They are quite competitive in comparison with their PVC brothers. They have both advantages and disadvantages. So, in order.
The advantages of wooden windows:
- They have excellent sound and heat insulation;
- Wood is an environmentally friendly material;
- Wooden windows – frost-resistant;
- It is quite possible to repair them on your own, and not to take them back to the manufacturer;
- Wooden windows look very natural in virtually any interior and go well with doors and furniture;
- Wood “breathes”, an important quality that plastic windows cannot boast of. Wooden windows are capable of letting air through micropores. The room is gradually ventilated, which does not allow air to stagnate and does not allow condensation to occur.
- The wood is imperfect, you can find knots, cracks, resin pockets;
- Good flammability;
- Wood is a very hygroscopic material, that is, it is susceptible to the influence of moisture. The window can be resized;
- Possible damage by microorganisms, fungus;
- Relatively frequent, periodic maintenance of the wooden frame is required.
If you are planning to buy wooden windows, then when choosing, pay attention to the fact that the window beam is not made from the core of the tree (this can be seen through the cut of the wooden profile – the annual rings will be visible at the core). And the price of wooden windows cannot be cheap – this is due to the production of windows, the cost of material and the use of expensive equipment.
Types of wooden windows
Russian windows (or “joinery”).We all know them by their separate design. Such windows can be most often seen in our country in many panel houses, “Khrushchev” and “Stalin”.
These windows are made of solid wood and glass. It happens that double-glazed windows are installed instead of single glass. The tightness of such windows is difficult – the slots have to be sealed with rubber seals, rubber-plastic. The wooden window may begin to deform. This may be due to insufficiently dried and prepared wood..
Euro windows.These are twin-sash windows made according to German technology using double-glazed windows. Such windows have bolted frames and no vents. Although, if desired, the vents can be made. But in such windows, ventilation is carried out by opening the window at a certain angle in the vertical plane. The material for creating the euro-windows is a three-layer glued beam, which ensures the window’s resistance to various weather conditions. The wood goes through several stages of drying before production, then it is rejected (knots, cracks and resin pockets are removed). After that, the board is spliced into a beam along the length and thickness. For gluing windows, water-repellent glue is used, which also protects against the effects of nature.
Due to the fact that the fibers are multidirectional, the windows become durable and do not deform with temperature changes. The frame can be made in various thicknesses. Double-glazed windows are inserted with 2 or 3 chambers, and a seal is laid along the sashes in several layers.
You do not need to glue the euro windows for the winter, since the sashes are very tightly adjacent to the window opening.
Finnish windows.They are also characterized by two sets of sash fastened with their fittings. A distinctive feature of Finnish windows is that ordinary glass is placed in one sash, and a double-glazed window in the other. For ventilation, vents and transoms are made in the windows. It is also possible to install blinds in Finnish windows to control the level of illumination of the room.
Finnish windows are made of natural wood and double laminated veneer lumber. For good sound and heat insulation, seals are used here, as in euro windows.
Norwegian windows.This construction combines the qualities of domestically produced windows and eurowindows. For the production we use solid wood of very high quality, such as solid wood from northern pine or larch. These wooden windows with double-glazed windows are produced, as well as euro-windows, but, nevertheless, they differ from them. Instead of a sealed composition, a rubber gasket is used. The glass unit is fixed with self-tapping screws and glazing beads, so if necessary, it is easy to replace the glass unit.
A molecular sieve is placed on Norwegian windows, which absorbs moisture that can appear during temperature extremes. Another advantage is that the wood is impregnated with a special composition against decay. It protects windows very well from destruction. A varnish is applied to this composition. Windows open in two planes. Dimensional standards for Norwegian windows – frame thickness 98 mm and sash thickness 68 mm.
Windows without sashes,characteristic of England. These are often tall and narrow windows, divided into squares. They are lifted by lifting the frame vertically upwards. One glass is placed, double glazing is very rare.
French window,or panoramic. Through it you can go to the balcony or garden. Double-glazed windows are installed in large square sections. They are produced mainly from glued beams..
We can say that the choice in favor of wooden windows will be quite justified, since they have a lot of advantages in use. But it is definitely worth starting from your personal preferences..