Review of Marvin Essentials Window

At Canes Exteriors we only install products that we are comfortable standing behind and that we feel support us when we have issues or questions.  Marvin Windows and Doors and one of the best manufacturers when it comes to both.  This article will take a look under the hood so to speak of the Marvin Essentials product line and provide an overview of the materials, options and pros and cons.

The Essentials Collection is Marvins all fiberglass window.  So instead of being wood on the inside portion of the window it is fiberglass inside and outside.  This has its pros and cons as we will look at in this blog.

Overview of materials

When it comes to building materials the raw ingredients and manufacturing process make a huge difference in how the product will perform long term.  Marvin innovated and pioneered fiberglass materials over 20 years ago and makes the Essentials product line using their patented Ultrex material.

Marvin does not use any sawdust or vinyl to produce their composite materials.  Ultrex material is made of a high density of woven fibers that are bound by thermally set resins.  This makes Ultrex more resistant to pressure and temperature than vinyl based composites.

Ultrex fiberglass is much more impact resistant and rigid than vinyl and vinyl/wood composites and this helps with less than perfect alignment that we run into on remodel installations.  It also helps improve long term performance, and insures a long lasting fit that stays square and true, year after year. This is the main reason we recommend the Marvin Essential collection to our clients.

According to Marvin, Ultrex expands and contracts at almost the same rate as glass.  This is really important because you are less likely to have costly seal failures due to the window frame material expanding at a higher rate than the glass it is holding.  Ultrex can handle very high temperatures all the way up to 285 degrees but also rapid temperature changes.  We see this every year in spring and fall when its 32 degrees over night but warms up to 70 degrees during the day time.

Ultrex is also highly resistant to scratches, dings and marring.  Marvin patented their acrylic finish and its up to 3 times thicker than competitors.  It also resists fading from UV 5 times longer than vinyl regardless of the color.

Options Available

Marvins Essentials Collection doesn’t have all of the customization options that the Elevate or Signature Collections have but Essentials should have enough variety and styles that most customers can find what they desire.

Casement + Awning

• There are Stationary, operating, transom and picture units available.
• A folding handle provides easy operation and is stored out of the way so it doesn’t snag on your drapes or blinds.
• Casements are available in standard and special sizes all the way up to 3 feet wide by 6 feet tall.
• Awnings are available in standard and special sizes up to 4 feet wide by 3 feet high.
• Picture and Transom windows are available up to 6 feet wide by 6 feet high.
• All styles have an easy to remove screen that uses concealed fasteners.

Single Hung

• Fixed top sash and a movable bottom sash that provides a traditional double hung look
• The standard option is an aluminum half screen but you can get a full screen as an upgrade
• An equal, cottage and reverse cottage sash give you several different design options and check rail heights
• Standard and special sizes up to 4 feet wide and 6 feet 6 inches tall
• Picture and transoms available up to 5 feet wide by 6 feet high
• The lower sash removes without any strings or cords to detach

Double Hung

• Two moveable sash allowing for ventilation at the top, bottom or both
• Tilt latches are very easy to operate that make cleaning very easy
• Same sizes and design options available as single hung

Glider

• This is a great alternative to a sash that swings open
• Available in dual sash with a left or right operating panel as well as a triple sash that has a fixed center panel and two operating end panels
• Available in standard sizes and special sizes up to 6 feet wide by 5 feet high for dual sash and 8 feet wide by 5 feet high for triple sash

Picture

Fixed window available in either in sash or direct glaze depending on your design needs.

Direct Glaze

Glass meets the frame without a sash.  This is great for when you want a clean profile that maximizes the glass area.  Available in sizes up to 9.5 feet wide by 9.5 feet high but you cant exceed 49 square feet.

In – sash

• Designed to match profiles of operable windows in the Essential Collection
• Casement picture windows available in sizes up to 6 feet wide by 6 feet tall
• Double hung pictures are available in sizes up to 5 feet wide by 6 feet high

Round Top

These are constructed of a glass reinforced composite capped with Marvins proprietary acrylic finish. Standard and special sizes up to 8 feet wide and 7 feet high depending on the shape.

Speciality Shapes

Marvin Essentials Collection also has you covered if you have speciality sizes:

• Left or right trapezoid
• Isosceles triangle
• Rectangle
• Pentagon
• Octagon
• Left or Right 90 degree triangle
• Available in sizes up to 49 square feet but the longest leg may not exceed 9.5 feet

Design Options

Interior and Exterior Finishes

Fiberglass Interior Colors

• Stone White – available with your choice of ANY exterior finish colors
• Bronze – available when paired with BRONZE exterior finish
• Ebony- Available when paired with EBONY exterior finish

Fiberglass Exterior Colors

• Stone White
• Cashmere
• Pebble Gray
• Evergreen
• Bronze
• Ebony

Grilles between the glass (GBG)

Available in stone white, bronze and ebony for the interior

Available in stone white, cashmere, pebble gray, evergreen, bronze and ebony for the exterior

Glass options

Available with Dual Pane in Low E1, Low E2, Low E3, and Low E3/ERS insulated glass with argon gas.  Options include glazing for sound abatement (STC/OITC), high altitudes, and California fire zones.

Decorative Glass

• Obscure
• Glue Chip
• Rain
• Reed
• Narrow Reed
• Frost
• Bronze Tint
• Gray Tint
• Green Tint

Pros and Cons of Marvin Replacement Windows

Overall, the Marvin Essentials Collection is a great all fiberglass option that provides a virtually maintenance-free window that is extremely durable.  A Marvin Essentials window will cost you more than double the cost of a good vinyl window.  If you have found your forever home and want to only replace your windows one time than this is a great window.  Especially if you are happy with the somewhat limited options in this collection.  The interior colors are fairly limited with only 3 to choose from but Marvins other collections have more choices if one of the more traditional colors aren’t a fit.

Marvin has a solid warranty but is a little hard to interpret.  It is called a 20/10 warranty.  This warranty covers their standard glass (under 60 square feet) against seal failure due to manufacturer defects for 20 years and sizes bigger than this are 10 years.

Their non glass components are warrantied to be free from defects for 10 years.  One of the nice things about their warranty is that it is fully transferable as many times before the 20 /10 year period.  Most of its competitors are only transferable once.

Hopefully, this article was helpful.  The Essentials Collection is the most affordable option when it comes to Marvin windows and is significantly better than even the best vinyl window which is why we recommend these as a starting point for our clients.  Please reach out to get a personalized quote!