Aluminium windows in Alexandria: supply and installation

What is different about aluminium windows in Alexandria?

A window in Alexandria faces four things: sea salt that attacks metal and coatings, strong wind on high floors facing the sea, noise from busy streets, and humidity that condenses on the glass in winter.

On top of that, many older buildings still have timber windows and shutters that have lost their seal, letting in dust, salt air and rain. So it is not enough to ask about the colour of the aluminium; ask about the coating, the fixings, the glass, the drainage and how it will be installed.

In Egypt the word for aluminium joinery is also used for aluminium kitchens, which are a different product; our kitchen materials guide compares them with other materials. This page is about windows, doors, shutters and glazing.

Sea air: coating, fixings and drainage

Near the sea the metal, the coating and the hardware suffer before the glass does, so the coastal specification is set from the start, not after installation.

After installation, rinse the frames with fresh water from time to time to remove the salt that builds up, and clean the drainage slots and sliding tracks.

Double glazing for noise, heat and condensation

Double glazing, two panes with a sealed gap between them, reduces heat, noise and condensation, but how well the window seals matters as much as the glass.

• Noise: double glazing cuts street and sea noise, and laminated acoustic glass or two panes of different thicknesses cut it further. But a sliding window that does not seal lets sound in around the sash whatever the glass, and a casement window closes tighter against its gaskets.
• Heat: the gap between the panes slows the heat passing through, and solar-control glass reduces the sun coming in, which eases the load on the air conditioning on sunny elevations.
• Condensation: a window that “sweats” on the inside in winter is warm, humid indoor air meeting cold glass. Double glazing keeps the inner pane warmer so there is less condensation, a thermal-break profile reduces it on the frame, and ventilation and extractor fans reduce the humidity at its source.
• If mist appears between the two panes, the unit has lost its seal and needs replacing; wiping the outside will not help.

High floors facing the sea: wind and opening size

The higher the floor, the bigger the opening and the more directly it faces the sea, the deeper the profile and the more reinforcement the window needs, and that is decided for the actual opening, not from a catalogue.

• Profile depth and reinforcement are chosen for the width and height of the opening and how exposed it is to wind. A very wide sliding sash on a high floor may need a heavier system, or splitting into more sashes.
• Glass thickness is set by the pane size, and large panes or panes close to the floor need toughened or laminated safety glass.
• The frame is fixed into the concrete or brickwork with stainless screws at suitable spacing, not into the plaster alone.
• Wind drives rain into the tracks, so the window needs proper drainage and tight gaskets, and doors facing the sea need a suitable threshold.
• Safety: in homes with children, ask about sash locks and opening restrictors on high floors.

Replacing old timber windows, and enclosing a balcony

In an older building the window is part of a façade every resident shares, so the look and the decision are not yours alone.

• Before replacing: is the timber worth restoring? A sound frame and solid sashes can be repaired and repainted; timber that is rotten or has lost its shape is replaced.
• The façade: choose a colour and division close to the building’s other windows, and ask the building management or the owners’ association before changing the colour or shape. Some older Alexandria buildings have architectural value, so ask the district office too before any visible change to the façade.
• Removal and installation: an old opening is rarely square, so the size is checked once you know how the old frame is fixed. After installation the gaps are filled and sealed outside with a waterproof sealant, and the plaster around the opening is made good and painted.
• Shutters: old timber shutters can be restored or replaced with aluminium shutters, hinged, sliding or roller, with the same coastal coating and fixings.
• Enclosing a balcony changes the façade, so check with the building management and the district office before you order anything. Make sure the balcony floor drains and is waterproofed, that the balcony wall can carry the glass, and that some sashes open for ventilation. If there is a gas water heater on the balcony, enclosing it reduces the ventilation it needs, so ask the gas company first.

How to measure a window before asking for a quote

Your measurements are enough for a first quote; the final size is taken on site before anything is made.

1. Width in three places

   Measure the width of the opening from wall to wall at the top, middle and bottom, and note the smallest.

2. Height in three places

   Measure the height on the left, in the middle and on the right, and again note the smallest.

3. The diagonals

   Measure from corner to opposite corner both ways. If the diagonals differ noticeably, the opening is out of square, which is common in older buildings.

4. Depth and shutters

   Note the wall depth, whether there is a shutter or a shutter box, and which way the window opens.

5. Photos and location

   Photograph the opening inside and out, and note the floor and whether it faces the sea or a busy street.

What should an aluminium quote list?

Compare aluminium quotes item by item, because two quotes for the same window can differ in profile, glass, hardware and what each one includes.

• The profile system: casement or sliding, the wall thickness of the profile, and whether it has a thermal break.
• The glass: single or double, the thickness of each pane and the gap, clear, solar-control or acoustic, and where safety glass is used.
• The hardware: hinges, locks, rollers and handles, what they are made of, and whether they suit sea air.
• Colour and coating: the colour, the coating type, and whether it is seaside class.
• Fixings and sealing: the screws and whether they are 316 stainless, and the sealant around the frame.
• Mosquito nets: fixed, sliding or pleated, and on which sashes.
• Shutters: the type, manual or motorised, and where the box goes.
• What is included: removing the old windows, taking away the debris, and making good and painting around the opening.
• How it is counted: by the square metre or by the opening, and what each includes.

A quote that says “first-grade aluminium” with no system, thickness or glass type is hard to check at handover. Our finishing quotation guide explains how to read any quote line by line.

Itmam and aluminium in Alexandria

Itmam is a finishing, decoration and supply company from Alexandria: head office in El Ibrahimya, marble and granite showroom in El Deresa, Moharram Bey. We make and install aluminium windows and doors, shutters and glazing, the final measurements are taken on site, and metalwork is made in our own workshops.

For homes near the sea we write the coastal specification into the quotation: seaside-class powder coating, 316 stainless fixings and drainage inside the profiles.

We visit, measure and give you a written, itemised quotation before work starts. On a finishing contract you pay each supplier directly at their price, and the tax invoice is in your name; our management fee for supervision and execution is agreed in writing before we begin, and we add nothing to the price of materials.

Itmam was founded in 2016, with 20+ years in the trade. Call or WhatsApp us on +20 106 926 2572, Saturday to Thursday, 09:00 to 18:00.