• Custom Windows + Doors

    Craftsmanship unlike any other.

THE BEGINNING

UNPARALLELED LUXURY DOORS AND WINDOWS

The discovery that started it all

Laszlo Wagner was already an accomplished Florida homebuilder when he visited Bali, Indonesia in search of ideas and inspiration. There, an invitation to dinner changed the course of his life. Wagner was seated outside at a table that was 6-inches thick, 4-feet wide and 15-feet long – carved out of a single piece of wood. There was no checking, ticking or warping in this monolithic effort. The host told Wagner the table was built and placed in the backyard 23 years ago, in celebration of the birth of his son. It had been outside, exposed to the tropical elements all of that time. He convinced his host to take a small sample from the leg of the table and have it analyzed. Such was Wagner’s introduction to merbau, a tropical hardwood with extraordinary properties for building luxury doors and windows. From this chance encounter, Luxbaum was born.

MERBAU

A remarkable discovery

The high-end door and window market had been moving away from Honduran mahogany for a number of reasons: it was harder to find and increasingly expensive – the result of poor planning for sustainability. African mahogany, which is mahogany in name only and not the same species of wood, was a poor substitute in terms of strength and density. Merbau not only filled the gap, it proved to be a superior product:

  • Merbau is nearly twice the strength of Honduran mahogany and is consequently more durable.
  • Merbau is more termite-resistant than Honduran mahogany.
  • Merbau is more water-resistant than teak.
  • Merbau is also flame-retardant; it is used extensively in Australia to meet bushfire codes.

As a species of wood from which to make solid luxury doors and windows, merbau was a remarkable discovery and the perfect solution.

Merbau’s strength allows for great design flexibility, which enables us to create remarkably large wooden luxury doors and windows with extremely thin profiles. We build the largest hurricane-resistant doors and windows anywhere – in every category. What’s more, every single door and window Luxbaum creates passes Florida Product Approval testing, which requires home construction products to go through a series of rigorous hurricane tests designed to simulate intense storm-like conditions.

And that which makes it hurricane resistant also makes it naturally burglar-proof. As such, Luxbaum is uniquely positioned to provide windows and doors for any and all high-end construction needs.

MERBAU

A remarkable discovery

The high-end door and window market had been moving away from Honduran mahogany for a number of reasons: it was harder to find and increasingly expensive – the result of poor planning for sustainability. African mahogany, which is mahogany in name only and not the same species of wood, was a poor substitute in terms of strength and density. Merbau not only filled the gap, it proved to be a superior product:

  • Merbau is nearly twice the strength of Honduran mahogany and is consequently more durable.
  • Merbau is more termite-resistant than Honduran mahogany.
  • Merbau is more water-resistant than teak.
  • Merbau is also flame-retardant; it is used extensively in Australia to meet bushfire codes.

As a species of wood from which to make solid luxury doors and windows, merbau was a remarkable discovery and the perfect solution.

Merbau’s strength allows for great design flexibility, which enables us to create remarkably large wooden luxury doors and windows with extremely thin profiles. We build the largest hurricane-resistant doors and windows anywhere – in every category. What’s more, every single door and window Luxbaum creates passes Florida Product Approval testing, which requires home construction products to go through a series of rigorous hurricane tests designed to simulate intense storm-like conditions.

And that which makes it hurricane resistant also makes it naturally burglar-proof. As such, Luxbaum is uniquely positioned to provide windows and doors for any and all high-end construction needs.

THE LUXBAUM ADVANTAGE

World class production at the source

The Indonesian government protects its resources and its labor force by not allowing merbau to be shipped as a raw material. It must be fabricated in some way before it can leave the country. So Luxbaum owns and operates a factory in Bali, Indonesia, which ensures the company’s key values of fair employment practices and quality control are always met.

At our state-of-the-art facility, Luxbaum’s more-than 100 Balinese carpenters practice a family trade that has been passed down through generations, and bring their expertise with this fine species of wood to every job. In return we are committed to providing them with an outstanding work environment that reflects needs for social services, medical and dental plans. This results in employees who take pride in their work. And we are proud of that pride.

FABRICATION

How it all comes together

Luxbaum strives for best practices in all aspects of fabrication, with the goal of providing the highest standard of excellence. For example, when two pieces of wood are connected in assembly, they are joined with a process known as coping and doweling – considered by the ift Rosenheim GmbH to be the strongest possible form of wood joinery. As a result, our joining method exceeds the reference standard for quality and consistency of construction. This means we create stronger, more durable windows and doors that will stand the test of time.

