Our Windows Are Built to Last
Many home owners are attracted to the 'plastic like' sprayed finish on some windows. However, they don't realise they are made from engineered wood with dowels for joints. These should not be confused with what we (and other genuine joiners) produce.
We make windows and doors in the traditional, time-tested way, with full mortice and tenon joints, never using engineered timber, which is basically lots of smaller pieces of wood glued together to make larger sections. The joints on this imported joinery are dowel joints. Dowel joints are two or three small pegs used to hold the window together.
Below you can see the difference between the two methods. Mortice and tenon joints are the original way to join windows and doors and involve a full depth tenon (the tongue like part) and a mortice (the rectangular hole through the timber). There is no comparison in terms of strength or lifespan.
The most frustrating fact about this imported joinery is that, despite it being cheaper to import, these poor quality windows are more expensive than purpose made, genuine first class London/British made joinery. This is mostly due to it being marketed by salesmen rather than craftsmen. We hope this trend fizzles out and people begin to revert to traditional windows and doors, made how they should be.
