Paint.

What part of the "look of a steel window" are you looking for?

They had horrible heat conduction through the steel since many had no thermal break.

If it was 10F outside, the glass was 10 F, the muntins are 10 F, even some of the frames would be 10 F.

My father has some from the 1930s on a back porch.

It takes a LOT of heat to keep the room warm, even with the steel wrapped storm windows installed.

At least they are not drafty.

They have plenty of weatherstripping.

To bad it is spring steel.

This post was edited by brickeyee on Thu, Apr 18, 13 at 14:04

LMRinc,

If you want them to look a bit like steel, but perform better you might want to consider fiberglass. I have pictures of my fiberglass windows if you want to see them. They don't look that much like steel, but to my eye more like steel than the vinyl windows we have.

Carol

+1

Nothing is going to quite look like steel but of the efficient options, thermally broken aluminum or fiberglass are your best bets.

You posted (I don't think anyone makes new ones anymore, right? ) well yes steel windows are very much alive and well. Nothing beats the thin line profile and wonderful craftsmanship of a great steel window. The best steel window manufacturer is located right here in USA, its Optimum Window Mfg. if you Google Steel windows they are the top response. Take a look at the site here and you sill see that steel windows are out there and very affordable

Here is a link that might be useful: Steel Windows Optimum Window Mfg.

I have sold Optimum products and while they are a pretty good product (for steel windows) I would still believe this to be breaking the forums rules about spamming the site.

Wonder what the U-value is?

Not sure, they are thermally broken but I have dealt mainly with the Fire Rated windows and it was a few years ago and it was never an issue.

Commercial work has a lower set of standards than residential.

In a commercial setting appearance often rules, and the owner is expected to be knowledgeable enough to know about heating and cooling costs.

They costs are often high anyway since many commercial buildings use year round cooling followed by reheat to control humidity.

Notice you have never been in a large commercial building and noticed anything but perfect humidity control?

At least in anything reasonably new.

Department stores KNOW they must keep the customers comfortable, no mater what the weather outside is doing.

I agree completely.

Tulsa, Oklahoma has accompany that has been making thermally broken aluminum windows for years. Not sure how close they would be to steel though. I have never seen steel on a home.

Aluminum T/B windows are made by many many companies and look nothing like steel as steel is a stronger material so the frames and sash are able to be made much narrower giving completely different sightlines. No comparison at all Peke.

The problem with using thermal breaks in metal windows is the R value of the break material.

It simply is not high enough in the small thickness used (it has to fit in the widow design) to do a very good job.

I'm going for that look and have been looking at either the Marvin Integrity fiberglass or the thermally broken aluminum by Ram and Milgard.

Stell windows definitely out there but look to be outrageously priced too...

Integrity, Ram nor Milgard will look anything like steel windows!!!

@jst_13 thanks for the remodelista link. The link is perfect

Very useful. Im after the same thing...

Hopes Windows is an option, Bliss Noram in Jamesville NY (Made in Canada) and others met. Be aware that these windows have long lead times. This is one of my projects near Collingwood Ontario. We used galvanized Bliss Noram here. Project using Bliss Noram.