HARDWARE

Superior components and working systems

We use only the finest mechanical components in our fabrication process. That includes true multi-point locking systems in our doors, casement windows and folding door units — with a minimum of five and maximum of 15 locking points, depending on the size of the unit. Our folding door products also utilize a proprietary system that eliminates the need for unsightly flush bolts. This innovative design combined with our attention to finest detail in our impact resistant folding doors earned Luxbaum the 2009 Crystal Achievement Award from Window and Door magazine.

The double-hung and single-hung windows we design utilize a true weight, chain, and pulley system in the classic, elegant North American tradition. The lift-and-slide system doubles the operating carriage hardware, allowing 1000-pound panels to glide easily with the simple push of a finger. And the sash design features a dual-gasket system of uninterrupted gaskets that seal the airspace between the sash and jamb, protecting all hardware components from exposure to the weather.

GLAZING

Quality and durability where it matters most.

Glazing takes place at Luxbaum’s headquarters in West Palm Beach, where we employ a method called wet glazing. The triple wet glazing process we use involves setting the glass into a three-sided bed of sealant that seals both its faces and edge to the sash. This completely encapsulates the glass into the wood geometry. Many competitors wet-glaze only on the front face profile but use trim and finishing nails on the back face. Triple wet glazing is more difficult, time consuming and costly – but when it comes to performance, there is no contest.

We also utilize an SGP interlayer in our impact-resistant products. Although more expensive, SGP glass is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water. The more commonly used hydrophilic PVB layer actually attracts water, which could lead to clouding or delamination, and eventually require replacement. Luxbaum’s glass choice and glazing method align with the company’s mission: to create the best possible product every time.

FINISHING

Perfection right to the finish

Trying to finish or paint products in the field during construction invites a host of problems. Imagine the challenges posed by a waterfront home with sea air and salt spray, for example. Luxbaum pre-finishes all products in the factory using only the finest environmentally friendly AkzoNobel joinery wood coatings. And while competitors in our industry favor a three-coat finishing process, our five-coat process offers unmatched durability and lasting beauty for all our products.

Ultraviolet degradation of wood finishes is a reality, and Luxbaum plans accordingly. A south-facing home that receives a lot of direct sunlight may lose 10 to 15 microns of finish annually due to U.V. radiation. Luxbaum’s industry-leading 240-micron finish means our products will perform longer than those of competitors, who use only a 140-micron finish. The durability of this finish is further enhanced through a hand sanding by our carpenters between each of the five coatings.

INSTALLATION

A seamless experience

Luxbaum’s quality commitment doesn’t stop at the factory doors, as we strive to provide our customers with a seamless delivery and installation experience.

With this in mind, Luxbaum’s units arrive at job sites in their own individual crates – unlike those of our competitors, which often show up stacked together for transport. This individual packaging ensures proper handling and delivery of our fine wood products. Custom-made accessories such as brickmold, casings, or jamb extensions are also packed appropriately in the same crate — and an advanced shop drawing of each unit is included in its crate. Unlike the drawings of our competitors, which only show a typical graphic rendering of their products, Luxbaum’s advanced shop drawings integrate both architectural and engineering elements into the installation equation. We consider ourselves part of your design team, and as such provide you with the advanced specifications you need to facilitate a smooth installation or our windows and doors.

Any installation challenges on-site are also mitigated by the strict quality control we engineer into every unit. All units are pre-drilled for fasteners, with finish applied to the drilled penetrations to protect the beautiful surface of our products. Rabbets are cut, the location of which being at the architect’s discretion, into the interior side of the jamb so they can accept trim, casing or jamb extensions. Brickmold is handled in the same fashion, and pops into place with biscuit joints. Finally, we engineer a small piece of trim that covers the fasteners. That means there will be only beautiful wood showing, instead of steel screws, in the frame when the casement window is opened – as should be expected from a fine piece of furniture.

All of these unique features are designed to virtually eliminate any guesswork in the field. This attention to detail differentiates Luxbaum from its competitors: ease of installation for a perfect end result is our goal.

A LEGACY OF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY

Backed by the unparalleled beauty and strength of merbau wood, Luxbaum incorporates superior engineering and design to build the finest luxury doors and windows in the world.

We would love to build yours.

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