The Might of Fiberglass

When it comes to innovation in the window and door market, much of the recent change can be traced to the use of fiberglass as a structural and design component. Today, manufacturers are providing more fiberglass-based options as consumer awareness and acceptance of the material grows.

The look of fiberglass windows and doors rivals that of its elite competition. Fiberglass doors are increasingly detailed to mimic the appearance of their wood and steel counterparts and can be easily painted, unlike vinyl. Because of higher demand for these products in the market, several window and door manufacturers are also introducing fiberglass in their window and door products.

“Being able to customize to design taste,” says Duane Putz, director of sales and marketing for Pella Impervia, “this is where fiberglass windows and doors are going in the marketplace.”

Consumers love their choices and fiberglass windows and doors are no exception. Homeowners buying these products are pushing the trend of choice and forcing manufacturers to continue to be innovative.

“Research has shown us that customers want choices,” says Marty Diklitch, vice president of fiberglass products at Milgard Windows. “Exterior colors, interior wood grain options, custom sizes and, since fiberglass is still really focused at the high end of the market today, customers want high-end hardware and glazing packages.”

Jim McElroy, general manager of product marketing at Therma-Tru, agreed with this trend and indicated that for Therma-Tru, its biggest request from consumers are expanded wood-look options. “Homeowners are looking for different types of wood grains and styles,” says McElroy

In Therma-Tru’s National Home Valuation Study, conducted by independent research organization Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC in 2002, 2,400 consumers from across the United States were asked to estimate the prices of homes based simply on the homes’ exterior appearance.

Enhanced entryways added as much as $24,000 to a home’s perceived value. The increased perceived value was as much as five times the actual cost of the new door entry setup. The homes with heightened door, side lite and transom arrangements used in this study were from Therma-Tru’s fiberglass lines.

A growing category

“Most people in the market for windows and doors are looking for an inexpensive product, and vinyl manufacturers cater to that,” says Colin Mori, general financial manager for Fibertec Window and Door Manufacturing. “But people looking for efficiency and a higher quality product are looking at higher-end wood windows and fiberglass.”

Consumer reaction toward many manufacturers of fiberglass window and doors has been positive at this point. Putz indicated that consumer response has been tremendous so far for Pella, who entered the fiberglass market only four short years ago. But Pella is not the only one excited by the feedback.

“Response to date has been phenomenal,” says Diklitch of Milgard. “Our growth rate in fiberglass has far outstripped our healthy growth in vinyl.”

But while response is good, the market for fiberglass isn’t where some would like it to be.

“While we are experiencing a great growth curve, this is still a high-end product and is a relatively small but growing segment of the total market in units,” says Diklitch.

Despite the growth in fiberglass products and their subsequent success with consumers, awareness of fiberglass as an option remains low. Today’s world is one of educated consumers who do their research before major purchases, and it is this trend that is bringing fiberglass options to light. “As we see more and more awareness in the marketplace,” says Putz, “we see more and more people asking for it.”