Advice - which windows to order and install for a wooden house?

A little history of windows

The modern window, in the version in which you are accustomed to seeing it, has come a long way in development. It began with an ordinary hole in the wall of a wooden house facing the street. The hole in the housing used to have a simple function of additional lighting and ventilation. Over time, due to natural elements and the danger of animals and mythical creatures entering ancient houses, people abandoned the opening to the outside. This continued until the 10th century.

And after the 10th century in Russia, rich people began to build their residential wooden houses with an opening in the shape of a rectangular window (a kind of viewing window), which was covered from the outside with wooden boards. Windows of this design were cut out of two logs stacked on top of each other.

Since the 13th century, window design has been constantly improved. With the change of eras, rulers and architectural styles, the window acquired new shapes and appearance.

With the advent of the twentieth century, PVC window profiles were invented, and plastic windows appeared in our country in the early 90s. Having gone through a long path of development, windows now have no limits to perfection; they can be manufactured and installed in any shape, from plastic, aluminum, from such types of wood as larch, pine, oak.

Plastic windows created a real sensation - then they replaced wooden frames with glass on glazing beads and looked like an example of comfort, practicality and design excellence. Today the situation has changed: the dominance of unnatural gloss “hospital” color is forcing owners of country houses and apartments to increasingly pay attention to models with wooden frames. The latter look more natural and have a natural and harmonious aesthetic.

But what kind of windows should be installed in a wooden house if the indoor microclimate, sound insulation and dust protection come first? What explains the huge difference in price and what determines the performance characteristics? Let's compare both options in detail.

What are their advantages?

Nowadays, more and more people are striving to create a small island of their soul outside the city, preferring traditional materials in country buildings - stone (not concrete!) and wood. However, this does not mean at all that construction is being carried out using technologies from the century before last. New techniques and materials are used that exactly copy the appearance of natural raw materials.

The same applies to plastic window frames, which through lamination (a type of decoration) can be given absolutely any option from freshly planed or painted wood to a block hewn from granite. A total of 43 colored structures are used, but believe me, this is more than enough so that the chosen lamination option does not disturb the overall external and internal appearance of the wooden house, but, on the contrary, gives it a more organic and attractive appearance.

A country house is the dream of many

It is important that the house can be decorated both outside and inside: lamination allows you to make the outer frame one color, matching the façade of the building, and the inner frame another, in harmony with the interior. And this is the first advantage.

The second is service life. Wooden frames, even after being treated with various antiseptics against fungus and bugs, are still subject to these diseases and deformation over time, even if the manufacturer did not skimp on quality wood. And they require much more additional care than any plastic.

Plastic products have increased strength, do not require special care, are hygienic, durable (if high-quality materials from trusted brands were initially selected), and exceed wooden ones in many other parameters:

Noise insulation

Example of sound absorption of a double-glazed window

Due to the design of the profile and double-glazed windows, PVC significantly reduces the entry of many noises from the street, which windows made of natural materials cannot provide.

Contrary to advertising brochures, a plastic window cannot completely block low-frequency noise (jackhammers, etc.), although it will indeed make them much quieter.

Sound permeability and resonance phenomena can be reduced by varying the thickness of the double-glazed windows, increasing the profile width, or using a special layout, when the window is divided into several separate segments, each of which consists of a separate mini-block, made “in the image and likeness” of a large PVC block.

Another option for noise-proof double-glazed windows is to cover the external triplex (multilayer, shockproof, pressed block glass) with a special soundproofing film, further reducing the noise by another 39-40 dB.

The cost of such a window, of course, increases, but considering that you won’t have to replace it for at least 50 years, you can strain yourself and go broke.

Eco-friendly?

In this case, if all required technologies were followed during the construction of walls made of laminated veneer lumber or rounded logs, then it is the walls that will be responsible for regulating humidity and the main heat exchange. PVC only supports and preserves a comfortable microclimate inside the house, created by “breathing” natural wood.

Those who claim that after the appearance of PVC windows, there was “nothing to breathe” in the house, I would like to remind you that wooden houses “breathe” not with windows, but with walls!

