USEFUL TIPS
LEAVE THE MEASURING, INSTALLATION, AND FINISHING WITH THE PROFESSIONALS
Your investment into high-quality Pietų Megrame products, known for excellent heat and sound insulation properties, will pay off with long-term benefits. However, client satisfaction is not only about the features of the product. Poor precision of the rough opening measurements, bad installation and finishing could result in additional costs and poor performance even of a high-quality product. Thus, we suggest leaving the entire process – measurements, design, and installation – with door and window professionals.
Measurement
Door and window constructions must comply with all applicable modern technical requirements. Rough opening measurements make a very important part of the entire process, requiring both civil engineering and technical knowledge. Doing it on your own you take a risk of making mistakes, which may result in big problems during the installation process. Just imagine: you take the measurements as you think fit, we produce the windows, and it turns out that they are too small. Situations like this would require more installation materials, and heat insulation qualities or statics could suffer as well. And if the windows are too large, you would have to enlarge the rough openings, resulting in increased finishing costs. Correct assessment of the static load parameters of the hinge parts is crucial, as they determine how fast the parts would wear, translating not only into additional trouble, but also additional costs.
We recommend trusting our experts, who will not only pick the best profiles for your window frames and sashes, insulating glass units, or window opening systems based on your wants and needs, but also take proper measurements.
With proper measurements and after discussing the best technical solution for your doors and windows, we will provide you with a project proposal.
Installation
Highest quality doors and windows can’t guarantee full performance unless they have been properly installed. Installation works must ensure excellent insulation of all seams of the building. Gap insulation between door and window structures and their rough openings should be based on the characteristics of the structure and the building itself.
Correct door and window installation using high-quality materials, picked for each specific case, has a huge impact on the energy efficiency of the entire building. Poor quality of the installation works or materials used reduces thermal resistance of the seam between the window frame and the wall, resulting in heat leaks, increased humidity, and signs of mould or wall decay around the windows and doors. A bad choice of installation materials can often lead to very unpleasant outcome.
Gaps between the reveal and door or window structure are filled with special foam sealant with at least 0.03 W/m²K thermal conductivity coefficient. Its expansion does not exceed the established limits. Polyurethane foam for windows and exterior doors releases water vapour outside. It must be protected from sunlight and water. The outer foam protection must be permeable to vapour, but not water. The foam expands, hardens and then shrinks slightly. If the surface was not prepared before spraying the foam, it will simply tear off.
It is also crucial to avoid getting moisture into the installation seam from the interior, using special vapour diffusion tapes to protect the foam from the inside. Thus we recommend using butyl or aluminium insulation tapes, or special sealants for the interior side of the window. When plastering the inside of window reveals, we suggest using internal sound insulation tape. If the reveal will be covered with plasterboard or plastic panels, you can use aluminium foil butyl rubber tape.
When installing window and door structures, it is necessary to ensure that the assembly joint has reliable protection on both sides: from moisture and steam on the inside, and from rain, sunlight and temperature fluctuations on the outside. The lower part of the windows and doors must be properly finished as well.
Although window installation may not seem complicated, we suggest taking no risks and trust the door and window installation and finishing works with Pietų Megrame professionals!
Finishing
UAB Pietų Megrame offers window and door installation finishing services, performed by professional and experienced experts. Window and door reveal finishing is necessary not only for aesthetic reasons. Poor quality seams between walls and doors or windows decrease insulation indices and deteriorate heat insulation properties of the foam or other insulation materials used. Moisture and mould could spread not only around the reveals, but also the surrounding walls. Moreover, the finishing works must be done not only in high quality, but also on time.
The primary, or the so-called partial reveal finishing can be done no sooner than in one day since the installation, which means that the insulation foam will have fully expanded and hardened. The reveals of the newly-installed structures can be taped with adhesive finishing tape with a soft edge. The tape is a durable and long-lasting cover and can be used both on the inside and outside. Partial finishing may be enough, if the reveals were not badly damaged in the process of changing the windows. Partial finishing using plastic panels protects the foam from direct sunlight, rain, and other weather conditions.
