Grille Construction
Grille Construction — between the glass, removable, permanent, simulated divided light. You have a lot of options when it comes to the grille construction or grid construction of your windows and doors. Whether you are shopping for new construction or replacing the windows or doors in your existing home, one thing will become abundantly clear to you right away — there are a lot of decisions to make! Rather than be overwhelmed, just take one thing at a time and make the choices that are right for you and your family.
Are they called grids, grilles, or muntins? And what are they?
In the 1800’s, glass manufacturing made it impractical or impossible to fabricate very large pieces of glass, so windows were by necessity either very small, or constructed of multiple, smaller panes of glass. The smaller pieces of glass were placed into a larger grid that joined the pieces together for the appearance of a larger window.
The pieces between the glass are known by different names, but they all refer to the same thing — they are called grilles, grids, muntins, mullions, or sash strips. Maybe you’ve even heard them referred to by something else. Whatever you call them, these grilles began as a purely functional element of a window, but evolved to be more of a style choice.
We now have the ability to fabricate very large pieces of glass for windows and doors, so the decision to add the decorative element of grids is entirely subjective. Certainly, different grille patterns lend themselves to specific architectural styles, so it’s a good idea to consider the style of the house in addition to the objective and the preference of the homeowner.
Grille Types vs Grille Styles
While different service providers may use different terminology, when we at Hometown refer to the grille “type,” we are referring to the way the grilles are constructed. Are they on both the interior and exterior? Are they between the glass? And how wide are they? This article is about the options you have regarding the grille construction for your windows or doors.
The grille style refers to the pattern or design of the grilles. We may also refer to number of grids (or grilles) and how many “lights,” or sections are created by the pattern. Keep in mind — you don’t have to have grilles at all!
Here are the options you have for grille construction, depending on the product and series you choose for your home. In most circumstances, these options are available for windows or doors — your sales consultant can tell you for sure.
Colonial Grids
Colonial is probably the most common style seen in Indiana and the greater Indianapolis area due to the prevalence of colonial and traditional-style home. Colonial grilles are a balanced grid pattern of perpendicular vertical and horizontal grilles. The sections of glass are referred to as “lights,” so if there is one horizontal grid and two vertical, 6 sections, or “lights” would be created. The number of lights is determined by the size of the window or by the homeowner’s preference. In a double hung window, the top and bottom sashes could be the same or different, but the classic style is six lights in the upper sash and six in the bottom sash.You may choose the number of lights in your window.
The Colonial Style is an excellent choice for the following home styles:
- Farmhouse
- Colonial
- Traditional
- Cape Cod
- French Eclectic
- Georgian/Federal
- Mission
- Ranch
- Victorian
Diamond Grid
A diamond pattern grille is much as it sounds — a grid pattern that intersects to create a diamond pattern.
The Diamond Pattern Style is an excellent choice for the following home styles:
- Tudor
- Victorian
- Ranch
Farmhouse Style Grids
A farmhouse style describes a pattern that leaves either the upper or lower part of the window without grids to maximize view. The other part of the windows would be divided equally by only vertical grids. Don’t let the name influence you — you do not have to have an 1890’s farmhouse to choose this style. The clean, but no overly plain look appeals to many and looks great on several styles of home.
The Farmhouse Style is an excellent choice for the following home styles:
- Farmhouse
- Colonial
- Traditional
- Cape Cod
- French Eclectic
- Georgian/Federal
- Mission
- Ranch
- Victorian
Finelight Grilles Between the Glass
The Finelight Grilles Between the Glass (or GBG’s) are grilles that are installed between the two panes of glass. On most of our products, we can order the grilles to be one color on the exterior and another on the interior to match your decor. This option offers the look and beauty of grilles but also allows for very easy cleaning on both the interior and exterior. Customers sometimes ask about the appearance of the grilles. We would invite you to come to our showroom and have a look at this type of grille construction. From even a short distance, you really can’t tell that the grilles are not on the surface of the glass. This is probably our most popular option among our customers who opt to have grilles on their windows or doors.
Finelight Grille Construction are available an all Andersen products and most of the products in our vinyl window and door line from Associated Materials.
Finelight Grilles Between the Glass with Exterior Permanent Grilles
The Finelight Grilles Between the Glass with Exterior Grilles are just that — grilles suspended between the panes of glass with the addition of dimensional, permanent grilles on the surface of the exterior glass. On the interior, this feature allows for easy cleaning, but on the exterior, there is the more substantial appearance of the grilles. This grille construction feature is currently only available on our 100 Series Products.
Removable Interior Grilles
Removable interior grilles can be taken out to change the look of your windows or to facilitate easier cleaning. Removable interior grilles are made of wood and are available in pine, oak, or maple and come unfinished, stained, or pre-finished white. The grilles are attached with grille clips or fasteners.
This type of grille construction is not available on the 100 Series Products or on our line of high-quality vinyl windows and doors.
Simulated Divided Light and Full Simulated Divided Light
Simulated Divided Light Grilles is a grille construction that beautifully re-creates the look of individual panes of glass — a look reminiscent of the way windows were manufactured before it was easy and practical to fabricate large panes of glass. This grille construction option includes grilles attached to the exterior of the windows as well as the interior. On our Andersen products, the exterior grilles are made of Fibrex (a vinyl composite material) and will match the exterior color of the door or window. Interior grilles can be removable or permanent and come in unfinished, stained, or pre-finished white pine, oak, or maple.
The FULL Simulated Divided Light differs in that both interior and exterior grilles are permanently applied and there is an aluminum spacer between the panes to give the authentic look of divided panes of glass.