Of course, this does not mean that we must completely abandon natural ventilation - we still need to ventilate!

Thermal safety

Unlike wooden windows with ordinary glass, metal-plastic package construction saves heat indoors 2-3 times better. This is very important for wooden buildings, since they are most often found in rural areas, where heating is carried out by individual heating systems due to the lack of central heating. Saving firewood and gas will be obvious!

Scheme of the principle of energy-saving double-glazed windows

The savings are due to the improved seal between the main frame and the double-glazed window, which does not let in the slightest breath of cold air from the outside.

If you find condensation inside a double-glazed window, then ask the company to replace the entire window completely, since it is impossible to eliminate such “deficiencies” at home!

Condensate

If there is condensation inside the glass, this is an indicator that the double-glazed window itself, and, most likely, its frames are made with violations of manufacturing technologies

Such PVC will not protect from noise or cold, it is no better than an ordinary “village” window, and the cost is several times higher. Don't throw your money away, whistling through poorly fitted metal-plastic parts!

What else affects the insulation of windows? – The profile from which the frames are made. The profile for plastic windows is not a single monolith, but multiple chambers-liners, similar to ant passages. Hence the name – chamber profile.

This structure allows you to retain dry air inside the profile and transmit heat much worse than glass.

In conclusion: increasing the thickness of the profile is a pointless exercise, but choosing a profile for the heat of insulating chambers, which play a major role in heat transfer resistance, makes sense.

For a wooden house built in frosty regions, we choose a wider profile, for the southern regions - narrower.

The optimal window for any house in the Middle Zone, including cobblestones and logs:

• 5-chamber profile
• 2 sealing circuits
• 2-chamber double-glazed window

Energy-saving low-emissivity glass, coated with a thin film of silver ions, will also contribute to the preservation of home heat, since it will reflect heat from itself back into the room.

Light transmittance

Low emissivity glass, polished, better than mirror! It has increased translucency, but at the same time reduces the flow of UV rays by 30%, and at the same time preserves things, paintings and furniture from fading.

Hacking protection

The design of plastic windows (a profile reinforced with rigid internal reinforcement + anti-vandal glass and a method for attaching it to the wall) allows us to hope that an attacker will have to work hard to gain access to the interior of a country house.

Safety first!

A window that is open for ventilation is no more accessible to a thief than one that is tightly closed - this is a well-thought-out design. It is impossible to build such mechanics inside a wooden frame, but installing PVC into the wall of a wooden house is always welcome!

Additional “cute” options

Thermal frame

A special metal corner, which usually plays the role of reinforcing the profile, can be heated, which will eliminate ice and the formation of frosty patterns on the glass.

Argon

Of course, air is an excellent heat insulator, which acts inside the bag according to the law of convection, descending as a cold layer along the outer glass and pushing up the warm layer from the outer glass. With such a cycle, heat loss, although minimal, is inevitable. Reducing the distance between the glasses is only one option, which the manufacturer most often resorts to.

The principle of operation of argon in a double-glazed window

But there is another way - pumping the interglass space with an inert gas, which is lighter than air and absolutely transparent. Neutral “slow” argon is ideal for these purposes. It reduces convection, simultaneously increasing (slightly!) the energy efficiency of windows and their sound insulation.

Such a window can really demonstrate its “abilities” in full force only if it is inserted into a wooden wall somewhere in the region of Magadan or the harsh Kolyma region. Such windows with “filler” come in the P2A class.

Insect protection

This is a kind of bonus for a small additional payment when ordering a PVC mosquito net, attached to a plastic frame exactly the size of the window. It is easily mounted in the opening in the summer and just as easily removed in the winter, when annoying insects no longer risk flying into your doorway.

Rescue from mosquitoes and other unwanted guests

With its acquisition, you will deprive yourself of the dubious pleasure of chasing flies for half a day and slapping yourself away, driving away mosquitoes in the evenings. There are plenty of these bloodsuckers in the countryside!

Window shapes

Wood is a very flexible material that allows you to cut a window in the wall of any shape and size, making the house especially individual, depending on the taste and artistic preferences of the owner. It turns out that the plastic edging of the glass “eyes” should harmoniously fit into the overall appearance of the wooden dwelling and not disturb its interior.

