Repel the wind, cold and dust, let sunlight into the space and provide an optimal microclimate - all these tasks should be within the power of your windows. This architectural element provides a connection between the interior and the outside world and at the same time protection from it. To choose this important design It's worth approaching thoroughly. Everything is important: the glass unit, the fittings, and the quality of the frame. Which windows to choose: wooden or plastic? Let's compare and find out.

Wooden windows: warm and natural

Wooden windows today are no match for those that stood in Soviet apartments. They no longer need to be insulated with cotton wool for the winter. Modern models are not inferior to plastic in terms of heat and sound insulation. Let's look at their strengths and weaknesses.

Pros:

1. Natural. All environmentally friendly materials in trend. In this matter, plastic cannot compete with wood.


2. Aesthetic. The wooden texture in the interior looks attractive, visually warms the space and will never go out of style. Today wooden windows feel great in interiors country houses and city apartments.


3. Durable. The strength of the structure depends on which windows you choose: hardwood or coniferous species. Oak frames show the greatest resistance to deformation and the external environment, larch windows are slightly behind, and pine structures close the list.


4. Warm. Wooden frames are warmer than plastic profiles. But you need to understand that the quality of thermal insulation largely depends on the glass unit.


5. Tenacious. Average term the life of pine windows is 55 years, larch structures live for about half a century, the main long-liver is oak, under reasonable operating conditions and proper care, such windows can last a century.

Cons:

1. They don't breathe. When discussing which windows are best to choose, many mistakenly believe that wooden frames, unlike PVC windows, “are able to breathe.” In fact, all modern models are impregnated special compounds, protecting wood from exposure external environment. After such treatment, wood can no longer be called a breathable material.


2. It's getting dark. Over time, the wood can “tan” - darken in the sun. But sometimes this is only beneficial for the frame - the color of the coating becomes more saturated.


3. Requires updating. Wooden frames need to be renewed approximately every 5 years. Modern paint and varnish materials for windows do not crack, so you don’t have to scrape them off. In essence, the entire restoration process comes down to removing roughness and applying a new layer of paint.


4. Not everyone copes. If oak and larch can easily withstand snow, rain, and heat, the same cannot be said about pine windows. This is the most budget option wooden frame, most susceptible to deformation due to humidity.


5. Worth the money. The more noble the wood, the more expensive the windows. Quality construction PVC, as a rule, is cheaper than double-glazed windows in an oak frame.

Plastic windows: varied and versatile

In the dashing 90s plastic windows burst into Russian “European-quality renovations” as a luxurious analogue of Soviet wooden frames. At that time, it was obvious which windows were better: wooden or plastic. Plastic, of course - no need to paint or insulate. Until now, PVC profiles are the most popular choice in Russian interiors. Let's see why they are so loved.

Pros:

1. Available. In the world of plastic windows there is a wide range of prices: from “economy” to “premium”, the model can be selected to suit any interior and budget.


2. Durable. High-quality PVC profiles withstand bad weather just as well as good old oak.


3. Multi-colored. Once they were only white, now plastic windows can be selected in any shade, including “wood”. Modern line PVC profiles - room for design possibilities. You can experiment not only with color, but also with shape.


4. No maintenance required. Plastic is more self-sufficient than wood; it does not require any painting or impregnation, other than lubricating the fittings and wiping them down.


5. They live long. A high-quality plastic frame can last from 30 to 60 years.

Cons:

1. "They're crying." When the heating is on in the apartment, condensation may form on the plastic windows. This does not happen with wooden ones. But plastic can also be helped - it will get rid of “crying” modern systems ventilation.


2. May become deformed. The difference in temperature between indoors and outdoors in winter can be stressful for PVC. The plastic may become brittle and the structure may become deformed. But such a disaster only happens to low-quality budget models.


