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Timber Windows - Meranti Hardwood

Meranti

Meranti is a versatile hardwood timber suited to a range of projects where aesthetic beauty is a priority. 

Whether your latest creation looks like a window frame, moulding, piece of furniture or general joinery job, this straight-grain wood is a hardwearing and easy to work with choice that can be machined, sanded and finished beautifully.

With straight-grain consistency, meranti trees produce long, straight pieces of lumber. It’s used for moulding, structure, furniture, cabinets, window and doors, and veneers for plywood. Meranti is one of the more affordable hardwoods due in part to numerous subspecies, prolific growing characteristics and availability.

Red meranti is not a tree species but a loose wood term that is used for lumber from trees of the shorea genus. In total there are over 190 shorea tree species and all part of the dipterocarpaceae family. These trees grow in the tropical rainforests all throughout Asia and are famous for their hardwood properties. Red meranti is a classification term based on wood properties like colour, hardness, density and weight. Trees like shorea leprosula and shorea ovalis produce top quality red meranti!

Red meranti is one of the most used and traded tropical hardwoods. It is difficult to work with hand tools because of its hardness and high density. Pre drilling is always advised when screws or nails are used.

Red meranti will absorb paint quick and multiple layers are often not sufficient. It is therefore recommended to use special oils that soak into the wood. This protects it from the elements and gives it nice colorations. Red meranti can be glued well but due to its high density it is advised to use special heavy duty glue.

Hardwoods generally come from broad-leafed, deciduous trees such as oak, beech and mahogany. The thing that defines a hardwood from a softwood is the presence of special pores in the cellular structure of the wood itself. Their complex cellular structure gives them a great dimensional stability and durability. Hardwoods are used in everything from musical instruments, boats, tools and of course, windows.

Why not request a hardwood window quote from Timber Windows Direct?

Timber Windows

Timber Windows with Argon

Why Are Double-Glazed Windows Filled with Argon?

When it comes to energy efficiency, windows are notoriously vulnerable.  Given a chance, they’ll drain the heat out of your home and into the great outdoors, far faster than brickwork and doors.

Thankfully, certain types of Timber window offer considerable protection against this loss of heat.  Of these, the most widespread is Double Glazing, which features in a majority of homes in the United Kingdom.  It works by placing two panes of glass parallel to one another in the frame – an arrangement which helps to impede the flow of heat from one side of the Timber window to the other.

Inert gases like argon, krypton and xenon are more often used by manufacturers today.  Each offers considerable improvements in thermal efficiency and noise reduction.

What is Argon?

‘The chemical element of atomic number 18, an inert gaseous element of the noble gas group. Argon is the commonest noble gas, making up nearly one per cent of the earth’s atmosphere.’

It is therefore amazing that it was not discovered until 1894, the technology was simply not available before then. Now we do know it exists it is very useful, Argon is non-reactive so it is a perfect element when really high temperatures are required such as with welding, when you look in a light bulb it looks like there’s nothing there, but in fact you are looking at Argon it is non-toxic, colourless, odourless and chemically inert.

Argon is heavier than air, and so provides superior insulation and sound-proofing characteristics.  It’s also far more resistant to the formation of condensation, and will corrode the surrounding window far less than its equivalents – particularly at the bottom of the window, where condensation tends to start forming.

If you’re looking to upgrade your existing windows, an argon filled double-glazed replacement makes a sensible choice.

http://www.timberwindows-direct.co.uk

Timber Casement Windows using Toughened Safety Glazing

Toughened safety glazing – Building Regulations

Toughened Safety Glazing and Building Regulations

Toughened Safety Glazing is a very important factor in modern building regulations. You will need to take this into consideration when replacing your Timber Windows and Doors. You will also need to ensure you are complying with relevant regulations as Dwellings are required to be energy efficient.

Energy Efficiency

A method of achieving greater energy efficiency is to take steps to reduce the amount of heat that is lost through the glazing in both Timber windows and doors.

If you are to install windows and doors you should be aware that they need to comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations in relation to the amount of heat that can to pass through the glass and framework, which is measured as a U-Value.  This U-value should not be exceeded.

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