Important point When building a house, this means installing windows. Everyone knows that windows serve to let light in and ventilate a room.
The construction market today provides a wide selection of structures and materials intended for the construction of buildings and structures for a wide variety of purposes.
Wooden windows are valued for their environmental friendliness and aesthetic appearance. A house with such windows seems more comfortable. Let's find out what type of wood is best to make your windows from.
Larch is perhaps one of the most ideal materials for making windows. This is durable wood, resistant even to sea water, which can destroy concrete. Advantages of wood windows:
- Reliability
- Strength
- Resistant to temperature changes and moisture
- Rot resistance
- Good thermal insulation and frost resistance
- Fire resistance
By installing windows made of larch wood, you will become the owner of beautiful, noble looking windows with a natural yellowish tint. The windows themselves are already aesthetically pleasing and you don’t even have to paint them.
The price of larch windows compared to oak and ash is much lower. Windows made of larch meet all standards of wooden euro-windows. In terms of its characteristics, this wood is in many ways superior to the wood of other tree species, such as pine and oak.
The birthplace of larch is Siberia. Therefore, it can easily adapt to absolutely any region. By choosing wooden larch windows, you will give yourself coziness and comfort for many years.
Oak wood occupies a strong position in the niche construction market. It has a shade of light brown, becoming slightly darker over time. Oak is easy to process, which is very important in the production of windows various forms. Such as round, arched and standard.
Wooden oak windows can be found on the facades of historical buildings, palaces, and in the premises of palaces. If you want to install an exclusive oak window, you can provide your sketch to the manufacturer. Their price is high, but these costs will be repaid by the long and reliable service of oak windows.
Just imagine how many useful advantages and qualities oak wooden windows have:
- High strength
- Quality
- Durability
- Complete sound insulation
- Beautiful texture
- Resistance to any manifestations of mold and mildew
Such a window can become a special highlight of your interior decor. The sashes in oak windows are practically silent and are located quite tightly in relation to the frame.
The most budget and economical option wooden windows The windows are made of pine wood. This is due to the fact that this tree grows almost everywhere. Today, pine can satisfy the needs of every consumer.
Windows made of pine are usually painted. The color can be chosen according to your wishes. Its characteristics are somewhat lower than those of larch and oak, but, nevertheless, pine windows are popular due to their low cost and environmental friendliness.
The wood texture is striped. The spectrum of pine shades varies from lighter to darker tones. Several types of pine can be used in the manufacture of windows, which makes the purchase of such windows accessible to all segments of the population.
Let's consider the advantages and disadvantages of pine windows:
- Durability
- Low cost
- Possibility of coloring
- Good thermophysical properties
- Long service life
- Density and strength of wood
Also see interesting video with expert advice on which material is best to choose wooden windows from
Larch wood is widely used as a raw material for the production of Euro-windows with double-glazed windows. The material is highly durable, resistant to temperature changes and precipitation. The raw material retains heat well, has an aesthetic texture and a universal shade. At the same time, larch has an affordable price among elite wood.
Calculate the cost of larch windows in the company
(Only for residents of Moscow and the Moscow region), send a request to calculate the cost:
Windows are an important detail of the interior of a room. They serve as the main source of light, provide air exchange and a favorable microclimate in the room. Below in the article we will talk about two wood materials, often used in the production of window structures: pine and larch. After reviewing the information about the properties of these woods, you will make a wise decision for yourself.
Larch windows: quality plus beauty
Larch wood has antiseptic properties, so it is not susceptible to mold and mildew. In addition, it exhibits high resistance to sea water, which destroys even a concrete monolith. Among the advantages window profile made of larch:
- excellent strength, comparable to similar oak products;
- reliability;
- resistance to significant temperature changes and rotting processes;
- good sound and heat insulation.
Having given preference to a larch profile, the owner equips his home with high-quality windows of a noble “appearance”. The natural yellowish tint of wooden frames does not require painting. Double-glazed windows fit stylishly into the interior decoration of the room and become its highlight, eye-catching.
