The story of Fibrex® material began in the late 1950s when the Andersen® Corporation wasn’t completely impressed with vinyl. Although it was resistant to decay and painless to maintain, it lacked enough structural integrity with its high expansion and contraction rate.
Three decades and over 30 patents later, Andersen perfected the process to manufacture Fibrex in 1992. Fast-forward to today, Fibrex is the st andard material for Renewal by Andersen of St. Louis’s replacement windows. As its exclusive source in the region, we share how it’s made:
Reclaiming Unused Wood
Fibrex is made from 40% wood fiber by weight and 60% proprietary polymer. Its wood content comes from reclaiming and repurposing unused portions of Andersen wood window components. This is why our Fibrex material is environmentally smart, saving nearly 9 million board feet of lumber from harvesting since its first mass production.
Mixing the Ingredients
Our windows company heats the reclaimed wood fibers to extract all of the moisture. Once completely dried, we heat the polymers to a certain temperature before combining them with the reclaimed wood fibers. During this process, the wood fiber and polymer molecules bond and form a new compound. The liquid polymer fills and encases every individual cell of the wood fiber without crushing any of them. As a result, the process lends Fibrex wood’s superior rigidity and vinyl’s moisture repellence.
Molding Into Custom Components
The mixture then flows through an innovative extruder. It allows us to create Fibrex frames, sashes and grilles in virtually any shape. This operation also applies any color of our customers request; in fact, we currently offer 48 different interior-exterior color combinations to bring all conceivable grille patterns to life.
Thanks to Fibrex, you can rest assured that Renewal by Andersen of St. Louis’s products will st and the test of time. One study reveals that our windows haven’t peeled or cracked, and have continued to operate smoothly even after 20 years of muggy Minnesota summers and rough winters.
Furthermore, Fibrex is also a sub-sill component of our hinged Frenchwood® doors, which has an extremely dem anding role. Because of its resistance to rot and decay and incredible strength, it fits the bill perfectly and performs exceptionally well.
We’ll bring a sample during our initial visit to your home to let you see Fibrex first-h and. To talk about your Missouri project, call us at (314) 310-3636 to schedule your FREE, in-home consultation in Chesterfield, MO.
