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— Oscar Wilde.
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Advantages of Black in Interior Design
Weather Shield Windows and Doors is a top designer, engineer, and manufacturer of energy-efficient windows and doors. The family-owned company established in 1955 and located in Medford, Wisconsin, employs almost 2,000 people. The team at Weather Shield Windows and Doors creates various designs for its products that allow customers flexibility in combining with multiple exteriors and interiors.
When it comes to interior design, many people don’t favor the color black, believing it’s too dark and depressing. However, its popularity is rising among interior designers, in combination with other colors. There are some advantages to using black in an interior design scheme.
A touch of black in interiors creates an impression of high class and sophistication. Combining it with lighter colors highlights the contrast, making it look elegant. The same effect is noticeable with brightly colored furnishing, creating a distinction that makes the space feel cozy and inviting.
The color black helps with accenting to make a space look classy and spacious. Even a small touch of black in different areas of an interior can create this effect. Interior elements like doors painted black seem to have more character than when painted in other colors.
A black wall also highlights wall paintings, making features and decorations stand out, especially if the interior is well-lighted. Additionally, using black on reflective surfaces like flooring and table tops makes them look cleaner, brighter, and shinier.
Tips to Keep the Cold Out of Your Home
Established in 1955, Weather Shield Windows and Doors is a family-operated company that manufactures custom windows and doors. With its base in Medford, Wisconsin, Weather Shield Windows and Doors is particularly experienced in providing a range of innovative styles and collections suited to keeping homes insulated from the cold.
Openings like windows and doors play a huge role in maintaining temperatures in the home. Using these measures, a homeowner can limit cold air from entering during the winter months:
The most useful step is to invest in sturdy insulated glass windows (IGUs), otherwise known as double pan windows, which diffuse heat transfer through the air pockets between their panes, thereby reducing their heat conductivity.
Alongside installing insulating windows, a homeowner can also re-caulk old spots in windows and doors to seal them from drafts. Window film also does a great job of insulating windows during the colder months. Heating the film with a blow-dryer after placing it on the pane is a simple way to shrink the covering to the surface, providing a seal from drafts.
Finally, weather strips, door sweeps and draft stoppers are additions that can be made to existing doors and windows to improve their draft-blocking capacities. Homeowners can also hang insulated curtains to in rooms that need added support.
Vinyl Clad Versus Aluminum Clad Windows
Weather Shield Windows and Doors is a family-owned business that provides comprehensive window and door products and services to clients around the nation. In addition to its all-wood products, Weather Shield Windows and Doors manufactures and sells both vinyl clad and aluminum clad windows.
Window cladding is a cover around a wooden core. It is seen from the exterior and helps protect the wood from the weather. Since the cladding does not continue on the interior, the wood frame is visible from the inside of a home.
This cladding is generally made from either aluminum or vinyl. Of the two, aluminum is more expensive, so aluminum-clad windows cost more than vinyl clad ones. This is because aluminum is a more expensive material and because it requires additional sealants that boost its thermal efficiency. Without these sealants, aluminum, like most other metals, is a poor thermal insulator and will let out heat and cold more easily.
For homeowners in warm, humid climates, vinyl clad windows are often the preferred option since they have more inherent energy efficiency. These windows are also easier to clean and maintain than aluminum-clad windows. In fact, vinyl clad windows require virtually no maintenance once they are installed, while aluminum-clad windows encounter maintenance problems as they age.
Repairing Rot on Wood Windows and Doors
Weather Shield Windows and Doors has been creating and selling high-quality window and door products since 1955. Family-owned Weather Shield Windows and Doors offers products in varying shapes, sizes, and materials, from all-wood windows to patio doors.
Wood windows and doors are an attractive option for many homes. Unfortunately, since the wood is exposed to humidity, rain, and other elements, it is more at risk of wood rot. Wood rot can spread quickly when ignored. Usually, if more than 10 percent of the wood frame is damaged, replacing the entire window frame is often necessary. If the rot has not spread to this extent, the frame can be successfully repaired.
This begins with removing the rotted parts of the frame using a brush and a chisel or flathead screwdriver. The chisel or screwdriver is used to scrape out the rotted wood until healthy wood is seen. Meanwhile, the brush cleans away the debris.
Once the rot is gone, homeowners must fill in the empty space with an epoxy filler. A wood hardening product can be used in the hole before this filler is applied, but it is not always necessary. As the filler hardens, it remains pliable for roughly 15 minutes. During this time, it can be smoothed and compacted more into the space so it creates a more secure fill. After that, it can be sanded and painted to match the healthy wood trim.
Energy Efficiency and Other Benefits of Zo-e-shield Windows
Dedicated to innovation, Weather Shield Windows and Doors engineers and manufactures unique windows and doors that match a variety of home styles. Beyond maintaining good quality craftsmanship in its products, Weather Shield Windows and Doors offers energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly options, including products that feature the Zo-e-shield energy glass system.
The Zo-e-shield system was engineered for efficiency and comfort. Featuring state-of-the-art technology, it is available in different variations that offer specific attributes to homeowners. Zo-e-shield 5 has two panes of glass with multiple layers of low E coating, while Zo-e-shield 7 features three panes of glass. Each of these variations helps homeowners save money on their energy bills since the windows are designed to boost the energy efficiency of the home.