Pine is the queen of inexpensive windows
A wonderful raw material for budget wood windows. Pine grows in almost all regions (there are no transportation costs), it has a soft structure, which makes wood processing easier, and therefore products made from it are inexpensive. Compared to oak profiles, pine windows are much lighter, but this does not affect their service life. Wood also tolerates sudden temperature changes, allows air to pass through well and keeps the room warm.
The external beauty of a pine frame helps in creating stylish interior living room, office, bedroom and other premises. This is facilitated by the striped texture of the wood. And the variety of its tones is additional opportunity add a special touch to the design of any room. We also take into account that pine windows are not only varnished, but, if necessary, painted in the desired color.
> Choosing wood for windows – which is best?
Choosing wood for windows – which one is better?
According to statistics, when choosing wood for windows, most people are guided by factors such as:
- Opinion of a neighbor, colleague, relative.
- “Friends have the same thing.”
- “I like it, period.”
And only a small percentage of the population listens to the opinions of professionals. But the quality, reliability and durability of wooden windows directly depends on the wood. Why do many people trust the opinion of the average person and do not take into account the opinion of experts? And then they complain that “they were deceived” and “did poorly.” Although, in fact, the wrong material was simply chosen initially.
How to choose the right wood for your future windows so that they last a long time without losing functionality? Let's talk about this.
How is wood valued?
The German Institute of Window Technology believes that wood should be assessed according to two parameters.
→ Resistant to external influences And
→ Tendency to warp.
Based on this, all types of wood can be divided into 2 groups. One contains all types of wood from which any windows can be made (wooden and wood-aluminium), and the other contains those types that are suitable only for wood aluminum windows. For example, walnut, birch, cherry, ash and some others.
Aluminum-wood windows are more protected from external influences, so in their production it is possible to use wood species with low physical and chemical properties and an increased tendency to warp.
Conclusion one: For wooden windows, you can use any wood. Only some species need to be additionally protected with aluminum on the outside.
Types of wood
There are countless types of wood that are suitable for making windows. But the most popular are larch, pine and oak. Why? First of all, because these are the most common trees in our country, so there is plenty of material for construction and its cost is quite adequate.
You can, of course, order wooden windows from other wood, for example, merbau (also in demand) or from Siberian cedar, but the price will be very high, and in terms of quality characteristics the difference is insignificant.
| Breed name | Susceptibility to torsion and warping | Environmental resistance class DIN EN 352 |
| Larch | Above average | 3-4 |
| Spruce | good | 4 |
| Pine | Above average | 3-4 |
| Afzelia | Very good | 1 |
| Merbau | Very good | 1 |
| White oak | Above average | 2 |
| Red oak | Average | 5 (only for wood-aluminium) |
As you can see, the wood from which almost 100% of wooden windows in Russia are made belongs to the middle class. Now you might think that it would be better to install windows from merbau, for example. Let's answer that pine windows will last at least a century, merbau windows - about 120 years. Is the difference too noticeable? In addition, if necessary, repairing windows made of pine is much easier and cheaper than those made of expensive wood. But, it's up to you. In the meantime, we will look in more detail at all the pros and cons of “our” wood: pine, larch and oak.
Pine
Coniferous wood, has resin passages. They are what give the fresh forest aroma, and it doesn’t matter at all whether the wood is processed protective compounds or not. Substances that are released have healing effect. In a house where pine dominates, it is always easy to breathe, so people with respiratory diseases are highly recommended to replace everything plastic structures to natural ones. And it wouldn’t hurt to do this for disease prevention either.
Depending on the degree of resin, pine is divided into two categories: “tar” and “pout”. “Smolka” has water-repellent properties, so windows made from this type of pine are installed in regions with high humidity. The only caveat: processing “tar”, unlike “dutitsa”, is very difficult, so the price of products may be higher.
Pros of wood
- Pine is a very flexible material, easy to cut and process. It is easy to make windows of any configuration from pine, even carved ones.
- Wood has good breathability.
- Easily repaired.
- With proper care, pine windows will last at least 70 years.
- Good price.
