Thanks. Today at lunch I stopped at a BM dealer and he suggested a product called IronClad Latex Low Luster Metal and Wood enamel. It's self priming, flows/levels well and the best part is that it comes from the factory in a premixed dark bronze that matches my windows perfectly. He told me that factory mixed colors are much more fade resistant then store mixed colors due to the pigments used. I think I heard that once before. I'll report back my results but it seams like the perfect product for what I want to do.

I doubt you’ll have any pros here commend any of the windows you’ve looked at so far (although I’m not familiar with Quaker). With regards to Andersen, I prefer their E series with extruded aluminum cladding. Another good option would be Marvin’s Integrity wood/ultrex window.

Hi Jan! Wondering which windows you decided to go with. We live in coastal Los Angeles, so different weather, but also looking at aluminum clad windows. I was thinking all aluminum also (our architect recommended Fleetwood), but I don't really want a black or silver window on the inside of my house....so that got me to the wood/aluminum clad... We are also doing a glad corner window with no post in the middle, so there are only a limited number of vendors who make that....one I think is Kolbe. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying your Montana home now! Thanks!

Thanks @Seabornman. Sounds like its quoted from an advertisement, no facts, no data. Luckily, there are facts and data that do exist to answer both of those assertions. The total unit U value of a high quality vinyl window with the same or similar glass will be superior to that in say a Marvin fiberglass unit. Given that the glass is the same, the only major variable is the construction of the frame, both in the design/engineering as well as the base material itself. At issue is not the properties of a raw material, but how they translate to performance in a window assembly. Same goes for the "air seals". Marvin's fiberglass windows are not top performers in certified air infiltration testing. There are many vinyl windows that do much, much better in that regard. Marvin makes very nice windows, I've sold and installed many. The "expansion coefficient" factor however is simply not something that is relevant to the performance of a window. Its a sales gimmick, plain and simple. Recommending a window based on that information is uninformed and inaccurate. Perhaps you sell Marvin windows, or maybe you simply purchased them based on that info. I'm sorry to say that this is simply not a real concern, whether you are saying it to your customers, or if you are the customer. The good news is that once again, Marvin makes good stuff, it serves many homeowners well for many years, they just are not on the leading edge of thermal or structural performance, nor is there relevance to the expansion coefficient nor the rigidity of a 16' lineal of raw material as it would translate to a window assembly. If you are interested in a window that is a superior insulator and supremely airtight as your quote referred to, I can recommend a few great vinyl windows that you'd be very happy with. For folks that want a rich wood interior, the Marvin Elevate is compelling at its price, and the Essentials can be in a more narrow set of circumstances as well.