Sliding windows

Image a miniature sliding glass door and you’ll have a pretty good picture of a sliding window, which includes two side-by-side sashes that slide to open. Its frame is sleek and its hardware is unobtrusive, making it a great pick for a modern home. Its flush opening and horizontal orientation make it a good solution for certain spaces in the home. 

We make two-sash and three-sash options, and we call this option a gliding window, rather than sliding window. Find out everything you need to know if you’re considering gliding windows. 

The advantages of sliding windows include:

• Sleek look: It’s an overlooked but excellent choice for a modern home because of its simple design that emphasizes the glass with its dual sashes and its discreet hardware.
• Space-saving operation: It slides to open, rather than swinging outward, so it's ideal next to walkways, decks, balconies, porches and other outdoor living spaces or passages.
• Cost savings: Its width means it can fill a horizontal room that might otherwise require a joined window combination, so you can buy one unit instead of two or three.
• Easier maintenance: Its design is simpler with fewer moving parts and pieces. This means less care will be required to keep it running well over time.

Use the unique aspects of a sliding window to your advantage by choosing it for spaces like these: 

• Adjacent to an outdoor living space, it won’t take up space on your patio or balcony. 
• In a kitchen, where you might be reaching over the counter or sink, it’s easier to slide open. You could even pass drinks or food through the clear opening it creates. 
• In a living room, a three-sash gliding window can make a great replacement for a large window combination unit. 

Head to our blog for more ideas about where a sliding window works best. 

The cost of a sliding window, or any window, depends on a number of different factors, like the size of the window, the options selected, the product line — although we do have product lines at every price point. This means the short answer is that costs varies, sometimes greatly. 

As unsatisfying as that answer might be, here are a couple of things that might help you: 

• A gliding window can sometimes lead to cost savings if you’re consider it in a place that would otherwise require a window combination unit (multiple windows installed in the same rough opening). 
• We’ve got a primer that will help you understand how windows and doors are priced and help you understand which of our product lines are most cost-effective. 
• You can get the detailed information you’ll need to budget for your project by requesting a quote. When you request a quote, we’ll help you find a local contractor who specializes in our windows. 

We offer gliding windows through a variety of different product lines, so no matter the material you seek, we likely have a window that will work for your project. Here’s a quick overview of the materials our gliding windows are made from:

• E-Series windows are wood with a protective aluminum covering on the exterior.
• 400 Series windows are wood with a low-maintenance vinyl covering on the exterior.
• 200 Series windows are wood with a low-maintenance vinyl cladding on the exterior.
• 100 Series windows are made completely of our trademarked Fibrex® material — the smart alternative to vinyl. 

All of our windows, including our gliding windows, come with dual-pane glass as a standard option. This means there are two panes of glass with an air space in between. The air space is filled with an argon-gas blend. If you want to boost efficiency further, triple-pane glass, the most insulating glass of all, is also available as an option with E-Series Gliding Windows. Going for triple-pane glass can be a great choice in northern climates.

Our windows also come with a low-emissivity coating as a standard option. There are various types of Low-E coatings that can help a window perform better in different climates. However, Low-E4® glass has the coating combination that will work in most climates because it helps keep a home comfortable through the seasonal extremes of winter and summer.

So, when selecting the best glass option for your sliding window, consider whether a specific Low-E coating will make a difference in your climate. Otherwise, you can rest assured that the standard options have already been selected to optimize your window’s performance.

Although our gliding windows come with some standard features that help improve their efficiency, like low-emissivity coatings and dual-pane glass — and the option to upgrade to triple-pane glass through the E-Series product line — they are not the most energy-efficient type of window. This is simply due to their design. 

Picture windows are the most efficient because they don’t open. If you’re looking for a window that will open and has a more energy-efficient design, an awning window also has a horizontal orientation and might be a good alternative. Want to learn more about how to pick out energy-efficient windows?

Are you looking for U-Factor values? Find NFRC data organized by product line in the technical documents section of our website.