Is hardwood, softwood, or modified wood best for my windows?

With windows, the worst thing is coming home and noticing they are looking old and worn. Before you find yourself having to replace them, you should explore whether you can restore them. We can help by offering the finest services for sash window restoration Northumberland has. Using specialist techniques, we can quickly repair your windows in most situations.

Sash window restoration NorthumberlandWhen it comes to sashes, there is one question that comes up a lot. People ask whether softwoods or hardwoods are better. Some popular softwood options include pine, Siberian larch, Douglas fir, and European redwood. As for hardwood, favourites here would be tulipwood, red meranti, sapele, red grandis, and European oak.

But, even though you may believe there are two choices of timber here, there are actually three. As well as softwood and hardwood, you could also go for modified wood. This is a timber that begins as a softwood, but modification can amplify its performance.

In this post, we want to compare the three types of wood.

The four main areas

When comparing the three specific woods, you need to consider four primary things. These would be how good a finish you can achieve, the maintenance, the sustainability/environmental elements of using the wood, and the overall cost. You also need to factor in the timber’s longevity.

Softwood

Softwood’s initial cost is typically cheaper. That being said, it frequently suffers from durability and stability issues. They can happen because of exposure to the UK weather. Due to this fact, you need to do a high degree of maintenance. Also, these windows will need replacing quicker than their modified wood or hardwood counterparts.

Your timber could warp or swell as well. If it does, it will cause trouble when you go to open the windows. Softwood will normally have a smaller guarantee to allow for this. Please let us know if you need the best services for sash window restoration Northumberland has.

Hardwood

These materials don’t suffer as many maintenance problems from swelling or warping. Furthermore, they typically provide higher levels of durability, weather resistance, and strength.

The dense structure that comes with hardwoods will frequently generate a grain like finish. Thus, they can be good for windows that possess a stained finish. To compare, modified or softwood will usually have a smooth finish that is more appropriate for painting.

Hardwoods come with a greater price tag than softwoods since they take a long time to grow. In addition, the longer growth period means they are typically less sustainable. This is compared to modified woods or softwoods.

Modified wood

As we said above, they begin life as softwoods but get treatment to augment the performance. When this happens, it will change to have the advantages of hardwood. What’s more, it will have the fast growing benefits and smooth finish of softwoods.

These materials do cost more than softwood. However, they are the sort of timber that gives users the best of both worlds.

Work with us for sash window restoration in Northumberland

At David Humble, we show our clients that replacement is not the only option for degrading windows. The truth is that such an action can be rather expensive. It can also be wasteful and mean you lose original features. With restoration though, you will get your old windows back to how they were before for a lot less money.

Our team is a flexible one, as we can work on a multitude of building types. We also have a friendly approach to our work that puts clients at ease. So, contact our people today if you wish to use the foremost services for sash window restoration Northumberland has. We will give you the perfect results.