Timber or uPVC window frames: which suits your home?

How do timber or uPVC window frames differ in appearance?

Timber gives slim, crafted profiles with depth and shadow lines, and can be painted in any colour. That suits 1930s houses, old dyke houses and the stolp farmhouses that are common in West-Friesland. uPVC profiles are generally somewhat wider and sleeker. With a woodgrain finish and a colour they come close to timber, but up close the difference remains visible.

How do they differ in maintenance and lifespan?

Timber frames are generally painted every six to eight years and checked in between for small cracks and open joints. If you keep that up through regular maintenance, they will last for decades. If it is put off, rot gets a chance; see wood rot in window frames.

uPVC frames do not need painting. Occasional cleaning and lubricating the hinges and locks is enough, and they often last forty years or more. One drawback is that damage is harder to repair locally than with timber.

• Timber: painting every six to eight years
• Timber: easy to repair locally
• uPVC: no paintwork needed
• uPVC: cleaning and lubricating the hardware

Is there a difference in insulation and price?

In insulation the difference is smaller than often thought. The glazing determines most of the insulation value, and both timber and modern multi-chamber uPVC profiles insulate well. In price, uPVC is usually cheaper to buy; timber frames are often more expensive per m², and the paintwork comes on top. What that means in euros is explained in uPVC window frames cost and cost of replacing window frames.

When do you choose timber and when uPVC?

Timber is often the logical choice for a listed building, in a protected townscape or for a facade that calls for authentic profiles. The municipality sometimes even requires timber; read renovating a listed building. uPVC suits homes from the second half of the twentieth century, a sleek extension and anyone who wants little maintenance.

We work with window and door frames in uPVC and in traditional styles and advise per home. On our page window and door frames you can read how we work, with one project manager from measuring to completion.

Frequently asked questions