The 31st China Windoor Facade Expo is officially scheduled to be held in Guangzhou from March 11-13, 2025. In order to promote the industry towards a high-quality and sustainable future, the conference specially planned the [WINDOOR ICON] documentary column.

It records the real current situation of architectural practitioners and shows this hot era through character stories. They may not be noticed by the world, but they show their silent strength in their persistence day after day. This is a kind of long-lasting persistence and attention to details. Meticulous and persistent pursuit of perfection.

Characters in this issue

The First WPL Door and Window Installation Professional League

Top ten in the country

Interview members:

Yi Donglin, founder of Build the Future·Door and Window Selection Hall

Zeng Fanman, has been engaged in the door and window industry for 23 years

Wang Denggang, has been engaged in the door and window industry for 12 years

Wei Xiongfeng, has been engaged in the door and window industry for 10 years

Yi Donglin

High-quality doors and windows are worth 50% for quality and 50% for installation. Door and window installation work is very hard, and even if you are young, you may suffer from lumbar muscle strain after a few years. Front-line door and window workers are worthy of respect. No matter it is windy or rainy, or the weather is above 35℃, I require the team to wear work clothes and safety helmets, and the image is a reflection of professionalism.

Processes and procedures

Zeng Fanman

Installation is the responsibility of a dedicated person, and each process is handled by a dedicated master to ensure the quality of every link.

1. Window frame leveling and correction

Window installation is interconnected, and if one link is not in place, it will affect the installation of the entire window. First, correct the horizontal and vertical position of the window frame of the opening, adjust the entrance and exit of the window frame to ensure consistent verticality, and ensure that the opening fan opens smoothly. Especially for large opening window frames, a 3 mm difference in level will cause the glass to fail to be installed.

2. Window frame fixed

For on-site installation, self-cut screws with a length of 10 cm are used, and a screw is driven at a distance of 40-50 cm according to the installation standard to ensure the stability of the window frame and ensure the safety of the owner.

3. Functional layer filling and sealing

It is filled with foaming agent and needs enough time to fully harden before cutting the excess part. If the plug is pressed forcibly, the strength of the foaming agent will be damaged and the structure will be affected.

The lower end of some window frames is filled with polyurethane foaming agent, which is not load-bearing enough and becomes powdery and brittle after being oxidized after being exposed to the air for a long time. Professional door and window installation uses waterproof mortar or cement mortar to fill and seal the lower opening of the window frame. The curing time takes 3-4 hours, which affects the installation progress, but can ensure the installation quality.

4. Glass/sash installation

The door and window glass installed this time has a size of 7.3㎡ and a weight of 440kg. When installing large glass, you need to use gaskets to make the glass softly land and prevent the glass from bursting.

Before installing the window sash, check whether the hardware is flexible and smooth, and check the fit and sealing after installation. Finally, a dust cover must be put on to prevent the gauze from getting dust.

5. Installation inspection

After the doors and windows are installed, self-checks should be performed:

1. Check whether the window frame and glass are scratched;

2. Whether the number of fixing screws complies with the standard requirements;

3. Check the fixed glass fan, whether the glass glue is smooth and without bubbles, and whether the waterproof strip is pressed properly;

4. Check whether the exterior wall sealant is beautiful and has no bubbling breakpoints;

5. Check whether the hardware of the opening fan is smooth;

6. Check whether the screen window can be opened flexibly;

7. Whether dust protection is done well.

Owners’ biggest concerns

Zeng Fanman

1. Whether the structure of door and window products meets the standard.

2. Material wall thickness.

3.during the installation process, whether there are enough screws to fix the window frame and the surrounding filling is in place. The most important thing is that the exterior wall is glued smoothly and beautifully, and it is 100% waterproof.

4.the flatness of the glass and whether the glass meets the standards.

Industry status

Yi Donglin

Standard 304 self-cutting screws are 10-12cm long and have enough length to connect to the wall. The cost is 0.8-1 yuan/piece. When installing 1 square meter of doors and windows in Guangzhou, the cost of installation auxiliary materials is about 20-25 yuan/square meter, including cement mortar, foaming agent, glass glue, screws, gaskets, etc.

The unspoken rule in the door and window installation industry is that if you charge based on the number of installation workers, a few more workers will be arranged. With a one-price all-inclusive service, you don’t need to worry about this problem.

The current core issue in the industry is that many first-line installation platforms must promote total control over auxiliary materials, which can truly make owners think that the installation has quality control and avoid the use of cheap or expired auxiliary materials, which does not guarantee the quality of installation.

About the future

Yi Donglin

At present, the home decoration door and window industry has not yet issued a unified installation standard. It may be that each household is pushing its own standards, and the industry is chaotic. For example, recently there have been installation accidents such as glass falling off and windows falling off in many places.