In order to ensure that the installation and insulation seam of the newly-installed windows or doors is sufficiently tight and preserves its initial thermal insulation qualities, it is necessary to complete the reveal finishing by ensuring that the installation foam is fully covered and protected from weather conditions. These works can be started only when the foam has fully expanded and hardened.
Pietų Megrame experts will advise on the best reveal finishing methods that suit your needs. They depend both on the structure of the wall, and the type of the reveals.
Our experts will also take care of the reveal décor: plastering, priming, painting or wallpapering.
Have these responsible works done by Pietų Megrame professionals and enjoy life in your cosy home.
PICKING YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS
Earlier, the options of picking your windows was pretty simple – it was either wood or plastic. Today, residential and commercial builders look for energy-efficient, safe and, of course, modern design solutions for all parts of their projects, including windows.
What are the major criteria to make sure that the product will be durable?
The main criteria to consider include: a reliable and well-known manufacturer, proper energy-efficiency class, possibilities to fit the window size and shape to the general structure of the building.
Why picking a well-known produced is important? Well-known companies that have a lot of experience in the business and good reviews, foster their quality, reliability, and reputation. All parts of the windows are important to ensure good results. Therefore, you should pay attention to the frame and sash profiles, fittings and glass units, used by your chosen manufacturer. Well-known manufacturers do invest into their design, production, and innovations. They diligently test their products and are capable of producing and installing high-quality, safe, and reliable windows. These producers also protect their image and will try to resolve any issues that may arise.
The choice of the energy-efficiency class depend heavily on the type of the house or the apartment, and whether it is new or under renovation. Energy-efficiency standards are definitely not as high for apartments in a block building as for newly-built private homes.
In any case, it is worth taking some time to research the construction and technical characteristics of the major parts of the windows offered – glass units and frame profiles. A glass unit is the major element, determining the light, heat, and sound conductivity. Higher heat insulation properties translate into lower heat loss.
Currently, most popular choices involve large windows and doors with lots of glass. They are subject to enormous loads, so you should take extra care in assessing their static indices.
Pietų Megrame has been engaged in window and door production business in Lithuania for more than twenty-five years and our experts will definitely help you with your choices, produce, and install high-quality, attractive and long-lasting products that meet your ideas and expectations.
WINDOW SHAPE TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR UNIQUE STYLE
Windows are an important feature and highlight of any style of a building. They have a special multifunctional role in architecture. Besides being a transparent partition, they also have other practical and aesthetic purposes. Examples of windows as examples of aesthetic expression can be found in nearly all buildings.
The means to complement the architecture include not only the window frame colors, division, and inclination, but also the shape. Although modern architecture is known for minimalism and strict angles, but perhaps namely your idea requires untraditional round, triangular or arched windows? Thinking that it’s impossible to achieve this with plastic frames is wrong. Pietų Megrame has produced many doors and windows in truly impressive shapes. Our work speaks for itself.
If you have a unique idea and doubt that it may be possible, contact us and together we’ll make it happen!
COLORED WINDOW FRAME TRENDS AND EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES
For a while, Lithuanian market was predominated by white PVC doors and windows. The situation today is multicolored. A balanced combination of shapes, colors, and materials create the aesthetics of a building. Colored window frames are a highlight of any façade, making the building truly special.
Window frame color can visually enlarge the window and mitigate the optical effect of its division. This is particularly true with dark colors, as it is closest to the color of the glass during the day time. Meanwhile, white and other light colors contrast with the glass, highlighting its division and making the window visually smaller. Thus, the choice of the color depends on the intended effect.
Dark colors, a popular choice these days, not only create a luxurious image, but also represent contemporary minimalistic trends of architectural style. However, some users worry that dark colors will attract heat, resulting in deformations and fading over time.
