Solid points fridge although I'm not sure it mattered if the wood is rotted or decayed from the preservative as the end result was the same. According to Marvin preservative is applied before primer or paint so we most likely would have had the same result with primer on this piece of wood. If Marvin felt it was only aesthetic I doubt they would replace the unit. What is very hard to show in a photo is how high the ridges have come up in the affected area and that it appears to extend under the direct set window. The Marvin tech was quite surprised at the damage in relation to the photos. Two factory techs were involved and both felt laminating was a poor option, although a Marvin manager felt that was the way to go. I have zero experience with that so I must defer to the expertise of others in that regard. The paint is a bit of a conundrum to me. It's interesting to hear so many others feel that factory paint is more cost effective when my experience was the opposite. I have to believe there are two things at play there. Regional differences in what painters charge and sales commissions. This room has six windows in two openings. Factory paint was very expensive. The two quarter circles alone were $600 for factory paint. Then there was the casement and trim paint cost. TBH I could have had nearly all the windows in my house hand painted for what the factory paint charge was in this one room. I have used Marvin primed in the past but I took the time to remove the hardware, paint the inside of the frames etc. That's a lot of work but the finish is very nice. Better than factory paint for sure. In my case I was able to have the store deliver the windows a week before installation so painting was far easier. I'm hoping to have the best of both worlds this time around by opting for factory paint and then hand painting in five years after that warranty has expired. It's also good to know that others feel this was handled well. After all good customer service and past experience was a significant factor in choosing Marvin.

Moisture between the glass would not be caused by poor installation. Rather, it would be caused by a defective manufacturing issue or due to some type of unusual situation where the normal wear was affected. For instance, extreme variations in temperature due to orientation or something going on regarding the interior of your home. I design and specify windows for homes in Florida almost all of them on the water or close by. Sierra Pacific offers a 30 year warranty on its 2605 finish and 20 year warranty on its patented Coreguard wood treatment and I would consider those windows. Andersen performs well too but they reduce their 20 year warranty to 10 years when on the coast. In my 40 year career, I have had great success with Andersen and SP and would run away from Pella if you are looking for an aluminum clad wood window. Just my opinion based on more than a hundred installations.

Hi, E Weiss, It looks like you've got a lot of responses to sift through! I just wanted to chime in and ask if you've considered other window materials? I think wood is beautiful but you're right they are pretty expensive especially when you want to replace all the windows in a house or building and without regular/frequent maintenance they won't last long. Even aluminum or fiberglass cladded aluminum windows eventually need to be replaced because water/moisture can find its way behind the cladding. I think I read that you're in an area that experiences lots of rain or snow? If you would consider something other than wood I would recommend looking for a fiberglass window vendor. A quality fiberglass window can outperform a quality vinyl and will certainly outperform an aluminum window. They'll also last longer than wood windows with much less maintenance. I can't recommend any specific product line for you, we're in Texas and used to sell Milgard's Ultra Series but Milgard was acquired by another company and they've left the state. Milgard may have also stopped selling the fiberglass Ultra series. It looks like fiberglass-windows.com suggests Marvin, Milgard, Fibergrame, and Pella as fiberglass window manufacturers. Good luck with your replacement project! - Ariana

I will cut one apart this Sunday or Monday. I seriously doubt Marvin will do anything still. The only way to identify the VOC is to do chemical analysis. I will post pictures of the inside of the frame and we can see if it is worth paying for a lab. I pulled the windows out of my house and rigged in the old ones because of the obvious health concern of 24/7 exposure.