Glazing Bars – Timber and Composite Windows

When you have a product range as large as ours, the detail our consultation team must consider when recommending the best product for you becomes very intricate. Almost all our products are available with glazing bars, but all have slight variations in style and width. In this article, we show as many options as we can from all our factories. Hopefully, there is at least one that you really like.

Thin Traditional Glazing Bars (Astragal Bars)

Arguably, the most popular type of bar. We are often asked to replicate a more classical appearance when working in rural areas, and this style of bar is perfect.

The exterior varies slightly for each product, but the inside remains consistent: 25mm wide and curved, moulded timber that matches the colour or finish of the frame.

For the exterior, we offer a slightly convex 45 degree angle that tapers to a point to around a 65 degree that displays a groove. The groove is simply a look back to the way a Danish window bar would have been traditionally glazed.

Within the glazing unit itself, the spacer bar will match the colour of the frame spacer bar. Depending on the product choice, this will be either black, or a very light grey (almost white). The only very minor difference is that the spacer for the glazing is normally a tiny bit thinner in depth, but this is barely noticeable.

Thin Modern Glazing Bars (Also Astragal Bars)

Our most popular modern bars are relatively flat, with 90 degrees both inside and out. Depending on the product, the width is either 24mm, 25mm or 31mm. And the groove on the exterior bar is present on some products.

Although this a more modern design, it can work equally well with an older property. They can even match a natural timber finish on the interior to push further towards a traditional style.

Saying this flatter, more right-angled style is more “modern” is obviously open for discussion. Interestingly, we can had customer who had lived in Germany for many years; they felt this style of bar was actually the more traditional of the styles.

Most importantly, this is why there are so many options to choose from – everyone has their own idea of how they would like their windows to look. We aim to have the perfect option for everyone.

Bars just within the glass unit (or “Georgian” Bars)

Not a common request, but very useful in areas where these are required by local councils to match the surrounding properties. Sometimes referred to as Georgian Bars, they are only available in white, and only from one of our Danish manufacturers.

These bars are positioned only within the glass unit. Unlike astragal bars, these are designed to have a fully-finished appearance without adhering any physical bars on the outside of the glass.

If you don’t feel swaying towards astragal or Georgian purely on the appearance, there are some other advantages of this style:

Georgian bars will block less natural light. This is because – and this becomes more obvious when you look at them from an angle – you can see much more past the bar than you would with a full-depth astragal. And, because there are less materials used and less production time needed, they are cheaper to produce.

Furthermore, if cleaning windows is a job that you would like to make easier, cleaning around astragal bars can annoying. But Georgian bars will not get in the way as you’re cleaning the glass – slightly less frustration.

Larger Glazing Bars – Modern and Traditional

Larger units often look much better with thicker bars. For example, could you imagine the horizontal split halfway down a glazed door as 25mm thick? We think this would look rather unbalanced.

The same general rules apply from the thinner 25mm and 31mm bars. Moulding details, angles, painted finishes and timber stains are all the same. But, aside from the thickness difference, the main change is that the bar will physically separate the panes of glass either side of it.

We say “large” bars start from 42mm up to 64mm thick. And most options have the same modern or traditional styles as our thinner bars.
The same as the thinner astragal bar variants, the spacer bar will match the colour of the outer frame spacer bar.