Redwood · engineered pine
The workhorse for painted casements and sashes. Stable, takes paint beautifully, and keeps a project affordable without cutting corners.
Painted finishes · best valueJoinery, done properly
Timber windows in London, built to be repainted, not replaced.
Glazing London supplies and installs engineered timber windows across London: hardwood and softwood casements and sashes, factory-finished paint, double glazing, and conservation-friendly detailing. Timber window installation is FENSA certified, with a free survey and quote. Call 07399 253464, we answer 24/7.
Engineered laminated, kiln-dried sections
Factory-finished sprayed microporous paint
Conservation heritage sightlines matched
FENSA certificate on installation
iThe timber
Why every frame we fit is engineered timber
A single sawn length of wood carries the tensions of the tree it came from, and sooner or later it moves. Engineered timber solves that: three or more kiln-dried sections are laminated with the grain opposed, so the stresses cancel each other out. The result is a section that stays straight, holds a paint film far longer, and keeps casements and sashes closing sweetly for decades. It is the difference between wooden windows that age and wooden windows that fail.
Frames are made to measure for each opening. London's Victorian and Edwardian brickwork is rarely square, so we survey every reveal individually rather than working to nominal sizes, and scribe the frames to the opening on the day.
iiThe species
Softwood or hardwood, chosen for the job
There is no single best timber, only the right one for the elevation, the budget and the paint or stain finish you want. These are the three we specify most for London homes.
Accoya · modified softwood
Acetylated for exceptional rot resistance and stability, with manufacturer durability warranties measured in decades. Our pick for exposed elevations and sills.
Longest life · exposed sitesHardwood · oak & sapele
Dense, handsome and happy under stain or paint. Chosen where the grain itself is the finish, or where doors and windows take daily punishment.
Stained finishes · entrance joineryiiiThe finish
Factory-finished paint, not site-painted promises
Every window arrives fully finished: primed, undercoated and top-coated with a sprayed microporous system in controlled factory conditions, before the timber has ever been rained on. Microporous paint flexes with the wood and lets moisture vapour out rather than trapping it, which is why a factory finish typically runs 8-10 years before its first light maintenance coat, while a brush-painted window on a damp London scaffold might need attention in three.
Any RAL or heritage colour is available, and dual-colour (one shade outside, another in) costs little more. Glazing is a sealed double-glazed unit with low-E glass and argon fill, around 1.4 W/m²K as standard, with slim 12-14mm heritage units and acoustic laminated glass where the street demands them.
ivThe street
Conservation areas and period terraces
Much of our timber work is in conservation areas, where the council cares about sightlines, glazing bar widths and putty-line detail, not just the material. We photograph and measure the existing joinery, match sections and horns like-for-like, and can provide drawings to support a planning or listed building application. For working sash windows specifically, see our dedicated sash windows London page; where the original frames are sound, sash window repair is often the better-value answer, and we will tell you so at survey.
Fitted by our own people
Measured, made, installed, certified.
Timber window installation is a joinery trade, not a caulk-and-go job. Our fitters remove the old frames carefully, protect plaster and shutters, pack and scribe the new frames true, and finish with matching timber beads and seals. Every installation is registered with FENSA for Building Regulations, backed by an insurance-backed guarantee and our public liability cover through Simply Business.
Comparing materials? Our uPVC windows and woodgrain foils suit some streets, and casement windows come in all three materials, so the advice you get at survey is on merit, not margin. Browse the whole range at the window and door installation hub.
Living with timber
What maintenance really looks like
Year 0
Windows arrive factory-finished and fully glazed. Nothing to paint, nothing to snag.
Years 1-8
Wash the frames down once or twice a year when you clean the glass. That is the whole job.
Years 8-10
First maintenance coat: a light sand and one microporous topcoat. A weekend job per elevation, or one visit from a decorator.
Beyond
Repeat roughly every decade. Maintained engineered timber routinely outlives the people who fitted it; if a pane ever breaks in the meantime, our 24/7 emergency glazing team reglazes timber frames day or night.
Questions
Timber windows, answered
What is engineered timber and why do you use it?
Engineered timber is made by laminating three or more kiln-dried sections with opposing grain, so the finished piece cannot twist or bow the way a single sawn length can. It holds paint longer, keeps sashes running true, and is now the standard for quality timber windows. We use it on every frame and sash we fit.
How long does factory-finished paint last on timber windows?
A factory-applied microporous paint system, sprayed in controlled conditions before the window ever sees weather, typically runs 8-10 years before its first maintenance coat. That first coat is a light sand and one topcoat, not a strip back to bare wood.
Are timber windows accepted in London conservation areas?
Usually they are the preferred option. Most London conservation officers want like-for-like timber with correct sightlines, glazing bar profiles and putty-line detailing. We match existing joinery from survey photographs and sections, and can supply drawings to support a planning or listed building application.
Do wooden windows last as long as uPVC?
Maintained engineered timber outlasts uPVC. A repainted timber window is renewed; a faded uPVC frame can only be replaced. Well-kept timber windows routinely pass 60 years, which is why they remain original on so many Victorian and Edwardian London streets.
What glass goes into a timber window?
Standard is a double-glazed unit with low-E glass, argon fill and warm-edge spacer, around 1.4 W/m²K in a timber frame. For heritage work we fit slim 12-14mm units that sit within a traditional putty-line sightline, and acoustic laminated glass is available for busy roads.