60 threads · 55 questions · 5 discussions
Aluminium and glass are everywhere in UAE buildings — and so are the problems that come with sun, sand and the odd downpour. The community works through leaking window frames, stiff sliding doors, foggy double glazing, shower-screen fitting and glass partitions, plus how to spec work that survives the climate. Sealing and drainage detail is where most of these jobs are won or lost.
Our Meadows villa is about 20 years old and the original aluminium windows and sliding doors are showing their age: - the seals are perished — draughts and dust get in; - the big…
Our Al Barari villa has a lot of floor-to-ceiling glazing looking out over the planting, and with all the greenery, water features and humidity here the glass seems to mist up far…
We're slowly doing up an older apartment and the aluminium windows are the next headache. On a couple of them the handle just spins — it turns all the way round but nothing happen…
We're in a Dubai Hills villa with a lot of floor-to-ceiling glazing and big sliding doors — it looks great, but I've never really thought about maintaining it until now. A couple…
Our building's aluminium composite (ACP) facade cladding is looking tired — some panels have faded and gone chalky, and in a few spots the surface seems to be lifting/separating (…
The aluminium frames on our older villa's windows have gone dull and chalky, with white powdery spots and little pits in places — worst on the side that catches the sun and wind.…
We're specifying glass for a few spots in the villa — a frameless shower screen, a balcony balustrade (glass railing), and an internal partition — and two contractors have given u…
The glass in our master shower screen has gone permanently cloudy — a whitish, slightly rough film that used to wipe off but now won't, whatever spray I use. A couple of the villa…
Our unit is in a Business Bay tower and the glazing needs attention: one pane has gone foggy/misted between the layers, another window whistles and lets dust in, and the external…
Our villa backs onto the water in Jumeirah Islands, and the windows and sliding doors are showing their age: draughts, a bit of whistling wind, dust getting in at the frames, and…
We're in a Palm Jumeirah villa right on the water and the sea air is clearly hard on all our glass and aluminium, frames marking, seals looking tired, fittings stiffening. What ma…
Heading into summer and our villa's aluminium windows and one big sliding door aren't right, we can feel warm air leaking in around the frames, and the slider has gone stiff and n…
One of our glass panels has taken a chip, and separately a double-glazed unit is starting to fog up on the inside where I cannot clean it. I assumed both meant full replacement, b…
Our Springs villa's windows and the big sliding doors are showing their age, the sliders are getting stiff, there's a draught, dust seems to get in more than it should, and a coup…
Our JGE villa has an enormous amount of glazing, which is beautiful but I'm realising it's a maintenance commitment in itself, a couple of panes have started fogging, some seals l…
Fitting out a commercial space and need glass partitions plus some shopfront glazing, and the quotes vary a lot. I want to understand what actually drives the cost of a commercial…
We've got a large villa and want to add a glass partition to split a big space, possibly with a door in it, and maybe a large fixed screen elsewhere. I like the frameless look but…
Our Nad Al Sheba villa has some large glass panels and a couple have gone cloudy/foggy between the panes, plus one has a crack. Do we have to replace the whole window units, or ca…
Our older villa in Muhaisnah has a lot of metalwork, the main gate, the railings, some window frames, and it's all looking rusty and tired. Do these get repaired and refinished, o…
Our Remraam apartment's windows and the balcony glazing are getting tired, the sliders are stiff, there's a bit of a draught and dust seems to get in, and a couple of seals look g…
Almost always blocked weep (drainage) holes on the bottom of the frame, or perished external sealant — rarely the glass itself. Clear the weep holes first, then re-seal the outer bead if it's cracked.
Usually dirty or worn rollers and a track packed with sand and grit. Clean the track thoroughly, then adjust or replace the rollers — a good clean and roller adjustment fixes most sticking sliders.
Moisture between the panes means the sealed unit's edge seal has failed. It can't be dried out — the glass unit needs replacing, though the frame is usually fine.
Yes — in most aluminium frames a single glass pane or sealed double-glazed unit can be replaced while keeping the frame. Match the glass thickness and specification for a clean fit.
Solar/reflective window film, thermal curtains and intact seals all help in the UAE climate. For major heat gain, upgrading to proper double glazing is the durable fix.
An aluminium & glass specialist measures, supplies and fits toughened glass screens and partitions. Insist on toughened (safety) glass and proper sealing to the tray and wall.