Andersen 400 vs Marvin Elevate: Two Ways to Put Wood Inside

Updated September 2026. Specifications come from each manufacturer. How we research products

Andersen 400 Series

Manufacturer: Andersen
Material: Wood interior, Perma-Shield vinyl cladding outside
Positioning: Premium mainstream, Andersen’s best-selling line
Warranty: Owner-to-Owner, transfers; 5-year term on exposed exterior wood

Marvin Elevate

Manufacturer: Marvin
Material: Wood interior, Ultrex fiberglass exterior
Positioning: Between Marvin Essential and the Signature lines
Warranty: 10 years non-glass, 20-year exterior finish; transfers; labor excluded

Main difference: both put wood on the room side. What differs is the exterior skin: vinyl cladding over wood on the Andersen, fiberglass on the Marvin, and with it the finish coverage, the paintability and the warranty wording. Illustrations are UpgradeWorth drawings, not product photographs. No winner is declared.

UpgradeWorth has not physically tested either product. This comparison is built from manufacturer product pages, warranty documentation and dealer material, with the source named beside anything that is not from the manufacturer. The underlying research is in our Andersen 400 and Marvin Elevate reviews.

These are the two lines people shortlist when they want a wood window inside the room and nothing to paint outside. The interiors are similar in principle. The exteriors are built from different materials, and that is where the useful differences live.

At a glance

	Andersen 400 Series	Marvin Elevate
Frame material	Wood core with Perma-Shield exterior cladding. Andersen describes Perma-Shield as a proprietary high-grade vinyl that is vacuum formed or extruded around the wood for a weather seal, giving a wood interior with a low-maintenance exterior	Ultrex fiberglass exterior with a natural wood interior. Marvin states Ultrex is 8 times stronger than vinyl and 3 times stronger than wood-vinyl composites, has a low thermal expansion rate and resists fading, chalking, peeling and cracking. The exterior is paintable without voiding the warranty, and Marvin says it holds dark colours better than vinyl or vinyl-wood composites. The collection was previously sold as Integrity Wood-Ultrex
Styles	Double-hung, Woodwright double-hung, casement, awning, gliding, picture, bay and bow, and specialty shapes; gliding and hinged patio doors are also offered in the line	Awning, casement, double-hung, double-hung insert, glider, picture and direct glaze, bay, bow, round top and specialty shapes, plus sliding and swinging French patio doors
U-factor	Not published by Andersen as a single range. NFRC-certified performance data is published per product in Andersen's trade product guides. Configuration dependent: check the label on your quote	Not published by Marvin as a single range. Performance data is published per product in Marvin's Elevate product resources. Configuration dependent: check the NFRC label on your quote
SHGC	Not published by Andersen as a single range. Configuration dependent	Not published by Marvin as a single range. Configuration dependent
ENERGY STAR	Andersen offers ENERGY STAR certified configurations across its lines; certification follows the glass package and the climate zone rather than the series	ENERGY STAR certified glass options are offered; certification follows the glass package and the climate zone
Warranty	Andersen Owner-to-Owner limited warranty, which Andersen states transfers when the home is sold. Andersen's 400 Series page states the coverage as 20 years on standard glass and 10 years on non-glass components. Dealer documentation adds that wood exteriors are covered for 5 years and lists exclusions such as art glass and blinds between the glass. Read the current warranty document before purchase	Marvin Limited Warranty (effective January 12, 2026), fully transferable to later owners of the structure. Insulating-glass seal: 20 years up to 60 sq ft, 10 years at 60 sq ft and larger. Non-tempered glass stress cracks: 10 years. Hardware and other non-glass components: 10 years. Standard exterior fiberglass (Ultrex) cladding finish: 10 years (AAMA 625). Factory interior wood finish: 5 years. Labor is not covered: removal, installation, finishing, refinishing and disposal costs are excluded. Claims within 60 days of the defect appearing. Not a lifetime warranty (Infinity by Marvin is a separate brand with its own terms)
Price position	Not publicly specified	Not publicly specified
Installation	Replacement and new construction, sold through Andersen dealers and certified contractors	Replacement, including a dedicated double-hung insert product, plus remodelling and new construction; sold through Marvin dealers

Specifications from each manufacturer. Empty fields mean the value is not publicly specified, not that it is zero.

