Ellwood garden gate in European oak

Information on our profiles, door styles, locking and security, handles and glass

specifications can be found on our Ellwood wood and timber specifications page

 

 Timber and Paint

 

99% of what we use in manufacture is Sapele hardwood. This is normally sourced from South African commercially grown forests and has chain of custody traceability. We do not use endangered timber species or obtain timber from non commercial sites. We use Sapele because it is an extremely stable timber with a close grain structure especially suited for manufacturing windows and doors and therefore it is ideal as we do not want any warping, splitting or twisting. Additionally, the tight grain and fine surface possible allows a superior paint or stain finish. Other timbers such as Meranti does not have these ideal qualities and Meranti wont give such a finely sanded surface. Oak can be used but not only is it expensive but can give structural problems as it can twist and move post manufacture. It can also go black or discolour due to air pollutants and oxidisation. With double glazed units installed, this oak timber choice can be seen to move and is certainly not as ideal as Sapele to ensure the integrity of a window or door designed to keep the elements at bay.

 

For customers wanting an oak like appearance but without the high cost or movement seen in real oak, then Idigbo offers a useful alternative. This is normally treated with Danish oil or similar. Idigbo is often referred to as “poor man’s oak”. Utile is another timber we can use.

Whatever you choose we are committed to using sustainable and ethically obtained timber supplies.

 

Windows and doors joinery manufacturing is based on unique tried and tested mitred and dovetailed corner joint method. This eliminates the most vulnerable and exposed end grain normally associated with traditional joinery, allowing continuity of moulds and shapes around the frames. We’ve adopted a well developed and tested European preservative and finishing coating system. This special high build, microporous stain or paint allows the timber to breathe and, when sprayed on, is equivalent to several normal brushed-on coats. The coating expands and contracts with the timber to minimise the risk of premature failure.

 

In fact this finishing process is completed on each timber section unit prior to any final assembly ensuring complete coverage. This level of protection would be impossible to achieve on an assembled product. Even the bits you don’t see are protected. We can normally match most colours and stains although we have a standard and proven range which you will see in the many pictures on our web site.

 

 

Why Use Timber Anyway?

 

Timber is unquestionably more environmentally friendly than aluminium or uPVC. Forests are being protected and managed by replanting more trees than are cut down. Most people don’t realise there’s now more than twice as much wood in forests than there was 100 years ago. Healthy forests also help to counter the “greenhouse effect” or combat global warming since the growing trees absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.

 

 

Managed felling and replanting schemes increase this effect since young growing trees absorb and emit gases proportionally more than older, mature trees. It’s been estimated that a healthy growing tree consumes more than 9 kilos of CO² and gives off about 7 kilos of oxygen each year.

 

Unlike steel, cement, bricks or plastics, wood requires less energy to convert into useable form. There is a minimal waste in the production process and residual material from timber components can be used in the manufacture of other products such as particle board, as a fuel source or in agriculture. In fact we often have local potters collect bags of our Sapele sawdust to use in kilns as part of the firing process for certain pottery finishes. Any remaining sawdust and waste product is collected by a local enterprise and used to make fuel briquettes. In contrast to using a natural product such as wood, a uPVC window frame needs more than seven times the energy input in manufacture than a wooden window frame of similar size and design.