Timber door and window frames are making a comeback as more architects and designers specify wood for new-builds and refurbishment projects.

Phil Martindale, founder and Managing Director of Martindales, explained: "We are in a demand-driven world, and while people are becoming more and more conscious of our declining levels of natural resources, our understanding is that using timber to create door and window frames does less damage to the environment than the consequences of emissions from the plastic manufacturing process."

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"This growing demand for timber products is down to a combination of circumstances: architects don't like PVC frames, wood is becoming more available - and there is a growing body of feeling that using wood is far more environmentally friendly than manufacturing plastic.

"We have carefully researched this issue with suppliers, and our belief is that growth of forests around the world for the purposes of sustainable timber products is actually catching up and overtaking demand for wood," added Phil.

"We used to say 'save a tree, fit uPVC', but there is definitely more timber available. There are also so many processes in the production of uPVC window frames from synthetic and non-natural materials that emissions are inevitably going to be pretty steep."

(CL)