Where they actually differ

1. The exterior material

The Andersen 400 Series is a solid wood core wrapped in Perma-Shield cladding, which Andersen describes as a proprietary high-grade vinyl vacuum formed or extruded around the wood, validated through more than 50 years of use and accelerated weather testing. Marvin Elevate uses Ultrex fiberglass on the exterior; Marvin states Ultrex is 8 times stronger than vinyl and 3 times stronger than wood-vinyl composites, with a low thermal expansion rate.

Both sets of claims are the manufacturers’ own. Neither company publishes test data that would let anyone rank the two exteriors head to head, and we do not.

2. Exterior finish, and whether you can change it

Marvin covers the standard exterior cladding finish for 20 years against chalk, fade and loss of adhesion, per AAMA 2605-11, and states the exterior can be painted without voiding the warranty. On the Andersen side, dealer documentation states that wood exteriors are covered for 5 years, which matters only where exterior wood is exposed in your configuration. Ask each dealer what the finish term is for the exact units quoted.

3. The interior

Both are wood inside, and both need finishing and occasional care. Andersen’s interior can be stained or painted. Marvin offers Elevate interiors factory-painted, clear coated, or as bare pine to finish on site. If units arrive bare, ask who finishes them and when, because that work is not part of either manufacturer’s warranty remedy.

4. Styles for a replacement project

Both lines cover double-hung, casement, awning, gliding, picture, bay, bow and specialty shapes, plus patio doors. Marvin also lists a dedicated double-hung insert for replacement work where the existing frames are sound. Our Andersen 400 research did not cover an equivalent insert product, so ask the Andersen dealer directly rather than assuming either way. See insert vs. full-frame.

5. Glass and coastal options

Andersen uses its Low-E4 glass family, including HeatLock and SmartSun, with Stormwatch Protection packages for coastal codes. Marvin offers dual and triple-pane packages with ENERGY STAR certified options and Hurricane Impact Zone 3 ratings. Neither publishes a line-wide U-factor range, so compare the NFRC labels on the exact units quoted.

Warranty

UpgradeWorth diagram of terms from Andersen’s 400 Series page and dealer documentation, and from Marvin’s Window and Door Limited Warranty. Bar lengths reflect the stated durations.

The structures are closer than the marketing suggests: both are transferable, neither is a lifetime warranty, and both land on 20 years for standard glass and 10 for non-glass. The differences are in the detail. Marvin shortens glass coverage to 10 years for units of 60 square feet or more, covers the exterior finish for 20 years, and states plainly that labor is excluded. Andersen’s 5-year term on exposed exterior wood comes from dealer documentation, and items such as art glass and blinds between the glass are excluded. Read both current documents: Andersen and Marvin (PDF).

Installation considerations

The 400 Series is sold through Andersen dealers and certified contractors; Elevate through Marvin dealers. Wood interiors want a dry, controlled installation and proper finishing. Labor sits outside both manufacturers’ product coverage, so ask the installing company for its own labor warranty in writing.

Neither manufacturer publishes installed prices, and we do not invent them. Confirm whether each quote is insert or full-frame before comparing totals, then run both through Compare Two Quotes.

Consider Andersen 400 when

You want a wood interior in Andersen’s widest mainstream style range
Your configuration has no exposed exterior wood, or you accept the 5-year term on it
You want Stormwatch coastal packages or the Low-E4 glass family
The local Andersen installer is the stronger of the companies quoting you

Consider Marvin Elevate when

You want a fiberglass exterior with a 20-year finish term
A future repaint of the exterior matters to you
You want bare pine to stain on site to match existing trim
Your project suits a dedicated double-hung insert

Consider another option when

Nobody will ever finish a wood interior: Marvin Essential is the same Ultrex exterior with fiberglass inside, and the Andersen 100 Series is composite throughout.
Budget is the binding constraint: see vinyl vs. fiberglass.

What we could not compare

Neither manufacturer publishes a line-wide U-factor range or installed pricing, and neither publishes test data comparing Perma-Shield and Ultrex directly. Those gaps are left open rather than filled in.

Sources

We earn nothing from these links. Specifications vary by configuration and change between model years.