Hardwood versus Softwood

P

pudzer

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Apologies if this subject has been discussed previously - I did a search but could not find anything.

What is the difference between softwood Scandanavian Pine windows and hardwood Sapele windows in terms of longevity, maintenance, apinting, waterlightness, warping, etc. etc.

I am down to two companies for my new build - both similar on u-values, aesthetics, price, reputation, etc. One swears by its Scandanavian Pine, the other by its hardwood Sapele.

Advice would be appreciated.
 
Hardwood is usually the better choice, it is actually harder, try sanding both it'll be immediately obvious. Pine has to be treated to make it hard and as far as I know is never equal in performance to hardwood. people usually pick soft wood because of the price so if it's equal I would definitely go with hardwood.
 

Its not that simple.
I restore old sliding sash windows for a living. The oldest set I've done to date was from Eccles St. They are 260 years old and now that they've been restored they look brand new. They were made from slow growing pine.
I recently viewed a set of hardwood windows and they are rotting, they were only installed 4 years ago.
Personally I'd go for treated softwood windows and paint them properly either by spraying or brush. but if you want to see the wood I'd go for hardwood and use Sadoline Natur and refinish it every year to keep them fresh and protected from the elements.
Always get references and have your solicitor do a 15 to 20 year guarantee on the wood if possible, you can't get longer than 10 years on the double glazed units.
S.L.F
 
I agree with S.L.F.'s remarks above. My father and I removed red-deal exterior doors and windows and installed uPVC double glazed units in his house for energy efficiency.

The windows and doors we removed were perfect showing no signs of rot or water-damage because they had been meticulously prepared and maintained for more than 30 years.
 

Hi mathepac, I was debating whether or not to remove my own windows and put in new ones but decided to just remove the glass and rebate the frames to take double glazed units, this way I get to keep my good softwood frames (60 years old), but I can't put the size of double glazing I want into them, as that is dictated by the dept of the frame. The most I can put into it is 14mm.

SLF
 
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