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Ta. Have a selco nearby so will go look at their redwood.
Interesting about paint and oak, I've never tried it, what goes wrong if you do try and paint it out of interest?
I replaced a door in this house that was made of sapele, have used the wood from it for all sorts, but sadly not enough left to this window frame.
Hovis-
I’ve painted oak. Not a great result. Nor a great experience. It has an open grain, which the paint half hides but not quite, leaving with you with a finish that’s neither one thing nor t’other.
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Like Sharkstar has said, the grain and structure mean it doesn't bond very well with the paint. Modern moisture vapour permeable paints might be better but it just isn't worth the extra cost and trouble if you're painting them. If you want a durable wood that can be left exposed or oiled oak is a decent choice.
I usually buy the big pieces of redwood and run them through a table saw. It works out quite a bit cheaper.
Sharkstar
Airhead
Not if you want to paint it. Redwood of whatever kind the builders merchant has in stock is a good option. Don't expect it to be straight if you are picking it up from a merchant. You need to go along and eyeball every piece you take and they will try to mug you off with anything if they get a chance! It's also very cold and damp in most timber yards now so it should be kept indoors to acclimatise.
Oak just doesn't like to be painted so there's no point in using it.
There's another wood being used in a lot of window construction but I've not found a source for it. Apparently it has a high percentage of stable resin in it. It is supposed to be quite tough on the tools cutting and shaping it though.