Abundance of choice of shapes and types

And it’s even better to emphasize its originality and preserve the overall style by creating a single composition with a wooden wall. And many manufacturers have already created a whole line of PVC that is in perfect harmony with natural materials, including wooden buildings of various architectural styles.

The window shape, in addition to the classic rectangular, can be:

• hexagonal
• oval
• arched
• trapezoidal
• round
• triangular

Window options

Decorative layout (dividing glass into segments without violating its integrity) allows you to bring almost any design project to life. The layout for a wooden house is used not for the sake of economy and practicality, as a couple of centuries ago, but because of the ideal combination of glass, separated by strips and natural wood, giving the house a mysterious and romantic look.

The layout is made using facets and stained glass

But the cost of such beauty is still steep, especially for stained glass. Nothing! There were times when ordinary white plastic windows made of far from the best plastic “bite”! Now the quality of plastic has improved significantly, and the price of PVC has gone down.

We can easily replace expensive stained glass with high-quality stained glass (not to be confused with decorative!) film with a color pattern. Stained glass windows look especially good in a wooden bedroom-bedchamber - once. In the upper room of the second floor, such a window is called “red” and it is the central and largest one - two.

“Venetian” solid overhead wooden frames, attached directly to the glass, are installed only on ordinary wooden windows with ordinary glass!

Having decided on the size, type, type and shape of the windows for your wooden family nest, you need to get acquainted with the features of their installation. And the first thing to do, even before the saw touches the walls, is to draw the outlines of future windows, make sure that they will be located where they belong, and fasten all the logs and beams together with planks and nails along the perimeter of each window . This is done so that the wall does not begin to move in different directions under pressure during cuts.

What do the characteristics depend on?

The main material for the manufacture of plastic windows is polyvinyl chloride (abbreviated PVC) . This is a thermoplastic , to which various modifiers, stabilizers and pigments are added during production; with their help, windows acquire the necessary properties. Profiles are soldered under high temperatures. The internal structure of the structure is a set of independent chambers - the more of them, the higher the heat and sound insulation qualities of the window. Inside the largest chamber there is a reinforcing metal profile, which ensures the stability of the geometric dimensions of the frame.

What parameters determine the characteristics of plastic windows:

• plastic profile thickness;
• number of cameras;
• type and quality of metal reinforcement.

But, before you decide which windows to buy for a wooden country house, consider all possible options. An alternative to plastic is wood models. These windows are mainly made from laminated veneer lumber, pine, oak or larch . In order to protect them from rotting, they are treated with antiseptics, and to increase the strength of the structure and its resistance to external influences - with special impregnations.

Accordingly, the characteristics of a wooden window depend on the following parameters:

• type of timber - solid or glued;
• quality of impregnation and antiseptics;
• cutting wood.

The characteristics of the window also depend on the number of chambers, for example, single-chamber and double-chamber double-glazed windows can be installed in wooden windows.

But you shouldn’t chase multi-chamber windows - they are not always the ones that provide effective protection from noise and dust!

Detailed comparison of home windows

When trying to understand which windows are best to install in a wooden house, it is worth comparing the characteristics of each option. Obviously, each type of window has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's compare them.

Key Features:

-Thermal insulation.

Here it is worth paying attention to the thermal conductivity coefficient of the material: the lower it is, the less heat loss. For polyvinyl chloride (PVC) this coefficient is 0.15–0.2 W/mK, but for laminated timber this figure is 0.1 W/mK. Accordingly, wooden frames retain heat better.

-Breathability.

Plastic does not allow air to pass through; on all windows made of PVC profile, it is therefore necessary to install an additional ventilation valve or ensure regular ventilation of the room. Wood has a fibrous structure and allows air to pass through micropores, although it is still not enough for high-quality ventilation. Wooden frames are more breathable, which is a plus, although they will still require additional ventilation.

-Environmental Safety.

