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emmajoy8

ProVia v QuantaPanel Storm windows

3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

I have a historic home with single pane original windows (in Washington, DC historic district, they cannot be replaced) and old storms. I'm looking to update the storms with a two track low-e glass storm, with the main goal of reducing noise. Eventually I'll probably add an indow-style interior storm. I've gotten quotes from a couple ProVia and QuantaPanel folks (and Mon-ray but I've written that off because I hear the factory is having significant delays).

I've been unable to find a comparison between the two storms. ProVia is cheaper (and I could do custom color for an additional 33% cost, whereas it's about 90% more for QuantaPanel). I could do QuantaPanel DIY however the pro's have indicated that they cut off 1/4 of the edge of each storm, and that's beyond my capacity (I haven't asked Quanta if they could do this for me).

Anyone willing to provide insight or experience on this quandary? @Windows on Washington Ltd any insight?

Comments (26)

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Both are solid manufacturers in this case. You might want to ask if either have a thicker or laminated glass option if you are worried about noise attenuation. If you did that, the interior storm option becomes a bit redundant in my opinion. You want to control/abate the noise as the outermost layer if possible.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you for your response @Windows on Washington Ltd! Neither have glass options, both are 1/8" double strength and offer low-e. Interestingly, ProVia customer service informed me that their storms are not air tight , they won't say they do anything for noise and are just meant to serve as "protection" for a traditional window. Given that my purpose is noise abatement this is a bit concerning, despite how much I would like to do a custom sherwin williams color and not have to use one of Quanta's colors.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    If noise abatement is the concern, Mon-Ray probably has some of your better options. Might want to try them and see what the delays actually look like. A heavy, laminated lite, storm will be your best option in this case.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    I also see the interior panel as redundant and incovenient. No window is air tight and I dont think they test for STC ratings. It would be foolish to make claims with out the data. It would be safe or foolish to say that the Pro-Via will reduce air and noise

    infiltration. Larson makes or made a storm for sound control called the SCS storm, I know it came in 3/16ths glass, not sure about laminated.

  • 3 years ago

    Interesting! (side note: it's not clear to me why these companies make finding information so hard, I asked ProVia if there was a video of their storms anywhere on the internet and they said no. I've found one and it's someone describing how MonRay uses stronger steel than ProVia). QuantaPanel has STC sound transmission data on their storms.


    As of right now the quotes I've gotten for companies (without any laminated lites) is 17k for Monray, 12k for QuantaPanel and 9k for Provia. QuantaPanel allows direct customer orders so that would cut down on my costs. I can go to Lowes and get a Larson quote so I will do that to see! My understanding was that Larson had a much wider frame so wouldn't be good for a historical home.


  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Lowes may not have access to the Larson sound control storms (SCS) . The Larson SCS storm is a flush mount storm like the Mon-Ray and do have wider profiles. These profiles look more like a tradiditional wood storm and look more historic IMO. Both of these are built very well. You can get the Larson Premium Series from Lowes with double strength glass in Flush mount or not. This is pretty the same as there SCS series without the 3/16ths glass. when comparing profiles it is important to know what series within a brand your looking at as they are all different.

  • 3 years ago

    This blog posted pictures comparing Quanta and Allied (which closed), but Allied looks pretty similar to MonRay to me (perhaps rails are a little thiner). It's the best photos I can find on the internet since, for whatever reason, these companies think posting a zoomed out picture of a house is helpful to consumers. Old House Guy Blog.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Quanta is definitely the thinner profile in that link you posted. Cleaner lines.

  • 3 years ago

    An issue, which has not been discussed here is that Mon-Ray windows with 1/4" glass, the styles (side rails) are wider. They do this so that they can keep the same frames. This is unfortunate, as that extra loss of glass of about 3/8" on every side is noticeable. The Mon-Ray window is the only one that I have found that can do laminated glass, which provides good UV blocking. The standard low-e storm windows don't do very well on UV blocking.

  • 3 years ago

    hi @Emily A - looking into this and am also debating between ProVia and QuataPanel as well. What did you end up going with? Curious if you have any thoughts on the QuataPanel 700 series. Worth the upgrade? Did you get an estimate on the approximate charge per window to install on ProVia? If you have had them installed can you report back?


    also: thanks for providing info as you found it. Super useful!

  • 3 years ago

    We ordered Provia Clinton picture frame storm windows in December. Have now been told Provia no longer making these. All the links to storm windows on their website are missing or broken. Does anyone know what os going on? Dows this Quanta male a picture storm similar to the Provia Clinton? Thank you.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Supply chain. The products that are the least profitable will get axed first.


    There is an ongoing aluminum shortage and prices are skyrocketing. This combination probably led to that fractional product line getting axed from their line up.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    +1, WoW is spot on as far as I understand. I was told that existing orders will be fulfilled, however the are definitely coming along slowly.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @Emily A I also live in Washington, DC, and I am also looking to add better storm windows to my existing original wood windows. I've researched Mon-Ray quite a bit, and I was wondering: How many windows are you looking to do? I saw that you listed 17K and I wanted to see if I should expect to pay somewhere in the same ballpark ... Thanks in advance!

  • 3 years ago

    It's 15 windows, 4 transoms and 11 double hung. It's probably a higher price now as prices have gone up.

  • 3 years ago

    Thanks @Emily A. Yikes they are more expensive than I thought they would be... Now I'm wondering if I should just replace completely with a high-end wood line (ather than first restoring then adding Mon-Ray storms)... I hope everything worked out for you with the noise reduction! Which storms did you end up going with?

  • 3 years ago

    I ordered Quanta but timelines are lengthy .... so have a while more to wait!

  • 3 years ago

    A few questions.. I am a bit concerned about purchasing directly from the manufacturer (Quantapanel). I like having the added layer of a distributor because if something goes wrong, they have to fix the problem. I'm not sure what I would do on my own if there was a problem. Also, did you do a color? The website implies they won't send a color sample until you place an order, although I can ask them. I had planned to do ProVia because it came in Mountain Berry; I'm still kicking myself for not knowing they were discontinuing their aluminum storm windows. Larson storm windows don't come in colors. Was the sound issue why you elimimated Larson, or were there other reasons?

  • 2 years ago

    @Emily A @Windows on Washington Ltd I know this thread is quite old at this point, but I'm wondering if you have a contractor recommendation for Quantapanel in the DC area? As expected, the MonRay's are on the pricey side and I'm trying to see what my other options are for energy efficiency & sound reduction. Thank you!

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I don't, off the top of my head. Have you reached out to them directly? Always found them to be good folks to deal with.

  • last year

    Emily whatever happened with your Corian countertops issue???

  • last year

    LOL, a throwback! The corian soapstone needed to be waxed and maintained the same as natural soapstone. I just had plain white quartz installed.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    LOL, a throwback! The manufacturer said that, essentially, corian soapstone needs to be waxed and maintained the same as natural. I got plain white quartz installed.

  • last year

    Cambria this time?

  • last year

    Emily, I’m curious how the storm windows you ordered worked out for noise abatement? I’m in the process of researching and getting quotes now, and I’d love to hear from an actual consumer how well they work for reducing noise. In my case I’m trying to limit airplane noise.

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