3. They lose color. Which windows look best in the interior is a controversial issue. Plastic is often chosen because of its versatility and wide selection of shades. But you need to keep in mind, over the years of use, white or colored laminated PVC may fade in the sun and change color. How serious a blow this will be to the interior is up to you to decide.


4. They don't change. Unlike wooden ones, such windows cannot be repainted. If they appearance no longer fits into the interior - all that remains is to replace it.


5. Not environmentally friendly. PVC is not wood, a plastic profile cannot claim “eco” status, but the components in its composition are harmful to health modern models excluded.

To summarize: which windows are best to choose?

There are no winners and losers. Currently, these two types of frames have no fundamental difference in plan technical characteristics. Which windows are better: wooden or plastic, will depend on your budget, the characteristics of your living space and interior. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the manufacturer. You will find high-quality frames, double-glazed windows and fittings in

With the development of new technologies and the emergence of new materials, a lot of myths arise around them.

Which windows are better - plastic or wooden?

It was once believed that plastic was “horribly harmful,” but today it is widely used in food industry and in the production of goods for children. Proponents of natural materials prefer wooden windows, but agree that forests must be cut down to produce them.

Those who choose plastic windows say that they care about preserving trees, but at the same time, during the production of plastic, various substances are released, the impact of which on our planet is still not clear.

The debate about what is better as window profiles: plastic or wood risks developing into a rhetorical question about the chicken and the egg. Is there any competition between these materials at all? Let's find out!

Plastic double-glazed windows - advantages and disadvantages

These windows are universal in cost. Everyone can choose a profile according to their taste and the capabilities of their wallet. Besides, metal-plastic windows give several points ahead compared to wooden ones in everything regarding construction and design.

Architects have received incredibly wide opportunities for designing ever new window shapes only thanks to the advent of plastic profiles.

Plastic takes on any shape and size, can be of all colors of the rainbow and can successfully imitate the most different breeds wood, including valuable ones.

If you are concerned about issues related to the environmental friendliness of this material, then the new PVC plastic is an absolutely inert substance, it does not react, does not emit harmful fumes, and even resists open fire.

Plastic double-glazed windows or wooden ones?

Yes, plastic can hardly be called a “living, warm” material, but this is already in the realm of subjective tactile sensations and perception. In addition, today there is technology that allows plastic profiles to be given not only color and texture natural wood, but also its texture, that is, you can feel all the slightest roughness and patterns of wood to the touch.

In addition to the above advantages of windows with plastic profile durable, unaffected by weather conditions, sealed at seams and joints, excellent heat and sound insulation of the room. Due to its high density, polyvinyl chloride is resistant to mechanical damage and is difficult to scratch or chip.

Plastic windows are easy to care for (maintain)

Plastic windows are very easy to care for; the profile can withstand almost any impact. household chemicals and is not afraid of abrasive cleaning agents.

Advantages of metal-plastic windows:

• Affordable price;

• Durability;
• Good sound insulation;
• Long service life.

Disadvantages of metal-plastic windows:

• Impossibility of even partial repairs;

• Complete sealing makes the air in the room stuffy;
• When exposed to extreme heat, plastic may release harmful substances(in minimal quantities).

Wooden windows - advantages and disadvantages

First of all, wood is an environmentally friendly material without any “buts”. And this greatly influences the pricing of everything related to products made from it, including double-glazed windows. In addition, wood is prestigious, natural in the world artificial materials rules the roost.

But this is not the only reason why the price of wooden windows today has increased significantly compared to ordinary woodwork, which was in any home a couple of decades ago. The fact is that due to the maximum compliance with the quality characteristics offered by plastic double-glazed windows, process production of wooden analogues had to be almost completely modernized. Technical regulations require significant expenditures of both financial and labor hours.

The wood itself also affects the price of the product. If we talk about increasing cost, then we can build the following chain: pine, larch, ash, spruce, beech, oak, Siberian cedar.