Low quality plastic windows can release dioxin and harmful toxins when heated - it is important to choose a reliable profile from a reliable manufacturer. When producing PVC profiles, stabilizing substances such as lead are always used, and responsible manufacturers also use zinc and calcium. When treated with safe antiseptics and impregnations, wood is completely environmentally safe and cannot release any harmful substances into the air.

-Wear resistance and durability.

The PVC profile has greater impact resistance. However, the capabilities of modern impregnations allow manufacturers of wooden frames to bring them closer to the state of plastic, making them more durable, while maintaining environmental friendliness and insulating properties. In addition, the service life of plastic windows is 20-50 years, but frames made of laminated veneer lumber or oak last 50-90 years.

Specifics of installing plastic windows in a wooden house

Plastic windows look quite attractive in a wooden wall. However, when installing them, it is necessary to take into account at least 3 important features:

1. Shrinkage of wall material.
2. Problems that arise when installation technology is not followed.
3. Accumulation of dampness in the window environment.

Let's look at the specifics of each aspect in more detail.

Tree shrinkage - what needs to be taken into account, important nuances

Due to its specific structure - the ability to retain moisture in the fibers - wood is distinguished by pulsating dimensions. Even well-dried pieces dry out and decrease in size over time. Therefore, the opening in a wall made of timber, logs or boards will become smaller after a certain time.

On average, a one-story structure decreases by 2-6 cm in the first 2-3 years after construction. In addition, seasonal changes in air humidity can to some extent restore the original size of the structure. This property must be taken into account when installing plastic windows in a wooden house.

To compensate for shrinkage forces, a gap is left above the window Source stroyfora.ru

Otherwise, the window frame will be subject to bending, torsion and skew loads, which will significantly shorten its service life and subsequently require repair or complete replacement. This problem can be avoided by using a special installation technology, the main element of which is the casing system.

Problems with incorrect installation

In order for the installed window to operate normally, it is necessary to avoid the following series of errors during the installation procedure:

• Installation of the frame without preliminary manufacturing of the casing. As a result, the window becomes deformed and jams due to the pressure of the wall material during the natural shrinkage of the wood.
• Filling horizontal seams between the box and the wall with construction foam. When frozen, the filler is characterized by sufficient rigidity. Therefore, deformation forces will be completely transmitted to the window and destroy it - even if there is a properly equipped casing system.

Attaching a PVC window to foam is allowed only to the casing, and not to the wall of the house itself Source jurnalstroy.ru

• Incorrect ratio of frame dimensions and window opening. If there is no installation gap, the opening will have to be widened, and if it is excessive, the slopes will freeze, so additional insulation will be required with the installation of an expansion profile.
• Application of foam without protection from the street. When exposed to water and light, the material will degrade over time. This can be avoided by installing a protective strip of the PSUL type on the outside.
• Incorrect arrangement of hydro-vapor barrier of the gap or its complete absence. As a result, the material and parts of the wall adjacent to it will become damp and collapse.
• Installation of the frame is not level. The rules for installing plastic windows in a wooden, brick or concrete house are the same - horizontal and vertical elements must lie strictly in the corresponding planes. Otherwise, the fittings will be constantly overloaded and quickly deteriorate.
• Placing the frame in the area where negative temperatures penetrate the wall. As a result, condensation will always accumulate on the inside.

Freezing of a plastic window is the result of improper installation Source stroi.tv

Note! There is a widespread belief that when replacing old windows with new ones in a house that has been in use for a long time, there is no need to leave an installation gap and make a siege. In fact, even well-dried wood easily swells and then dries out again, constantly changing its size and putting pressure on the frame, under favorable conditions for this, for example, seasonal or absolute changes in air humidity.

Pitfalls - moisture accumulation

Tightness, high-quality heat and sound insulation – these are the main parameters that PVC window manufacturing companies often use to advertise their products. However, these positive properties have a downside - the lack of natural ventilation, characteristic of wooden unsealed frames.

This contributes to the accumulation of excess dampness, if not in the entire room, then at least near the window. The problem is solved in two ways:

1. The operation of general ventilation systems in the house. However, if it is not there, then its installation will cost the owner an additional round sum.
2. Arrangement of supply channels. Ventilation is formed after replacing the standard seal with special profiles.

