Wooden window frames: the pros and cons of eco-friendly material

For windows, window frames and casements, wood is one of the best materials. Of course, wooden windows have their own characteristics that you need to know before you start buying or making them.

Metal and plastic windows have advantages over wooden counterparts due to fire safety and affordable prices. And if the wood burns in case of fire, the metal heats up, the plastic melts and in a rare case burns, then this will be the only sign for which the tree is inferior to other materials.

The main feature is thatthat the tree allows you to make a window of almost any shape, ranging from round and oval, ending with triangular and other polygonal shapes. Conventional square and rectangular products are quite common due to ease of manufacture. Today, wooden windows are gaining popularity for many reasons, especially because it "breathes" and does not clog the air inside the room.

The newly emerged popularity of wooden windows can be explained by the development of modern technologies that allow you to maintain the durability of wood and its performance. All these innovations are compared with the old wooden windows, which were common in the mid-70s of the last century. Then the concept of "glass" was not, and the windows of the time, compared with modern counterparts, were far from ideal and did not have many properties.

If the construction is qualitatively covered with a good varnish, this significantly increases its durability.Especially if the sash or have decorative wood carving.

The main material for wooden windows is glued timber (not defective). A feature of this technology is that it is almost twice as strong and 45 - 50% gesture of its counterparts from solid wood.

Metal and polyvinyl chloride have a structure that does not allow for air exchange, unlike wooden structures, where a constant but slow air exchange occurs due to the structure of the tree. This has a positive effect on the indoor microclimate, protects it from mold and contributes to the natural output of carbon dioxide. Also during operation, a wooden window that is environmentally friendly does not emit toxic substances into the atmosphere.

The paintwork is also non-toxic, although it may be incomprehensible to a person who is not familiar with the technology of manufacturing paints and varnishes. By the time of operation, safety during operation and heat protection (as well as by heat exchange), the plastic window is noticeably inferior to the wooden counterpart.

For a window made of wood, those necessary mechanical properties that plastic and metal products do not have are characteristic: the wooden structure is plastic and strong, it withstands enormous loads of compression and tension, but it is completely resistant to deformations.

For the most part, pine, oak, meranti and mahogany are used as materials for the manufacture of wooden windows. Wooden windows are made of both solid wood types (beech, oak, ash) and soft (elm, linden, birch). The choice of breed depends on the purpose of the window, as well as on the climatic conditions of the region.

Hardwoods, especially conifers, are considered to be more durable (due to their high resin content). This cannot be said about soft rocks. But in hot weather resinous windows may appear on coniferous windows, which are almost impossible to remove.

Also, wood is very vulnerable to fire, but there is a huge amount of special impregnations and coatings that partially level this indicator. Unlike a plastic window with fireproof glass, which can withstand flames for about an hour, a wooden window with fireproof glass can withstand open fire for one and a half hours.This is due to the melting point of plastic. There is, of course, refractory plastic, but then the price of such a window increases about two times.

According to the technical characteristics, the window, like any other element or node, must meet certain requirements for durability, heat insulation, waterproofing, vapor barrier, noise isolation, restrain dust and was able to perform the tasks of natural lighting and ventilation.

Distinctive features of wood windows include the following:

• environmental friendliness;
• good sound insulation;
• good frost resistance index;
• excellent strength with low weight;
• increased maintainability.

Wooden window frames under the window must necessarily have a reference node. Today arched figured double frames for a terrace for giving are rather popular. Their size is selected individually in each case.

The architecture of houses can be different, therefore, based on this attribute and taste preferences of the customer, various designs of a wooden window are chosen. Each option has its own characteristics.If we talk about multi-fold windows, the most common option is double-wing and three-leaved, they open by turning. The leaves can intersect directly with each other, as well as with the help of a special technical unit - impost. It is a vertical bar.

A modern version can be called a wooden window with metal profile inserts, when there is metal outside and a tree inside. The aluminum profile on the outside improves protection against the effects of precipitation and other weather phenomena. A more economical option is to install special metal plates, and single-leaf windows are becoming more and more common. At the same time double wooden windows fade into the background.

Listing a huge number of positive aspects of wood as a material for windows compared to plastic and metal, it should be noted that these characteristics are not natural,and processed in a special way wood. Without treatment, wood is significantly less exploited., is subject to drying and decomposition, cracks and deforms. In addition, the increase in moisture of the unprotected window material by 5% and more significantly aggravates its heat-shielding properties, canceling one fifth of them.

