So, you’re looking at your replacement window options, and you’ve come across the part of the manufacturer’s catalog where they talk about their window grid styles and options. You might, naturally, have a few questions and be wondering “Should I get windows with grids or not?”
First off, let’s explain what window grids are and why they exist and how their function has changed in more recent years.
What Is a Window Grid?
A window grid, sometimes called a window grille, is the pattern of strips of material on or in a window that break it up visually. These patterns of intersecting material can be arranged in a variety of ways from one manufacturer to the next. Some manufacturers even let their customers do completely custom grille patterns.
The most common pattern is called the ‘colonial’ style, and breaks up the window into a series of roughly equal-sized panes while the prairie style often creates the appearance of a larger central pane and smaller ones along the edge of the window sash.
In both cases, the grids are usually straight up and down and side to side. However, some custom patterns might create diamond shapes or other unusual visual appearances.
The use of grids in a window design can be an opportunity to enhance your window’s uniqueness and express your own aesthetic sense.
How Have Window Grids Changed?
Back in the colonial days that the name ‘colonial grids’ references, the grids weren’t an aesthetic choice—-they were a necessity. Window panes were much smaller and more fragile back then, often made by hand, putting a hard limit on how large they could be and still survive getting shipped across town or from further distances.
Glass was expensive and if a pane broke, you didn’t want to have to replace a huge window pane all in one go. So, the grids in the old windows were structurally integral to the window sash. Each square was its own window glass pane. If one pane in the sash broke, it could be removed and replaced without having to replace the surrounding panes as well (assuming they were undamaged).
Smaller glass panes were cheaper and easier to manufacture and ship, so windows tended to use grilles to minimize the size of each individual pane of glass while maximizing the overall size of the window.
As time passed, technology improved, allowing for new manufacturing and transportation methods that let manufacturers create and ship larger, more durable products. In 1903, a form of impact glass was invented by a French chemist named Edouard Benedictus (Source: Annex Galleries). In the 1950s, the Float Glass process was invented. In this process, the manufacturer floats a “glass ribbon on a bath of molten tin and creates a smooth surface naturally” (Source: Science Direct).
These and other innovations led to stronger, more impact-resistant glass panes that were larger, making it easier to make strong windows that had a single glass pane per sash. However, many people, still used to the older style of window with the grille patterns and wanted their windows to have them, even though the solid window panes would be stronger, structurally speaking.
To give consumers greater durability while simplifying manufacturing and delivering the visual style that they prefer, manufacturers started offering purely aesthetic grids for their customers.
The Types of Aesthetic Window Grids
We’ve already discussed two of the most popular styles of window grids, but how are those grids/grilles mounted on your window? There are actually a few different types of purely aesthetic window grids to choose from.
The most common types of purely aesthetic window grilles are:
- Simulated Divided Lite. These are grids that are affixed to the exterior of the glass to more convincingly simulate the look and feel of having traditional windows with a series of small glass panes. There may be grids on both sides of the glass and, in the case of impact windows with multiple layers of glass panes, even grids between the glass layers.
- Grids Between Glass. This option recreates the appearance of grids separating the glass panes from a distance, but leaves the top layer of the glass unobstructed for easier cleaning and maintenance. Often used in multi-layer impact windows.
- Removable Grilles/Grids. A perfect option for homeowners who want to be able to customize the look of their home on a whim. Removable grids snap onto the outside of the window sash and can be removed easily when needed so you can quickly change up the look of your home. The biggest downside is that you need somewhere to store the grids when you aren’t using them and that grids can get lost.
Each of these grid types have their own pros and cons for homeowners that might make them more or less attractive to you. Some like the removable option since it lets them easily update grid patterns or go gridless whenever they want. Some prefer the simulated dividing lites because they more convincingly recreate the appearance of classic style window grids. Some prefer the “grids between glass” option because it leaves the outside of the glass smooth, meaning fewer nooks and crannies to clean.
To Get Windows with Grids or Not: Which Is Better?
Window grids are not a necessity for modern windows, but they can be a worthwhile addition to your window order because of how they can complement your home’s aesthetics.
Some residences have appearances that are well complemented by the addition of windows with colonial, prairie, Victorian, or other grid patterns where a flat sheet of plain glass might stick out too much for the wrong reasons.
Meanwhile, other homes with more modern architectural styles might look best with plain glass instead of crossed with little bars of material.
Some homeowners might choose the “no grilles” option purely because they want as uninterrupted a view outdoors as possible.
It’s your home, so it’s your choice… Unless your HOA mandates a specific style of window grid pattern, of course.
Before choosing whether to get windows with grids or not, consider doing a mockup of what your windows would look like with or without them and see which you personally prefer.
Need Impact Windows with Grids?
Do you need impact windows with or without grids for your home? Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors to get a free window installation consultation!
We’ll walk you through your window options, take measurements, and assess your home to help you find the best windows for your needs, whether you choose windows with grids or not. After the consultation, we’ll send you an accurate and reliable estimate for service that plainly spells out all of your window installation costs so you know exactly what the final price will be.
Get a reliable, accurate quote for window installation service from one of the most trusted and reliable window installation companies in the Tampa Bay area: reach out to Karoly Windows today to get started!