Cons of wood
- Pine is a fragile material. Strong impacts or improper closing of the doors will leave dents and scratches.
- If not handled correctly, it will “shrink” on hot days and swell in inclement weather.
- It doesn’t look very solid compared to, for example, oak. But, by and large, the main thing is not spectacular appearance, and quality characteristics.
Larch
Same conifer tree, therefore, all of the above about resin passages fully applies to him. In addition, larch looks much more presentable than pine, especially late larch, with a rich dark brown color.
In nature, wood lives for almost 600 years; after processing, the wood can withstand more than a century without problems. According to physical and technical indicators, larch is 30% stronger than pine, and the same amount is higher in terms of resistance to warping.
Benefits of larch
- High strength.
- Resistance to warping. Larch is the only coniferous tree that is not only not susceptible to rotting, but, on the contrary, reduces the degree of decay.
- Long period of operation.
- The resin in the wood fills the indoor air with a real forest aroma.
Disadvantages of larch
- Wood is difficult to process precisely because of the multiple resin passages.
- Poor resistance to mechanical damage.
- If the wood is not dried properly, internal cracks will form, causing the quality of the product to be poor.
Oak
One of the strongest trees. The lifespan of oak is about 1000 years; any products made from oak wood will last faithfully for several centuries. It has the ability to “age” beautifully - the more time passes, the more solid the windows look. The main thing is not to forget to look after them. Care is not difficult; it is enough to carry out preventive measures once a year.
Advantages of oak wood
- High strength.
- Great hardness.
- Durability.
- Easy to paint.
- Good resistance to external influences.
- Does not warp or crack.
- Complex processing.
- Difficult to polish.
- High price.
- Appearance.
Cons of oak
- Complex processing.
- Difficult to polish.
- High price.
Comparison table of characteristics
|
Density |
Viscosity |
Compression along the fibers, MPa |
Statistical bending |
End hardness (Brinell) |
|
| Pine | |||||
| Oak | |||||
| Larch |
Summary
In all respects, oak is certainly better. But windows made of larch and pine are slightly inferior in their characteristics. The most important thing you must understand is that the quality of wooden windows depends on the honesty and professionalism of the manufacturer.
If you set your sights on a lower price, you may end up with low-quality material, and then instead of the joy of new wooden windows, you will get a complete headache.
Call us, we will give you the most detailed advice on choosing material for wooden windows, taking into account everything external factors. And your windows will serve you faithfully for many years.
Which tree is better?
Made from three-layer laminated veneer lumber78 mm, and smaller sizes - 68 or 56 mm - are not suitable for Middle zone Russia. It is the laminated veneer lumber that guarantees the resistance of the entire structure to weather conditions(such a window will not warp even over time), has higher strength and durability compared to conventional solid wood timber of the same section. Before the timber is made, the board goes through three stages of drying, after which the wood is rejected: removal of knots, resin pockets, and cracks. Then the finished board is spliced into timber along the length and then through the thickness. For gluing, water-repellent glue is used, which makes the finished window non-hygroscopic. The different direction of the fibers and water resistance obtained from this type of timber production make it possible to increase strength and prevent deformation of the window block due to temperature changes. The strength of glued products increases by 80%, and rigidity by 40% (compared to similar solid wood products).
The following types of lumber are used: pine, larch, oak, ash, beech, meranti. And definitely - radial cutting. Precious wood veneers glued to a pine profile are also used. According to professionals, after a while the veneer begins to bubble (if thin) and peel off, since there is a difference in expansion coefficients different breeds under the influence of atmospheric and climatic factors. In addition, in the central part of the profile, as a rule, there is a single-layer material (solid) pine. This significantly worsens the stability of the profile geometry, and the ends of the valves look unaesthetic.
Pine is considered the most “democratic” material for manufacturing. It is even more widespread than larch, and is easy to process due to its softness, so it remains inexpensive. It is this softness that leads to the fact that after several years of use, many dents and deep grooves remain on the frames and window sills. When scratched, wood without varnish begins to turn blue and then rot. To prevent rotting, porous pine wood is saturated chemical compounds by deep impregnation method. As a result, it becomes inert to biological influences and approaches plastic in its environmental properties: it stops “breathing” and begins to release chemicals into the room. Nevertheless, pine is often chosen by those who select windows in the price range good plastic- most customers admit that pine windows still more environmentally friendly and beautiful.