At the same time, humidity affects the wood of the window not only externally - the volume of steam from inside the building during the cool season exceeds its content in the outdoor air twenty-one times. For this reason, without exception, all the details of the window of wood must be processed in an appropriate way, regardless of which side they are located to the street.

In order to prolong the life of such windows, wood is treated with:

• impregnation, thoroughly preserving from moisture, mold, cracks and deformations, formed due to moisture surges;
• primer and paint needed to protect the wood, to give the window the necessary tone and to simplify the care of it.

There are several types of wood material impregnation:

• vacuum;
• under pressure;
• exposure to a septic tank indoors (cell);
• immersion in a liquid with impregnation;
• external surface treatment.

The windows from wood processed by means of vacuum impregnation have every chance to serve over half a century. After impregnation, a layer of special primer is applied to the wood in order to form a safe adhesion of varnishes and paints to the surface to be treated.

For the finishing of windows used as an opaque tone, and colorless or tinted paintwork, emphasizing the structure of the tree. In addition to the decorating function, they, like soaking, regulate the moisture of the wood and protect it from external influences.

It is possible to apply gloss or tone both before installing the window elements and in the finished window construction. It is certainly best to paint the components, since this ensures their deep processing, and in dealing with the finished product, it is difficult to paint certain grooves for fittings and the ends of the components.

A modern window is a complex construction that includes many components. They carry out various tasks, from functional to decorative, but they also often combine these two functions.

Wood material in the design of the window is used for a large number of forms and types of systems, but not for all window elements. Only frames and doors are made of logs, other components, as a rule, are not wooden. It is a system of fasteners, decorative fittings, glass or double-glazed windows, seals and window cover elements. However, the latter are sometimes made of wood.

Double-glazed windows for wood structures are selected in the same way as for other types of window products. Using different types of glass with heat-reflecting and other types of sputtering, using the interglass gap and gas composition of the glass filling (argon, krypton), innovative manufacturers have all chances to make glass with improved heat-saving and fire-resistant properties.

The most vulnerable to damage areas of the window - the face of the glass and sash, as well as the border of the sash and frame.

The tightness of the structure is largely formed by sealsused in these areas - their number, material, place and method of installation. Often use seals made of silicone (or based on it, in the joints of glass and sash), and thermoplastic elastomers. They are reliable, resistant to temperature extremes and weather phenomena, aging and UV radiation, guarantee a strong connection over a long period of operation and have an optimal impermeability from all external factors.

Otherwise, the ink prints in the profile will significantly reduce the sealing effect.

For the improvement of modern wood constructions, high-quality fastening, locking and decorative fittings from leading German, Polish, Swiss, Austrian, Scandinavian and American manufacturers are used. Components such as pens are most often made in golden tones, despite the fact that there may be many alternatives.

The most commonly used decorative lintels in interior glazing, the drawstring, are mostly moved to the windows. These components have all chances to be constructive or false (overhead, interglass, suspended).

For wood windows, the same wide range of additional accessories is taken into account as for the rest: mosquito nets, curtains, glasses and other accessories. But only in the tree window it is advisable to look and such details as decorative nails, hooks and plaques perfectly fasten.

It is possible to install special ventilation structures in the window - ventilation systems. Most often they are placed in a frame, sometimes in a casement. In the technical design, the “ventilator” is activated, checking sensors to increase the humidity in the room.

Making the calculation and design drawings, it is necessary to determine what will be its optimal thickness and width.

The first thing to be mounted is a wooden box, if there is none. The box is fastened in exactly the same way as the frame of the plastic window. Only at a plastic window it is fixed on special profiles or anchors, and on a wooden window - through special openings at an angle of 90 degrees.

After that it is necessary to insert the frame into the box.Usually for this purpose they are mounted on the markings of the hinge, on which the frame is hung. If there is a vertical bar in the middle, the method of mounting the window will not change.

If you make a window with your own hands, then at the final stage you need to insert the glass, and then - close them with a decorative element - a bead. Then you can tint the elements or additionally lacquer them. This needs to be done, because sometimes during installation you can scratch the structure or even make a spall as a result of mechanical impact on the material. At the last stage you need to secure the box.

On how to install a wooden window in the apartment, see the following video.

When buying a window, you need to be very careful, because many sellers indicate the price not on a normal wooden window, but on a blind one, which is much cheaper. Warranty is also different depending on the components of the window. Therefore, when buying such a product, specify all points of contention. Buying a real wooden window with glass is a great opportunity to think about ecology.

At home can be carried out installation, restoration and painting of the frame.Its repair will not be difficult if you follow all the recommendations.