Advantages of wooden windows:

• Environmental friendliness;
• Low thermal conductivity;
• Resistance to temperature fluctuations;
• Possibility of repair.

Disadvantages of wooden windows:

• High cost;
• Poor weather resistance;

• Relatively short service life.

PVC or wood - which is better, comparison

Thus, both plastic and wood have their own merits in the eyes of their customers, and it is pointless to argue about which material is better. A clear answer to the question: “Which windows are better to choose - wooden or plastic?” can't be given. The main selection criteria are price ranges and secondary properties of each type of window.

Plastic or wood – which is cheaper?

Separately, I would like to describe the cost of plastic and wooden windows- this question has always been a stumbling block for future owners (buyers). At the moment the situation is this - if we consider the fairly high-quality segment of PVC and wooden windows, then PVC windows are of course cheaper. Wooden windows are currently an indicator of status and wealth because their high-quality performance can be many times more expensive than PVC.

Hello, dear friends!
My name is Dmitry Provorov, I work as the head of the client department at the Just Windows company. As you may have guessed, I will talk about windows in my blog. And I know about windows.

There are a lot of offers on the window market: there are so many! And there are not many areas where the spread of prices for the same order would be as great as in windows. And this is if we talk about honest companies. I will definitely talk in detail about dishonest people and how to recognize them in the future. I am going to boil down the essence of my blogs to one thing: how to understand which windows you need, how to recognize truly useful offers from advertising “tricks”, and choose the most best option in terms of price and quality ratio. With all this, we will destroy marketing myths) I hope it turns out interesting and informative.
So let's get started. Let's start with what to choose: plastic windows or wooden windows? Many articles have been written about this topic. But the whole point is what their marketers write, either to the company that produces plastic windows, or to their rivals, the “wood workers.” Well, and, of course, marketers are very far from construction physics and practical experience. Well, I have more than enough knowledge in these areas. At the same time, I will try to maintain neutrality and objectivity in my assessments.
Plastic windows, I think everyone can imagine it quite clearly, since at present this is the most common option. These windows are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Naturally, the composition also contains various stabilizers, pigments, etc. Many people think that this is not environmentally friendly. But I’m sure you won’t find a single chemist who thinks the same way. Because all these materials strictly comply with all sanitary and epidemiological standards, GOSTs, SNPs and others. However, I still don’t recommend eating or smoking plastic windows, but I think you weren’t going to do that anyway)

A small nuance. The windows are positioned as German, English, Austrian and God knows what. It doesn't matter. Absolutely all PVC profiles are produced in Russia. There is, of course, the same Rehau Brilliant or Geneo, which many position as brought from Germany itself. I know only one company that brings Rehau Diamond from Germany, but their price will be about 25 thousand per square meter windows. And I know many companies that deliberately mislead the client, simply deceiving. They can even make fake certificates.

There is nothing wrong, of course, that the profiles are made in Russia. But everyone positions their profile differently. And this often occurs with a loss in quality in order to reduce the cost. Therefore, the company that will implement your order must be chosen very carefully. I think my next post will be about this.

Everything is much more complicated with those windows that are made of wood.

They can be divided into several types: old Soviet (carpentry); new cheap ones (these are sometimes installed in new buildings); wooden euro windows; Swedish; Finnish.
Everyone has probably seen old Soviet windows and many still have them. They sometimes last for decades. They knew how to build back then! But everything comes to an end and they also need to be changed.
In new buildings, sometimes, quite rarely, wooden windows are installed with double-glazed windows and fittings of a modern type. The quality of the wood and processing is simply disgusting. I myself once lived in a new student dormitory with just such windows. A cold winter, then a hot summer - and the windows were incredibly warped. The gaps are so large that birds almost flew in. This option is even worse than the cheapest plastic windows from the developer.

Wooden Euro-windows. This is exactly what they mean when they ask: which windows are better - plastic or wooden.

