Not sure about the others, but I think Marvin can custom color match a clad window. It probably costs a bunch of $, but might be worth doing to get the look you want, but not the forever maintenance issue of painting every few years?

This is an interesting option and one we weren't aware of. The house itself will be painted HardiePlank, HardieShingle, HardieTrim with some wood elements (simple decorative trim, porch elements), so we expected the entire exterior would require regular upkeep. Most of the windows will be simple one-over-one double hung windows, so there won't be a lot of detailed "grille" painting in the future (grille is in quotes because I'm not a window expert and this seems like a generic term).

Would a custom match really match the paint of the trim? I would worry that even if it began as a perfect match that over time they would age/fade differently. The other upside for painted windows is the look of hand painting. I've seen a similar back and forth in the kitchen threads between those who prefer a factory finish on cabinets and people who like the light texture of painted cabinets. Maybe this is zany, but I do like the imperfections I see in the painted windows in the old houses near me which seems to give the windows a texture/depth.

I recommend the Marvin Ultimate with their aluminum trim if you can afford it or paint a cellular PVC window although I don't know anything about the one listed.

While I appreciate the recommendation regarding the clad aluminum option, I'd still love to hear from anyone who has experience with wood (not clad) or cellular PVC windows that they have painted, either in a new home or as replacement windows in a historic home.

No matter what finish the only window on that list from a quality stand point that in my mind would be worth considering is the Marvin. The balance range from mediocre to bad.

@millworkman (or others): Are there other paintable windows you would recommend instead?

We're not married to this list, it was just offered as a jumping off point. This will be our first home, we have zero experience window shopping, and I've been striking out finding information/opinions on paintable windows compared to vinyl or clad windows. At this point my information in limited to the recommendations of my architect and one potential builder. My gut feeling is that even in historical neighborhoods many people are bypassing paintable windows by doing white clad windows with white exterior trim, so there may be less people to weigh in?

This is our first home and money is a constraint, as I imagine it is for many this year, but we also want to invest in windows that won't need replacing in five years and that look appropriate to the type of home we are building.

I am weighing in on the issue of pre-painted, color matched windows. At some point, you might choose other colors for the windows/trim of your home. I would not invest in color matching at this point. I would get windows that are primed or prepped for painting, giving you the liberty to paint them what ever color that you wish, or what ever future home owners might wish to paint them. Yes, you can paint over pre-painted/matched windows, but why would you add the expense of this? Just a consideration.

Look at Kolbe Heritage Series K-Kron (prefinished factory painted), Loewen or possibly location dependent LePage, in addition tot he Marvin of course. In my mind it makes no sense to buy a composite or fiberglass prefinished window and then paint it a different color. All make a good wood window. Personally I would probably go with factory finished paint or aluminum clad with the extruded trim for my own house.

(PS: I write from the perspective of having had a Queen Anne with original wooden windows that I painted with different colors over the 10 years that we owned the home.)

@ptreckel Yes, one of the many reasons we are looking for paintable windows and not just getting color matched windows is what you've suggested. Yellow trim sounds delightful now but maybe in ten years it won't. There are plenty of downsides to having a house that requires regular painting but the upside is the opportunity to iteratively improve or even reinvent.

That said, I'm not deaf to the fact that we've gotten several recommendations to just do a clad window. However, we haven't been able to come up with a color scheme we like that matches any non-custom cladding. We can look into color-,matching but I'm a little concerned that as the windows and trim age they will match less and less and we like the aforementioned re-paintability.

Holding out hope there are still commenters who might have comments or recommendations on paintable windows.

@E. T. – did you ever find a good option for a paintable window? I have the same concerns. I'm kind of wondering if painting clad aluminum is feasible?

The whole raison d'etra of clad windows is that your don't have to paint them. Once your paint them you will have to repaint them regularly.

I thought a key reason was that wood rots but metal and plastic don't?

Would you need to repaint them more often than you need to repaint a house? Also, is there a good option, aside from wood, for people who may want to change the color of windows and trim at some point – or is wood exterior really the only option?

Fiberglass.

Thanks for that @SCCB

Just out of curiosity, does fiberglass hold paint better than clad, does it require paint (like wood), or is it better for painting for some other reason(s)?

If you are replacing double hung windows, I suggest you first look into having them restored. Generally, new windows do not last very long. Take a look at Your Old Windows: Restore or Replace?

To answer your specific questions: fiberglass can be painted and it is no more difficult than painting wood. Generally paint holds better because fiberglass to not swell and contact with humidity.

Thanks for the thoughts and advice @StarCraft Custom Builders

I wish the original windows had been left in, but the previous owners did a criminally bad install with cheap vinyl windows.

Depressing question, but are *all* new windows destined to die quickly? Is asking for a window that can be painted /and/ isn’t trash too much? (I know, I know — it’s too much)

Actually, good windows are still being made by Kolbe. For custom windows, we use Bristol Windows. Both of these options are pricey, but suited for your "forever" house.

If yours is not the house you plan to die in, try Andersen. We have never been happy with their sliding windows, but their double-hung windows are OK.

I hear Marvin also makes a good window, but have no personal experience with the company or its products.

I do have experience with Pella and suggest you stay far, far away from these overpriced, mediocre products.

These are all wood windows, some of which may be clad. Cladding is aluminum, fiberglass, or plastic applied to the outside of the windows to eliminate painting. Fiberglass works well, and I recommend it as a cladding.

We have painted Andersen's fiberglass-clad windows with good results, but I don't recommend it. Once painted, they have to be periodically re-painted while unpainted fiberglass just needs a good wash down once in a while.

If you select a neutral color in the first instance, it should never need painting. If yours is not a forever house, go with bare fiberglass in a color you like and let the next guy worry about painting to his taste.

Do not listen to the various claims about energy efficiency. In that realm, one brand is just about as good as the rest and most of the claims are bs nonsense. Paying for argon on krypton gas fillers is a fool's purchase as are triple pane windows..

Hope this helps.

@StarCraft Custom Builders – this is extremely helpful. After preliminary research on houzz/ reddit, the brands available in our area that seemed to have good reputations were: Marvin, Kolbe, Loewen, and Andersen. It's reassuring to know there are still decent windows available. This is (hopefully) our forever house and we've already put quite a lot of work into it, so when possible I'm trying to make decisions for the long run. Thank you!

Good luck.