Plastic windows vs. wooden windows
I have a question regarding my choice of windows.
I always assumed we would use plastic windows because they require less maintenance.
But our architect is absolutely convinced of the need for wood windows.
Now I would be interested in your opinion, plastic windows or wood windows? Advantages and disadvantages?
Answers
Our windows have been given an aluminum coating. It looks very high quality, is relatively insensitive to scratches and blends perfectly with the garage door and front door.
My parents' house has plastic windows that are over 30 years old, and they still look like they did on day one. I know enough wood windows that haven't lasted that long. I think it's pretty bold to attribute a longer shelf life to this material.
From an environmental point of view, a wooden window is by far the best choice.
In addition, you can insert other panes of glass into the wooden window sash by repositioning, which cannot be done with plastic windows.
If wood windows, I would opt for wood-aluminum windows. It eliminates the need for painting, and the aluminum cladding is very durable. However, the prices don't have to be ridiculous. So in the end we settled on plastic windows.
I prefer plastic windows. With grained foil they also look very good visually, and they are indistinguishable from wood at a short distance.
Our wooden windows in our rental apartment get covered with mold in the winter. This cannot happen with aluminum or plastic.
I like wood windows better, but this is very subjective.
The advantages of wood, in my opinion, are that it feels better to the touch, and that you can change the color of the frames by painting them, and the disadvantage is that they need to be maintained from time to time, i.e. painted.
The advantage of plastic is that it does not need to be maintained, but the one disadvantage I have already described above is that it is difficult to change the color.
However, as is often the case, everyone buys what they like and feel comfortable with.
Wooden windows are more expensive – this is also a disadvantage for many.
Personally, I don't understand the insulation values – in the case of industrially manufactured plastic profiles, you have clear information. I've never found anything about this with wood from carpenters – are there no chamber profiles or anything like that?
Can anyone explain this to me?
The thermal conductivity of a wood frame corresponds to the thermal conductivity of its material, i.e. pine, meranti, oak.
I think it's very ideological. I only touch the windows occasionally with the handle, I don't care about the feel of the frame. So because it's so much easier to maintain, I have plastic.
We have wood windows too, and I think they are just fine. The feel of a plastic window, even a high quality one, can't compete. Also, wood windows are cutting edge from an environmental standpoint as well.
But the rest of our house is also made of wood. I think it's great material. If you don't care about the ideological aspects, you probably buy plastic these days. I think wood windows have become a real niche product now.
I think it's a matter of taste and, above all, money. Personally, I think plastic windows look cheap and cold. Wood looks much better. Modern wood windows (e.g. Meranti) are high quality and usually do not require as much maintenance as older generations of wood windows.
I wouldn't call it a niche product. I don't know the statistics, but I would say that higher quality homes tend to use wood or aluminum rather than plastic.