According to the principle of operation and the sash with frame, such windows are similar to plastic ones. The double-glazed windows installed there are the same. They differ only in the profile material.

Such windows are made from three-layer laminated timber of various, usually valuable, types of wood. (Pine, larch, oak). You will not find exact technical characteristics, for example, sound insulation or heat transfer resistance. Each case is individual. But, approximately, according to these two indicators, these windows correspond to the middle class of plastic windows.

Everywhere they write that such windows “breathe” and are environmentally friendly. This clean water marketing. Nothing breathes there - it’s not just untreated solid wood, it’s three-layer laminated veneer lumber. Which is carefully treated with aseptics, fire protection, painted and so on. The environmental friendliness here is questionable, it’s like inserting a wooden beam inside a PVC profile.

These windows cost 3-4 times more than plastic ones.

It would seem then: why are they needed at all? But, for example, in Germany, where plastic windows were everywhere already in the 70s, they are being replaced by wooden Euro-windows. Here, of course, it is worth making an allowance that in Germany everything is in order with quality, but here they can deceive. It is not so easy to distinguish an ordinary Moscow pine from a Siberian larch. Although, perhaps, in 20 years, plastic windows will be perceived in our country as Soviet carpentry is now.

Well, for now, wooden windows are a matter of image. It's expensive, it's cool. It's like an insert in a dashboard in a Maybach made of Karelian birch. Otherwise, they are definitely no better than many plastic ones. At the same time, they require more careful care.
Well, now let's move on to the exotic) Swedish windows. Sweden is a country where people are clearly not fools natural conditions with a climate similar to ours. That’s why their windows are really cool) If we talk about regular Euro windows, then their design principle is approximately the same as that of PVC. Everything is clear here.

Swedish windows have a different design. There are two paired doors. The internal (the one in the room) sash is equipped with a single-chamber double-glazed window. And this flap is paired with another flap, which is 10 centimeters smaller than the inner one. And there is no longer a double-glazed window, but sheet glass. The outer sash itself is attached to the inner one and can be opened to, for example, wash the windows. Doesn't this design, by the way, resemble our joinery?)

It turns out that there is, as it were, a double frame: one for the inner sash and one for the outer one. There are more connection points between the frame and the sash compared to the classic design. This is, of course, good) Plus, there is a wide space between the outer and inner doors. It's really not airtight. And due to convection, it’s difficult to say for sure whether it’s good or bad that there will be a wide distance. But you can install blinds there)

There is also Finnish windows) They are almost the same as the Swedish ones, only the doors are not paired. That is, two separate doors. The rest is all the same.

In my opinion, the most significant difference between Swedish/Finnish windows and Euro/PVC windows is the wide frame. Due to this, the slopes freeze less. Another big plus is more sealing points for the frame and sash. If money allows, this is a very good option.

Well, and again about the price. Swedish/Finnish windows will cost 2 times more than wooden euro-windows. At the same time, in Russia there are still few people doing this. Therefore, you need to look in very large cities.

In general, a start has been made. I will add new posts regularly. And this is just a test of the pen. Happy repair everyone. And remember, windows are actually not that difficult. I would even say, Simple)

Which windows are better - wooden or plastic? This question is asked by every consumer who is faced with choosing windows for an apartment or private house. Since windows are installed for more than one year, such an investment must be carefully analyzed. The WINDOWS MEDIA portal will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of window structures made of wood and PVC.
It is quite difficult to answer definitively the question of which windows are better - made of wood or PVC, and given time it's mostly a matter of taste. Modern wooden and plastic windows, if they are equipped with the same double-glazed windows, fittings, etc., can have very similar acoustic properties, energy efficiency and tightness. Therefore, experts do not give a definite answer, but only help to dispel some doubts generated by ignorance modern technologies. For example, the opinion that PVC windows are better is most often based on a set of old wooden windows from the times of the USSR.