Pietų Megrame leaves all doubts about fading colors behind, offering colored doors and windows from a range of GEALAN-acrylcolor® profiles. GEALAN profile manufacturers have solved the thermal issues of fading and deformations by using unique thermal PVC color coating technology, which involves fusing the white profile base with liquid colored acrylic to coat the white profile surface. This means that the color is obtained by fusing it into the material instead of painting. Compared to the usual painted profiles, these PVC profiles show more resistance, durability and maintain their novel appearance for years without peeling off, flaking or fading.
The 0.5 mm surface layer of the colored GEALAN-acrylcolor® PVC window frames are more durable and show better resistance to heat or changing weather conditions – the color stays unchanged for many years. The colored windows of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, unfaded for more than a quarter of a century, make a perfect example.
The acrylic surface is completely smooth, making the frames dust and dirt resistant too. Therefore, these windows are easy to clean, always look like new, their surface doesn’t flake, peel, or scratch, and any transportation, installation or finishing accidents can be easily polished.
Contact Pietų Megrame for your unfading colored PVC doors or windows. Our experts will offer you the best solution to match your needs.
THE WOODEN AESTHETICS OF LAMINATED WINDOW FRAMES
One of the perks of PVC is that it is easy to laminate. Laminates range from simple gloss to luxurious matte, featuring wood texture, or smooth wood imitation, which is really hard to distinguish from the real thing.
Pietų Megrame laminated window frames with wood pattern and texture imitation allow you to enjoy the traditional look of a wooden window and the advantages of PVC windows. The frame can also feature different colors on the inside and outside, thus enabling to unleash your fantasy and match your doors and windows both to the exterior and the interior design.
Laminates, used by Pietų Megrame, are known not only for their aesthetic, but also functional qualities: resistance to UV and weather conditions, durability and easy maintenance.
Therefore, pick our frame color and wood patterns being really sure that they match your façade and interior design.
LOTS OF GLASS, LOTS OF LIGHT, SPACE, AND VIEW
Large glass surfaces contribute to your well-being and the elegance of the building. Enormous windows with a sea, lake or forest view look truly impressive and makes you want something like that for your home too. However, it is necessary to consider the technical details and other important aspects to evade disappointment and unwanted costs. Whatever looks great in a warm climate may not be compatible with Lithuanian weather.
A glass partition with a gigantic porch door should not become a source of cold, wind and rain, sieving into your home in the cold season. Structures like these should provide you with magnificent views and lots of sunlight and warmth, without giving any of that warmth away. To make all of these contradictory factors of glass partitions with a large porch door functional, conventional door and window constructions are not enough.
Pietų Megrame produces large swinging or sliding porch or patio doors, which fit Lithuanian climatic conditions. Large glass door and window frames are made of reliable GEALAN S 8000 and GEALAN S 9000 profile systems, used particularly for such purposes. However, all profile systems have their own limitations, which should be considered. All of these aspects are included into the calculations and assessments, as large doors and windows must be not only good-looking, but also functional, and serve you for many years, creating a warm, safe, and cosy environment of your home.
Earlier, passive and A+ energy class requirements for houses with patio doors were unattainable, but the thermal parameters of the S 9000 HST lift-slide patio door frame profile systems currently offered are among the best on the market. Window and door structures that meet the passive house parameters can be as wide as 6.5 m. The thermal coefficient Uf of these profiles does not exceed 1.3 W/m²K, while the Uw for windows can be achieved as high as 0.77 W/m²K, when the Ug value of the glass unit is equal to 0.5 W/m²K and the TGI-Spacer frame is used. The thickness of the sash profile (82.5 mm), the 6 internal chambers in the sash profiles, and the depth of the introduction of the glass unit into the profile, increased to 26 mm, contribute to extremely good heat and sound insulation parameters. Thermal insulation is further improved by filling the inner chamber of the profile with heat-insulating foam according to the unique GEALAN-IKD® technology, which involves filling the profiles with insulating foam already at the factory.
Whether your house is under construction or you wish to install large glass partitions with sliding doors in the house you already own, Pietų Megrame experts are ready to offer you advice, design, and produce a large patio door, which fits namely your home environment needs.