Efficiency and energy bill savings are not the only benefits of Zo-e-shield products, either. These windows block 95 to 99.9 percent of UV-B and UV-A radiation from the sun. This radiation contributes to the fading of furnishings and flooring in the home. Many of these products also come with EasyCare coating. Windows with this coating are more resistant to dirt and grime, so they stay cleaner for longer periods of time.
Choosing Between Hinged and Sliding Patio Doors
Family-owned window and door manufacturer Weather Shield Windows and Doors has been producing high-quality home fixtures since 1955. Over the years, Weather Shield Windows and Doors has steadily expanded its product list. Today, the company offers several window and patio door styles, such as sliding and hinged patio doors.
Patio doors serve as the access point between your patio and your home. An example of a hinged door is a French door. If you have the space in your home to accommodate a hinged door, this style represents a more traditional design. French doors are available in a variety of sizes and finishes. They open without the restrictions or limitations associated with sliding doors. You can also choose how many hinges are on the door, along with the size of the glass panels. They do restrict your view of your patio more but allow in more sunlight than a standard exterior door.
On the other hand, sliding doors are a better choice to more save space. Most sliding doors consist of two panels or more. One of these panels slides back and forth on a track. Since these doors feature larger glass panels, they let in more sunlight than hinged doors and do not obstruct your view as much. They are also easy to install and are relatively cheaper than hinged doors.
WDMA Webinars Address Important Industry Topics
Based in Medford, Wisconsin, Weather Shield Windows and Doors has a 60-year history of providing high-quality home fenestration products at competitive prices. To ensure the highest standards of quality and safety, many of the Weather Shield Windows and Doors’ products are certified by the Window and Door Manufacturer’s Association (WDMA).
The WDMA creates and upholds standards for professionals in the residential and commercial window, door, and skylight industry. As part of its efforts to advance the industry, the WDMA offers members access to free webinars to educate and inform on industry trends. Appropriate for new members or seasoned professionals, the webinars comprise content that helps builders, code officials, and other architects stay at the forefront of the industry.
WDMA Webinars touch on topics specific to each professional. For example, architects can learn about architectural door standards or door face veneers, while builders and remodelers can take a webinar about the benefits of the window, door, and skylight certifications. To browse a list of webinars, visit www.wdma.com.
LITE Foundation Supports Local Community
A family-owned business, Weather Shield Windows and Doors has been operating out of Medford, Wisconsin, since 1955. Weather Shield Windows and Doors employs 1900 individuals, many of whom participate in the company’s charitable arm, the Lives Inspired Through Employees (LITE) Foundation.
Committed to enhancing the community by providing targeted support for individuals in need, the LITE Foundation donates its time, talent, and resources to various charitable organizations. Since it was established by employees in 1999, the foundation has raised more than $2 million through a combination of employee contributions, funds raised from the general public, and company-matched contributions.
Over the past two decades, the LITE Foundation has supported a diverse range of community-enhancing initiatives, including funding the construction of a children’s playground and the donation of emergency equipment to the volunteer fire department. The foundation has also worked to reduce hunger in the area by donating to various food pantry organizations.
What Is the Weather Shield Employee LITE Foundation?
Ranked among the top companies for contemporary window design, Weather Shield Windows and Doors produces a variety of products to meet the needs of its customers. Understanding the importance of safety, Weather Shield Windows and Doors produced the Coastal line of windows and doors designed to withstand the impact of a hurricane.
The Coastal products feature impact-resistant glass with a durable laminated interlayer bonded between two pains of glass. This construction reinforces the window to prevent debris from breaking the windows in the event of severe wind speeds and also keeps the glass from shattering, which creates a hazard for inhabitants.
During a hurricane, impact fractures like a broken window can create rapid air movement as the pressures outside and inside the home equalize. Much of the damage that occurs during a hurricane is due to this rapid movement, so equipping homes with protective materials is extremely important. The quick pressure equalization can cause structural failure, which puts lives at significant risk. Impact-resistant glass lowers the chances of such a catastrophic event from happening.
Shop Windows with TriCore Frame Technology and Symmetry Balance System
Based in Medford, Wisconsin, Weather Shield Windows and Doors has built a reputation for manufacturing the highest quality, most energy-efficient products possible. Established in 1955, Weather Shield Windows and Doors offers features such as TriCore™ Frame Technology and the Symmetry Balance System™.
The company’s TriCore Frame Technology consists of a fusion-welded and multi-chamber subframe that creates an effective thermal barrier against heat and cold. In addition to the thick subframe, these windows are made with highly moisture-resistant materials to resist weathering and eliminate water infiltration.
Weather Shield is the only manufacturer to offer double-hung windows crafted with the Symmetry Balance System. Combining coil balance technology with an all-new wood or vinyl jamb liner, the windows are aesthetically pleasing. Also achieving a high-performance rating, the Symmetry Balance windows are the only double-hung units in the industry that have achieved a Class 3 rating from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, attesting to their manufacturing quality and energy efficiency.
Weather Shield Windows and Doors 