Everyone has different priorities when buying windows

When purchasing new windows, it is important to consider all the pros and cons of the products on the market, as well as clearly define your own expectations. Each client has individual needs. One needs to buy cheap plastic windows for the dacha, which will not require additional care. Another expects aesthetics and a warm climate in the house from windows, so he chooses wooden windows. The issue of periodic maintenance is not the most important for him.

Looking for an answer - wooden or plastic windows, which is better? - each person has different priorities, and they should be the main clue in making the final purchase decision. In any case, the choice of windows should always be conscious, so that after several years of operation you do not regret the previously made decision.

Wooden and plastic windows: comparison

Domestic manufacturers offer a wide variety of wooden and plastic windows, a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of which will help determine what exactly will be best for your home or apartment.

Advantages of PVC windows

First of all, plastic windows attract with a more favorable price scale. A variety of products from economy to premium segment allows you to choose best option for each type of building and premises.

Nowadays, most plastic windows sold on the market are quite durable and weather resistant. A wide range of colored windows, including wood-like ones, imitating the structure of wood not only visually, but also to the touch, opens up unlimited possibilities in decorating your home.

PVC windows do not require additional service, coloring and impregnation. After installation, they almost only need basic cleaning and lubrication of the fittings, which housewives do on average twice a year.

Disadvantages of PVC windows

PVC windows are made of plastic material, which creates several problems that most users systematically voice after several years of use. First of all, this is condensation. “Plastic windows are crying” is one of the most common complaints in heating season. Various window ventilation systems, which are becoming more advanced every year, can successfully combat this.

Another problem is the temperature difference, which Russia has to deal with at certain times of the year. Indoor temperatures in winter differ significantly from those prevailing outside the building. In theory, PVC windows should withstand such stress, but this is not always the case. The frame is deformed due to temperature differences, and prolonged frosts can lead to increased fragility.

White PVC profile after several years of operation it does not always retain its original appearance, and the colors of laminated windows fade due to sunlight. Such windows cannot be repainted, so there is only one option - replace them with new ones.

The phenomena listed above are observed mainly in the case of inexpensive plastic windows, so think carefully before buying the cheapest option.

Advantages of wooden windows

Wooden windows have the main advantage: they are made of natural material, and this allows them to merge with the atmosphere of the house and make the interior warmer. These windows have slightly stronger frames. Wooden windows are warmer than plastic ones, which are made of PVC profiles with steel reinforcement.

In the case of wooden structures, it is always possible to change their color, both from the interior and exterior, which is a big plus during cosmetic or major repairs. Correct maintenance will allow you to enjoy their beauty even longer. Using a special external treatment window profile made of wood can last for a longer time. Thanks to such preventive maintenance twice a year, you can significantly extend the service life of windows and increase the frequency of their painting.

Disadvantages of wooden windows

The disadvantage of wooden windows is the need to periodically (on average once every 5-7 years) renew their surface. The varnishes and paints that cover modern wooden windows are vapor-permeable, they do not peel or crack, so the frames do not need to be scraped before updating. It is enough to clean the rough layer sandpaper or cover it with a special painting agent and you can already apply a new coat of paint.

As for the myth that wood breathes, after all the stages of processing, wooden windows are actually not particularly breathable. Their frames are impregnated with various chemicals to make wood profile more durable and weather resistant. To be fair, it should be said that even old wooden windows, painted oil paint, they couldn’t really “breathe.” Manufacturers say that wooden windows breathe, rather in the context of the paintwork, which allows water vapor to pass through and is absorbed to some extent wooden frame, and gives off moisture, due to which paint coating does not peel off.

Not all types of wood are ideal for the Russian climate. Windows made of mahogany, larch and oak work best. When relying on pine windows, you should expect the risk of resin leakage or damage to the frame due to moisture, and they require especially careful care.

When purchasing wooden windows, it is very important to remember the variety of materials available from which they are made to make right choice. It is also worth considering that higher quality wood is more expensive.