Oak belongs to the elite class of wood. It is valuable for its outstanding aesthetic qualities, evokes a feeling of reliability, solidity, and can often be found in expensive interiors. Oak lumber is presented on the market in much smaller quantities than coniferous wood. How hard rock, it is difficult to dry and process. Choosing oak greatly increases the price of window timber and therefore oak windows much more expensive. Unfortunately, there are more and more reports that windows made from improperly dried oak have become damaged after a few months. In addition, oak doors are heavy, so it is recommended not to make them too wide so as not to overload the fittings. Wood needs care varnish coating and protection from the beetle: without varnish, oak becomes gray, and although it resists rotting, it cannot resist the grinding beetle.
Ash, beech, meranti. These look very nice. These species are quite expensive and rare: there is no large-scale timber harvesting, the distribution areas of these species are small, and some of the lumber is exported (not counting meranti, which, on the contrary, is imported). Meanwhile, for the Eurowindow, for which great importance has high accuracy and static stability of the resulting profiles, these materials have practically not been studied. Before the advent of laminated timber technology, windows were not made from them. And now it is unlikely that anyone will give guarantees that such a window will last the allotted 25–50 years. And only a few customers agree to experiments. But today it is quite common to see mahogany windows in cottages. The answer is simple: as a rule, good varnishes very closely replicate the colors and even the iridescence of shades of exotic species.
Siberian larch. The hardness of this species is at the level of oak. This means that there will be no dents or grooves left on larch frames and window sills from flower pots. Thanks to the polymerization of resins, the hardness even increases over the years. Larch windows resistant to biological destruction: blue stain, rot, fungi, bugs. Therefore, larch wood does not require chemical impregnation and remains environmentally friendly, releasing only natural phytoncides into the atmosphere. Larch is unique in its resistance to water - it practically does not swell, does not rot or warp. Siberian larch practically does not react to rain, frost, heat and dryness. As for European larch, it also has these properties, although they are significantly less pronounced. The volumes of harvesting larch timber are less than pine, but larger than oak and other deciduous trees. Larch wood is difficult to dry and machine. It requires programmable drying chambers, dear cutting tool, and the process must be controlled by workers highly qualified. Drying is carried out in stages and very slowly (the cycle lasts at least three months). True, if larch is dried in violation of the cycle, then drying defects - cracks and leads - are visible immediately, and not after several months, like with oak.
Combined windows
The materials used for bindings have their advantages and disadvantages. The desire to maximize benefits and minimize negative traits each of them led to the creation of so-called combined windows. They are divided into wooden-aluminum, aluminum-wood And wood-plastic. During their review, to compare prices, a window measuring 1.5x1.5 m (area - 2.25 m2) with two sashes and a double-chamber double-glazed window with a thickness of 32–36 mm was taken.
Wood-aluminium. Currently, this is the most common type of combination windows. Aluminum is used to protect the wooden frame. The durability of such structures is more than 80 years (minimum design service life). After surface treatment of aluminum products, they become resistant to corrosion caused by rain, snow, heat and smog. Germany and the Scandinavian countries are considered leaders in the production of such windows. Good Russian windows are made using German, Finnish, Swedish technologies, which involve different variants combinations of these two materials.
We list their types:
1. Finnish type. The window unit uses two separate sashes. The outer one is made of aluminum, and the inner one is made of wood. The doors are movably connected to each other and can open either simultaneously or alternately. A two-frame Primus window from Fenestra made of pine costs $520-530, Domus - $560-580, TIIVI - $760-1000. An oak window is twice as expensive, since oak requires more careful drying and processing. It is also possible that the frame of the doors is made of pine, and all other components are made of oak ($800–900). Nowadays you can find windows made using Finnish technology Russian manufacturers. These products cost 10–15% less than imported ones. However, we do not do vacuum impregnation of wood. It is carried out only by Finns.
