Hello Amy! I'm happy to answer your question. I have installed a bunch of these over the last few years. The windows hold up very well. They are well constructed, and carry a lifetime warranty. They are paintable, but one thing I can say is that sometimes we run into operational issues when we paint the interior of the ultra series horizontal sliders. They run such tight tolerances, that the paint can make them a little hard to operate. If you choose Ultra Series Woodclad, the paint or stain doesn't seem to interfere. Only on the Ultra without Woodclad interior. People I have installed them for love the windows.

They are remarkably versatile. For instance, I just installed a bunch of them in a mid-century modern with aluminum windows. The homeowner wanted to preserve the look of the aluminum, so we ordered specialty paint that looks just like aluminum and painted the windows. Once installed, you can't tell they are not aluminum! I will be posting pictures of those shortly.

If you are planning on installing these into a brand new home, you may want to also consider Marvin's Integrity Series. It is a pultruded fiberglass window, and the quality is superb. I carry both windows, and if you are located in Southern California, I would be happy to meet with you and show you both. But the Marvin does not offer a retrofit window, whereas the Milgard does. But if this is new construction, I would encourage you to look at the Marvin also.

Thanks!

JR Pentolino

JR is right... I always suggest the Woodclad version if you plan to paint. It is much easier and it also has a better matte finish compared to painting fiberglass. (The surface is a little too shinny for me).

I would like to see any photos that you may have of your project!

Jeff in Houston

It looks like the window sticks out beyond the white trim. Is this typical for replacement windows?

Hi Beth - this photo shown above does not look like a typical application. The window itself it the dark frame. The white piece around it is some kind of wood trim, which is not typical. I'ts hard to say why it was chosen in this case as we do not have any information about the project. Hope this helps.

Hi Beth! Milgard is spot on. The white piece is an existing plant-on trim that surrounded the existing steel window. This was a very odd wall condition, and you typically won't see a reveal like this. It doesn't look like it from the photo for some reason, but the white plant-on trim is actually sticks out beyond the bronze frame.

It could also be that they did not have the wall depth needed for this product. The product itself if 4-1/8" deep. The original window was likely narrower and they needed extra room to accommodate the depth. Another option might have been to do a cut-back and recess the window further into the home. I cannot say for sure without seeing the project. Looks like it works though.