Blog: What is the Benefit of a Factory Finished Timber Window?

An engineered timber window is only as good as the environment it is built in.

As discussed in our earlier blog, ‘What is the Difference Between Solid Timber and Engineered Timber?‘, the latter is by far the stronger, more robust of the two materials. Engineered timber is 60% stronger than solid timber, making it perfect for windows and doors where security and thermal efficiency are high on the list of priorities, for both the home owner and Building Regulations! Acoustic performance will also be improved and your engineered timber windows will stay looking good for much longer.

However, the environment in which the engineered timber window or door is constructed plays a significant role in the quality and life span of the final product.

When a window is ‘factory finished’ it means that it has been constructed in optimum conditions. Humidity levels are perfect and the temperature is regulated so that it remains stable. This means that the process of building a window is more effective with engineered timber in a factory environment because from beginning to end, the product is in its optimum state.

Skilled joiners and carpenters often work with solid timber, such is the nature of bespoke carpentry. They may also work with engineered timber, however, they often work in smaller workshops where it is almost impossible to regulate the conditions.

With a factory finished engineered timber window, it will be dipped in preservative, sprayed with primer, given a base coat of paint, rubbed down and finished with a perfect top coat. Each stage of the construction is dried, in a controlled environment, and imperfections filled and treated. The window is then packaged in its prime condition, ready to be installed.

Cracking or flaking paintwork is a sign that the timber was not ready to be painted. Timber contains moisture and if that timber was painted with a matt or gloss paint, as is often the case when built in a shop environment or on site, there is nowhere for that moisture to go. With a factory finished window, micro-porous paint is applied. This regulates any moisture, allowing air to pass through the paint surface, effectively allowing the timber to breath.

When an engineered timber window or door is factory finished, the result is flawless.