2. Swedish type. Such a window consists of two frames with paired sashes: an external one (made of aluminum profile with single glass) and internal (wooden, with double-glazed windows). The products are presented by TIIVI. The thickness of the box is 90–105 mm. The advantages of the window include the ability to open in two planes and a not very narrow window frame, which nevertheless allows the installation of inter-frame blinds. Such a product, made in Murmansk, costs $860, and in Finland - $1200.
3. German type. The wooden frame is protected by an aluminum trim, which is placed around the entire perimeter of the window. But the frame itself remains single. A tilt-and-turn sash window made using German technology using materials from Germany costs $750–$780 (pine) and $1,450–$1,500 (oak). Fenestra produces Fenix single-frame windows. The cost of a pine product is $570–590. Russian windows made using German technology will cost $500–590 (pine), $550–560 (larch), $900–1475 (oak).
Aluminum-wood. This window has an aluminum profile frame trimmed with wood on the inside. The frame is strong, durable, well protected from any weather influences. And from the room, the window looks cozy and warm thanks to wooden trims that perform a decorative function. The advantages of such windows include their fire safety. In addition, aluminum gets dirty much slower than plastic. A window made using Italian technology using Italian profiles and wood costs from $1,350 (with oak trim) to $1,500 (with exotic wood trim). A window made using Italian technology, but from Russian materials, will cost 20% less. Wooden overlays can be very different. It is only important to pay attention to wooden overlay was not glued or screwed to the wooden frame.
Wood-plastic. In this case wooden frame With outside The windows are protected with plastic. In Russia, such a system is not yet widespread. Plastic plays the same role as aluminum in wood-aluminium structures. Window cost from pine timber is 570 dollars, from oak - 1085 dollars, from mahogany meranti wood - 670 dollars.
|
Examples of window costs various designs(order: 5 windows, white, triple glazing, 0.9x1.5 m) |
|
|
Product type |
Estimated cost |
|
Wooden, “Scandinavian” type, Scandinavian fittings (Vertical company) |
149 euro/m2 |
|
Wooden, “German” type, double-glazed window, Roto fittings, aluminum trim on the bottom bar of the sash (Vertical company) |
144 euro/m2 |
|
Wooden, “Scandinavian” type (Sodrugestvo company) |
110 euro/m2 |
|
Wooden, “German” type, double-glazed window (Sodrugestvo company) |
117 euro/m2 |
|
Metal-plastic, Rehau profile, double-glazed window, hinged (Chesma-Holding company) |
107 euro/m2 |
What determines the quality of wooden windows?
Raw material. Its choice should be approached with special care. For the manufacture of windows, truly high-quality wood should be used, without obvious or hidden defects.
Quality of material processing. The wood of the window must be dried to the required humidity in compliance with the drying technology. It must also be processed accordingly modern materials in compliance with technology. Special wood processing, including drying, impregnation, priming and painting, significantly increases the service life wooden windows. Thus, with the help of impregnation, wood is protected from fungi, blue stains and mold that destroy it; changes in humidity are significantly reduced, thereby reducing the likelihood of cracks and deformations. Deep impregnation prevents rot from affecting the wood. After impregnation, a primer is applied. The main purpose of primers is to create reliable adhesion of the top layers of coating to the surface to be painted. For the final finishing of window blocks, both covering paints and revealing compositions can be used. natural beauty wood texture. The paint layer regulates the moisture content of the wood, improves the appearance of the window, and makes it easier to care for.
The design of the window and its individual parts. For achievement High Quality application required modern designs both the entire window as a whole and its individual parts: glass, double-glazed windows, seals, fittings.
Appearance. One of the important criteria that determines the class wooden windows, are their aesthetic properties. Beauty, elegance of profile shapes, cleanliness of surface treatment, color nuances of various types of wood are of great importance when choosing a window. Only high modern technologies allow you to achieve high quality surface treatment, give complex shapes to profiles, etc. Casement windows of any of the above designs consist of a separate window frame and a casement window frame.