Modern materials like PVC may be marketed as the superior choice for windows nowadays, but there are many reasons to choose wood instead. Of course, wood looks beautiful, and that’s reason enough for many people to choose it over synthetic materials. There’s no way that PVC will ever come close to matching the appearance of wood, and synthetic or manufactured wood products are also not a good substitute. Leaving criteria like aesthetics, insulation, durability, and ease of maintenance aside, here are the real reasons you may want to choose wood over other materials for your windows.
- Sustainability:
Wood literally grows on trees. Although it takes a long time for timber to be produced, the fact remains that it is a renewable resource. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so it’s generally a good idea to have lots of them around. In contrast, it takes a lot more energy to make window frames out of PVC, aluminum, or steel. - Insulation:
Wood is not a good conductor of heat, unlike steel or aluminum. That makes wood a superior material for thermal insulation. It’s also a very good insulator against sound and does a much better job of blocking out outside noises than other window materials. - Durability:
Manufacturers of PVCu windows may tell you that they require no maintenance, as opposed to wood, that requires very frequent maintenance. That’s only a half-truth, unfortunately. PVCu only has a lifetime of 10 to 20 years, and there’s no maintenance that you can do to extend that lifetime. Wood, on the other hand, can last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance. Just have a look at those old houses with their antique wooden windows that have survived for over a century. It’s hard to imagine the same for PVCu. Modern timber may not be of the same quality as those old windows, but it will still prove to be more durable than man-made materials. - Cost-effective:
The price of wooden windows depends on the type of wood it’s made from. Mahogany will be pretty expensive, while maple will be pretty cheap. Some types of wooden windows will compare very favorably in price to PVCu, but even with expensive wood, you can rest assured that they will last a lot longer than PVCu with proper maintenance. If you factor in the possible replacement cost of PVCu over the course of a few decades of homeownership, wood will again prove to be the superior option in the long run.
- Perfect for heritage properties:
If you have a heritage property, the only sensible choice for windows is wood. Wooden windows will help to retain your home’s value since period fixtures are a huge selling point. Besides, plastic windows will just look wrong, and they are also usually thicker than wood, which means that some alterations may be required to install them. Even if you have the most realistic plastic lookalike windows installed, up close they still won’t feel like real wood, and they will still not look quite right compared to real wood.
About the Author: Apex Window Werks is a company that repairs wood windows and doors. They offer the following services: broken glass replacement, window defogging rotten wood repair, and much more. Visit their website for more details about their service areas.
