Is Abodo Wood The Best Wood for Windows and Doors?

Softwood or what many people call pine, which in most cases means European Redwood, is an "appropriate" choice for wooden windows and doors but we rarely or recommed it. Some still do use it but it must be treated with preservative, because in our experience it's not proven to be durable. Some people mistakenly believe that if they use "engineered" versions of softwood their wooden windows and doors will be more durable. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Engineering" may make the wood more stable but that's it, in our experience it does not make it durable. European Redwood is Class 4 for Durability. That's not great. If you fail to maintain the joinery you'll soon experience problems.

For those wanting touse a softwood, Accoya is the Rolls Royce choice. It's Class 1 for Durability which is in excess of 25 years. Combined with proper coatings and maintenance, this makes for a very durable solution. It's super stable and machines beautifully. But just like a Rolls Royce, it's very expensive. So much so it can be out of reach for many clients but we think it is the best wood for windows.

Enter Abodo Wood. As it happens both Accoya and Abodo start life as the same tree. Radiata Pine to be precise, which is plantation grown in New Zealand. While Accoya goes through a process of acetylation. Yeah, what's acetylation? Think pickling the wood! Instead, Abodo wood is modified thermally. Abodo is also Class 1 for Durabity. Hand on heart, I don't think Abodo is as durable as Accoya, but let's be frank even if it's Class 2, that's 15 to 25 years of durability and in the same bracket as European Oak. The real win here is at the moment, Abodo is nearly half the price of Accoya! So if your serious about environmental issues, you want a really stable and durable timber but you still want to keep cost under control, should Abodo should be top of your list?

Well, aftersome trials we think Abodo is a good option to have but there are some downsides. We have found it to be a bit too soft for most external joinery. We handle it the same way as Western Red Cedar. Very carefully! Due to it's light weight it can be useful in certain settings but it won't be our default timber of choice. Rather it's another useful option to have.