The formation of condensation is a negative consequence of the tightness of a plastic window Source mirnadivane.ru

Important! Almost no installation company gives a standard guarantee for the installation of windows in a timber or log house. This is explained by the unpredictability of the behavior of wood, and, as a consequence, the impossibility of 100% compliance with the correct operating conditions of the window.

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in doors, windows and related work

Cost of windows for a country house made of wood

Prices for wooden windows with high-quality double-glazed windows are slightly higher than their synthetic counterparts, but the difference in price is easily compensated by the increased service life and environmental friendliness of the material used in production.

When thinking about which windows are best to install in a wooden house, it is worth considering the aesthetic qualities of the frames. No matter how hard PVC profile manufacturers try to style it as a natural solid, plastic always remains noticeable. But the natural texture of pine, oak or larch always looks more impressive, especially in a wooden house.

For example:

Here is an example of the cost of a window of the same size, single-leaf, tilt-and-turn:

— A wooden window for a house made of pine wood measuring 1500 x 700 mm will cost the buyer only 7,837 rubles.

— The cost of a plastic window for a wooden house from the KBE profile is not much lower; with the same dimensions and functions, the price will be 7,300 rubles.

Is it worth saving if the difference is not significant, but the benefits from the positive qualities of the tree are obvious? You decide.

Let's talk about window beams - what is it?

After we have decided on the choice between plastic and wood, we will tell you about window beams. It is a solid wood, solid or glued. Solid timber is made from one piece of wood, while laminated timber is glued together from lamella boards. The slats are obtained from tree species common in Russia (pine, larch, oak), dried and glued together with non-toxic water-repellent glue. The finished timber is laminated, where each layer has a different fiber direction - due to this, the material acquires greater strength. Additionally, laminated veneer lumber is treated with antiseptic and fire-fighting compounds.

Eurowindows made of laminated veneer lumber - advantages

When choosing which windows are best to install in an apartment or country house, many hesitate between EuroWindows and “joinery”. It would seem that both here and there are wood, and “carpentry” costs less. As one famous advertisement said: “If there is no difference, why pay more?” But there is a difference! EuroWindows made of laminated veneer lumber have a number of advantages:

● Glued laminated timber has increased rigidity. The versatile orientation of the fibers in the layers of the timber makes it resistant to loads and prevents cracking and distortion of frames.

● Additional drying of the lamellas ensures that the timber will keep its shape and will not crack. The slats fit tightly to each other and there are no gaps between them.

● The design of double-glazed windows allows you not to worry about annual insulation of windows for winter. The production technology provides several sealing contours that guarantee good thermal insulation.

● Finally, windows made of laminated veneer lumber look beautiful and presentable even without additional finishing.

GLASS UNIT AND LAYOUT

A modern double-glazed window opens up wide possibilities for the designer: to give the glass the required shade, you can use colored decorative film or tinting in bulk; the double-glazed window can be decorated with metal strips or wooden layout. The most sophisticated and complex solution is the use of stained glass.

The possibilities for decorating a double-glazed window are endless - from metal layout to exquisite stained glass

Read more about using double-glazed windows and decorative layouts in design >>

Additional touches to the appearance of a wooden window

The designer has other details of a modern wooden window in his arsenal: glazing beads, fittings, hidden drainage strip - they allow you to place the necessary accents and make the window project organic and complete.

Details are important for a completed painting.

Read more about window design details >>

Innovative combination of wood and glass

GLASS WOOD windows are a new product on the wooden window market - an innovative combination of wood and glass in window construction. A modern, fashionable and original solution for an apartment or cottage, cafe or restaurant. Read more in the article “Glass wood - a new word in the design of wooden windows”

• Find out more about design solutions: (495) 633-86-72, 958-57-55

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What should you pay attention to when ordering a window?

You understand which windows to install in a wooden house and why. But how to choose from the variety of offers and how to explain the range in prices for seemingly identical frames? When choosing, pay special attention to the type of timber (it is better to give preference to laminated timber), the quality of wood processing (the stability of geometric dimensions depends on it), the tightness of the structure (no gaps between the frame and the glass unit) and fittings.

