At Trustmark Exteriors, we offer black frame options through three of our brand partners, each with a different approach to achieving the look:

ProVia Endure offers the most complete black-on-black option: their Textured Matte Coal Black paint can be applied to the interior, exterior, and jamb pocket for a fully uniform black window. ProVia also offers a standard Coal Black paint for exterior-only applications. With custom Sherwin Williams color matching available, ProVia provides the most flexibility for homeowners who want a specific shade of dark finish.

Anlin offers black-on-black through their capstock process on both the Catalina and Panoramic Series. Capstock is an co-extruded layer of color material bonded directly to the vinyl during manufacturing — it won’t peel, chip, or delaminate like paint, and the color extends through the surface layer rather than sitting on top. Anlin also offers their ThermaCoat solar reflective coatings in Architectural Black and 11 other exterior colors.

Pella offers black as a dual-color exterior laminate on the 250 Series (white interior, black exterior) and as a standard frame color on the Impervia fiberglass series, where the powder-coat finish delivers exceptional fade and chip resistance.