pvc v wood windows

Slogger · 13 Jul 2004

what is the better material for windows i am going to replace my old ones very soon and i have heard differing opinions on pvc and wood anyone care to elaborate on the types and how easy on a scale of 1 to 10 is it to fit my own thanks

nu spell checker was hutr in the makni of this

breezer · 14 Jul 2004

uPVC no contest

9.999999999999999999

leave fitting big windows to the pros with ackros

IanDB · 14 Jul 2004

What are you like at painting? If you like doing it every two years fit wooden windows. If you want a quiet life and just give them a wipe down now and then go for uvpc. The latter gets my vote any day.

masona · 14 Jul 2004

If you do a search for tung oil for wooden window which only need wiping on, I think it was in Oilman's post.

oilman · 20 Jul 2004

...........tung oil for wooden window which only need wiping on, I think it was in Oilman's post.

It was.

Some people might vote for uPVC windows, but then some people voted for Tony Bliar.

If you have a problem with wooden windows, you can fix them yourself with the normal sort of tools, if you have PVC you can't, never mind what tools you have.

I use tung oil on nearly all my woodwork now (not that there's much) except for logs for the fire. It takes a long time to polymerise, and DON'T get talked into using Danish oil, or anything other than pure tung oil. If it has "contains pure tung oil" written on the tin it isn't pure tung oil.

Have a little patience and put on 10 to 15 coats in the first 2 weeks, cut with 50% white spirit. I guarantee it will waterproof the wood. Then it's a 15 minute job each year to recoat. You can answer the phone if it rings, and if you are going to do some more the next day you don't need to clean your brush.

If wood is properly painted you can get away with years of no maintenance, the same goes for PVC. If you maintain wood you can have it for centuries!!! Some of our windows are the originals and are 120 years old, lets see PVC do that.

IanDB · 20 Jul 2004

Do you mean to say I've been using Danish Oil on exterior woodwork for all these years and I should have been using tung oil!!! No wonder I keep having to re-coat it.

Where did you find that out?

Looks like I'll be taking off a layer on some garden furniture in the near future.

masona · 20 Jul 2004

IanDB said:
Where did you find that out?

Here

IanDB · 20 Jul 2004

Ta.

oilman · 20 Jul 2004

Danish oil is tung oil that has been treated and has accelerators added so it "dries" in a few hours. Because it dries in a few hours, it does not penetrate far into the wood. So few hours drying time for something under 12 months and a slightly shiny surface that highlights any problems.

Tung oil takes months to "dry", but if it is done thoroughly in the first place, the retreatment is an incedental rather than major exercise. It's also good for coating metal left outside to reduce rusting.

masona · 21 Jul 2004

Oilman, does your tung oil bleached out by the sun ? I've noticed one side of my summerhouse is bleaching out by the sun. I'm using Cuprinol wood preserative and was wondering if tung oil can go on top of this or would I be wasting my time?

oilman · 21 Jul 2004

Once the cuprinol has dried I've put tung oil on. You could probably mix it in and do it in one as well. Try phoning Liberon, their guy is very helpful. It probably does get affected by the sun, everything does, but another coat helps. It doesn't get bleached out as far as I know, but I might be wrong. It certainly improves things.

AdamW · 22 Jul 2004

I think it is amazing how the millenia-old combination of hardwood+tung oil has been usurped by a polluting and unaesthetic material known as uPVC (or uPEC, thanks Eddie!).

I have uPVC double glazing in my place. My place was built in 1984 and looking at the other flats that still have their original wood windows I don't think I would reap the full benefits of wooden windows as the building isn't particularly "beautiful".

If I was replacing them now, and I had a house that I thought wood windows would suit, I would go for wood. Giving a proper wipe-down to uPVC requires nearly as much effort as re-oiling wood.

benjiman · 26 Jul 2004

ive heard that upvc doors have problems closing sometimes especially in the summer time. The plastic expands and stops them from closing? Im not sure if theres any truth to this.

Personally I would go for wooden frames etc. wooden frames can always be made to look like new again when they begin to look tired. But white upvc when it gets dirty it can sometimes be hard to make them look new again.

masona · 27 Jul 2004

benjiman said:
ive heard that upvc doors have problems closing sometimes especially in the summer time. The plastic expands and stops them from closing? Im not sure if theres any truth to this.

Yes, normally badly fitted and frame slightly out of square.

oilman · 28 Jul 2004

No problem with wood, just plane a bit off. Oh, and give it a lick of tung oil of course.

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pvc v wood windows

breezer

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