Now many professional installation companies and enterprises are involved in the drafting and compilation of some national standards. Then, the industry environment for door and window installation will become more and more benign. And some installation auxiliary materials have been standardized, and installation tool kits have been launched. The door and window installation team has received professional training, and I believe the industry will become more standardized in the future.

In the past two years, due to the downturn in real estate and consumption reduction, the volume of door and window installation business has been lower than in previous years. The core of installation services is to do a good job in installation delivery, win reputation with the quality of installation, and win more customers.

Warranty Period

Yi Donglin

The period of sealant is divided into shelf life and warranty period. The shelf life refers to the expiration time of the sealant, which is generally 1 year. The warranty period refers to how many years the sealant can guarantee without cracking, leaking, peeling, or falling off. Usually brand glue can be guaranteed for more than 10 years. Whether it is the foreign brand Dow Corning (Dow) or the Chinese brands Baiyun and Aetna, they can reach 30-40 years.

The advantage of ultra-white glass is that it has a low self-explosion rate. Impurities such as nickel sulfide are reduced through homogenization treatment, and the self-explosion rate is reduced to 0.01%. The national standard self-explosion rate is within the range of 3% to 0.3%.

This year we found quality problems with door and window glass in two communities in Guangzhou, with 3 out of 10 pieces of glass bursting. If the glass supplier is greedy for cheap, its technology and workmanship will be poor, and its service life will be short.

About price

Yi Donglin

The price of doors and windows is first calculated based on the area of the opening. For example, if the opening area is 10 square meters, it is calculated as 15,000 yuan at 1,500 yuan/square meter. However, the cost of increasing the area of 3 window sashes by 3 square meters needs to be calculated separately, which is 4,500 yuan, so the total price is 19,500 yuan.

Adding a window sash will increase the cost by 1 square meter, requiring an additional set of hardware, profiles and other materials and labor. Although I don’t think there should be such an additional charge. Glass is counted twice anyway, but that’s the rule.

Do you want to be engaged in door and window installation work forever?

Zeng Fanman

Under the current situation, it must have been engaged in the doors and windows industry. I am getting older, and it will be very difficult to find another job to start over. I might as well just do a good job installing doors and windows and do it beautifully.

Wang Dengguang

At my current age, I estimate that if I can work conservatively for another ten years, I will consider a transition. Because the trend of all walks of life is declining now, it is not that easy to enter other industries without experience and education, so I will continue to do it now and do the best in door and window installation.

Wei Xiongfeng

If there are no good opportunities at present, I will definitely choose this industry as my main choice. If there are other opportunities in the future, I may try to change my career.

Like and dislike

Zeng Fanman

What I don’t like most about dry doors and windows is that the openings are misaligned during installation, or the product is defective or has size issues.

The happiest thing is that after the installation is completed, the inspection is approved by the owner.

Wang Dengguang

What I like most is collecting garbage after get off work and going home to spend time with my wife and children.

What I don’t like the most is that the project delivery is complete and the quality is perfect, but the installation fee keeps dragging on. If you want the money to be paid when the work is completed, the last word is that the money will be in your pocket.

Wei Xiongfeng

I don’t like to build walls. If the dimensions are inappropriate, I will build walls.

My favorite thing is to eat after get off work.

The most critical part of the job

Wang Dengguang

Safety measures come first and are the most important. Put safety first, and everything else is a secondary choice.

The link that best embodies technology

Zeng Fanman, Wang Dengguang, Wei Xiongfeng

The glue must be applied well, the screws must be sufficient, and there must be no water leakage after installation, which truly reflects the technical level of door and window installation.

About income

Wang Dengguang

Income in our industry is not fixed. Last month our income reached 30,000, with a minimum of 10,000 as a base.

I started making doors and windows when I was a teenager, and I have been doing this till now, usually in Guangzhou and Foshan.

Yi Donglin

In Anyi, Jiangxi, many people start working as door and window apprentices in their teens. Despite his young age, he may have been making doors and windows for 4-6 years. Zeng Gong is a fellow from Jiangxi Province and knows him very well. We all have masters here who have been here for more than 10 years.

Would you recommend young people to work in doors and windows?

Zeng Fanman

Personally, I feel that as long as you are willing to endure hardships and work hard when doing door and window installation on the front line, you can still earn more than ordinary jobs. Our normal income can reach between 15,000 and 20,000.

Many young people now don’t want to do this industry. It is true that there are safety issues and it is quite hard, but given the current social development trend, the door and window industry is still good.

For example, some young people's strength is not in studying, so when they enter this industry, it can be regarded as a social university. They can truly learn the skills of front-line operations. After becoming a master, their salary will not be worse than that of working in an office.

Wang Dengguang

Yes! Generally, when you have just entered society and have nowhere to go, making doors and windows is the best choice.

Registration for the [Second WPL Door and Window Installation Professional League] has been officially launched. The 31st China Windoor Facade  Expo will be held on March 11, 2025 in Guangzhou, and the competition will also usher in a comprehensive upgrade.