Remember: only high-quality wooden models will have advantages over plastic windows. In this situation, the problem of finding a reliable manufacturer is understandable. For many years we have been producing high-quality wooden windows from laminated veneer lumber, pine, larch and oak. Our products comply with European standards and we know absolutely everything about how to achieve maximum performance. Call us for a consultation and place your order right now!

The main stages of installing a frame window

Once all the gaps between the frame and the wall have been sealed, we begin installation:

• In order to technically correctly install a PVC system in an opening with a flashing, it is absolutely not necessary to drill through the unfortunate profile with evil and long self-tapping screws, completely destroying the concept of window tightness.
• For this purpose, there are special fastenings that will be sold to you to attach to the window. These “pieces of hardware” are attached to the end of the frame, where there are technical slides specifically for them. These “pieces of iron” will be screwed tightly to the frame, without touching either the wooden walls themselves, or the embedded block or tenon ridge.
• The operation will be easier in the literal sense if you first remove the sashes from the window frame, which weigh a lot due to the double-glazed windows. We remove the pin that collects them into a single whole from the loops and calmly remove the doors. The profile is in an almost vertical position.
• Now you need to remove the double-glazed windows without sashes. To do this, you will have to carefully “knock out” the glazing beads holding them in the main frame. First of all, the vertical beads are “knocked out” and only then the horizontal ones. The process is simple and you don’t have to knock on the glass.
• We find a gap between the glazing bead and the frame, insert a knife or a narrow screwdriver into it and, slowly tapping the handle with a rubber mallet, move the blade or sting along the edge until the glazing bead separates. When the glazing beads are removed, the glass unit no longer holds anything in the frame. Carefully remove the block and set it aside.
• If there are 2 or 3 blocks, remember which one, where it stood and which glazing beads “belong” to each of them.
• Of course they must be like twin brothers! But anyway…
• A building level will help us install the large frame evenly into the frame. Distortions will lead to improper use of PVC, which will reduce their service life, and windows that open spontaneously in a free position or that do not fit into the frame are very annoying!

A plastic window looks more beautiful and more aesthetically pleasing in a wooden house if it is inserted inside without recessing, at the same level as the edge of the outer wall.

• When screwing the window, do not forget that the bottom of the frame will need to be foamed, so under the lower part of the profile we place small voluminous sticks-slivers, 1.5-2 cm high. Before starting to work with polyurethane foam, we will take them out.
• After securing the frame, we return the shutters to their place, close them and foam the window almost along the perimeter. Why "almost"? - Because we will fill the upper gap between the crown and the frame with insulation!
• Willingness to “serve and protect” a metal-plastic window.
• It's time to check and adjust the tightness of the sashes to the main frame in order to make sure that the cold wind will not disturb us on “long winter evenings”.
• The easiest way is to use a notebook or any other durable but thin sheet.
• Starting from the corner, insert the sheet between the frame and the sash, set the handle to “closed” and pull the sheet towards you. It should come out evenly along its entire length, but with some effort, as if reluctantly.
• If the sheet “slips”, then it is necessary to check the quality and tightness of the seal and adjust the pressure of the frame and sash.
• Some defects, in the form of a seal that has come off here and there, can be easily eliminated with any glue, such as “Titan”, which has such technical characteristics as increased elasticity, moisture resistance and resistance to climatic changes.
• To adjust the shutters you will need a special 6-point key. The upper and lower hinges will help eliminate a slight distortion or move the sash up to 5 mm in one direction or the other. They have holes corresponding in size to the key. When the key is rotated clockwise, the sash will move closer to the hinge, and the opposite part of the window will rise exactly as much as the sash moved away. When you turn the anti-salt key, everything will happen exactly the opposite - the sash will move away from the hinge, and the window will go down.

However, until the PVC warranty has expired, it is better not to experiment on your own, but to invite a specialist who will set up the window for proper operation, like a good tuner of a musical instrument

Of course, a good product cannot be given away for nothing! But, when choosing one or another brand - a manufacturer of metal-plastic windows, remember the words of Karl Marx: “We are not so rich as to buy cheap things!” – but he is still recognized as the father of Capital!