Wood or aluminium window/door frames?

Ask here about the pleasures and pitfalls of buying, selling or renting property and real estate in Hua Hin. Building, design and construction topics welcome. Commercial or promotional posts for real estate companies or private properties are forbidden.
Gralee
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:20 pm
Location: Saudi Arabia

Wood or aluminium window/door frames?

Post by Gralee »

I'm starting a house build shortly and need to decide on using wood frames or aluminium frames for patio doors and windows etc. I prefer the look of wood over aluminium (it would look better with the teak floors and stone facings) but am concerned about the maintenance costs in the longer term, particularly in this climate. Anybody know of a local source of good quality hardwood for doors/window frames? Anyone have any experience in choosing one over the other?
Appreciate your comments
Graham
User avatar
PeteC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29985
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:58 am
Location: All Blacks training camp

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by PeteC »

Just a quick reaction reply. I've been in many houses here over the years, some the older style Thai house with hardwood window frames. They all swelled depending upon the season and humidity. It was then a battle to open and close. When buying a house about 8 years ago we went with Windsor PVC and haven't been disappointed. Yes, it's white but you get over that quickly as the windows and frames are high quality, work well, and are easy to maintain. Aluminum I'm not sure. You can get away from the white color but the quality of the metal has to be good as anywhere near the sea over time you'll start to get some pitting and chalking from what I've seen. Pete :cheers:
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
User avatar
Dannie Boy
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12095
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:12 pm
Location: Closer to Cha Am than Hua Hin

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by Dannie Boy »

When I had my house built I considered both wood and aluminium and like you, think that good wooden windows and doors look better than aluminium, but I struggled to find anybody who could supply good quality wooden patio door frames at a reasonable price, so in the end went for aluminium. Am I happy with my choice - not really, and whilst we went for better quality (thicker gauge metal), they are nothing like the quality you would get in the UK. I didn't find PVC at the time, although have since (from Hua Hin Glass) and whilst I'm not over enthusiastic on white frames, I could easily be tempted to replace them if I stumble across the money. As Pete said, they are better quality and the ones I have seen come with good fitting mosquito screens and good locks.
oakdale160
Rock Star
Rock Star
Posts: 4657
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:51 pm

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by oakdale160 »

PVC! Looks better, lasts better, cleans better, insulates better. Ask any Canadian, we switched to PVC 25 years ago, of course we have double or triple glazing too.
User avatar
dtaai-maai
Hero
Hero
Posts: 14196
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:00 pm
Location: UK, Robin Hood country

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by dtaai-maai »

I would love to recommend wood, but I've had 2 rental houses in the past with several wooden windows that were swollen and stuck. We have PVC now in the house we are buying. Of course, it looks like PVC, but at least the windows open.

If I were building my own place, I'd like to think I'd have the courage of my convictions and have at least a few wooden windows, but I'm not, so who knows...

I've just seen the previous post - I can't agree PVC looks better.
This is the way
User avatar
PeteC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29985
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:58 am
Location: All Blacks training camp

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by PeteC »

oakdale160 wrote:PVC! Looks better, lasts better, cleans better, insulates better. Ask any Canadian, we switched to PVC 25 years ago, of course we have double or triple glazing too.
On the downstairs kitchen/lobby doors we have with no other security devices present, there is what I guess you would call double glazing. It's the thickness of 2 car windshields sandwiched together. Someone would have to whack it many times to get through....then find that the lock is key type on both inside and outside. :laugh: Foiled again! :D

I am a huge fan of physical and visual deterrents over electronic alarms. With electronic, something always gets broken before the thief realizes the house is protected. With physical/visual he just sees it and goes somewhere else for easier pickings. Really up to personal preference though. Pete :cheers:
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
brianks
Guru
Guru
Posts: 715
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 7:56 pm
Location: Nongpranphuk, Hua Hin

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by brianks »

Have just built a house in Khanom which is on the mainland directly below Koh Samui. Of our two houses in Hua Hin, one had wood windows and doors and the other aluminum. We initially thought the wood looked great but the problems with swelling and maintaining turned us off of wood. Next house had white aluminum windows and doors. They always worked and loved them though I did not like the white color. PVC is suppose to be better and would have same qualities but more costly than aluminum.

For our new house we chose a thick profile aluminum that was brown anodized. The brown anodized aluminum doors and windows look like they are wood from a distance and much more colorful than the white aluminum which is too often used. Have them made from the thickest profile (wall thickness) you can get and they will be much stronger. Our local mfg. here told us that the Thai's always select the thinnest profile because it is cheaper.
User avatar
STEVE G
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12821
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:50 am
Location: HUA HIN/EUROPE

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by STEVE G »

I went for wood purely because I'm a bit of a traditionalist, I like it and will put up with any maintenance issues that arise in the future. The house is only a couple of years old but so far they've been no problem at all. I've now had an outdoor entertainment area built that has twelve of those wooden concertina doors which I really like the look of.
I used to have a Victorian house in England and once someone came around trying to sell me aluminium double glazing. He said that his windows were guaranteed for fifteen years to which I pointed out that my wooden ones were 125 years old and there was nothing much wrong with them!
User avatar
PeteC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29985
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:58 am
Location: All Blacks training camp

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by PeteC »

When's the party? :D
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by hhfarang »

There is a very heavy duty aluminum available for doors and windows that comes in a wood grain that without very close examination looks like wood... very high quality, but expensive and last time I checked it had to be made in Bangkok. I will try to find time to upload photos tomorrow, but as I'm not used to gimp yet I have to figure out how to resize them (I have a photo of the finish as well as a cross section of a window showing how strong and thick they are). They are very nice and heavy duty and you cannot tell them from wood but they slide easily (instead of opening out) making it easy for sliding screens and they fit tight. If I build again that's what I will use.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
User avatar
Big Boy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 45038
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 7:36 pm
Location: Bon Kai

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by Big Boy »

hhfarang wrote:I'm not used to gimp yet I have to figure out how to resize them
Image/Scale Image/Enter New Size/Scale - simples.
Championship Plymouth Argyle 0 - 1 Preston NE :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Points 41; Position 18
User avatar
malcolminthemiddle
Guru
Guru
Posts: 591
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:56 pm
Location: Here,there and everywhere

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by malcolminthemiddle »

For aluminium windows and doors the best quality I have come across in Thailand are Schueo by ARC (Pattaya) and Sunflex available through the Hafele shop on Petchkasem.

Another supplier I noticed advertising in the local mags is Fletcher Aluminium from Australia but have not seen their product.

Any one have experience of these products?

For bi-folding doors got to be aluminium.
Gralee
Rookie
Rookie
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:20 pm
Location: Saudi Arabia

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by Gralee »

@prcscct:
I'd be happy to stand for a few beers next time we're over in HH - probably about October this year. Housewarming? Probably about early 2015. By the way -any ex-Aramcons out there?
User avatar
STEVE G
Hero
Hero
Posts: 12821
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:50 am
Location: HUA HIN/EUROPE

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by STEVE G »

prcscct wrote:When's the party? :D
If you're over this way Pete, we'll have a party!
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Wood or aluminium?

Post by hhfarang »

Big Boy wrote:
hhfarang wrote:I'm not used to gimp yet I have to figure out how to resize them
Image/Scale Image/Enter New Size/Scale - simples.
Thanks Big Boy, it is simple once you know how to do it. Never used Gimp before... always used photoshop under windows.

Anyway here are images of the finish and a cutaway showing the quality and sturdiness of the aluminum windows I saw being used on a build here a couple of years ago. He said they came from Bangkok.
AluminumWindowSmall.JPG
AluminumWindow2small.JPG
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Post Reply