Wood Windows Cost: Survey Ranges, Clad vs. Bare, Upkeep

A wood window typically costs several hundred dollars to about $2,000 installed, depending on the survey. Fixr reports a typical range of $600 to $2,000 per window with a $1,200 national average (updated January 21, 2026) ¹. Modernize puts installed wood windows at $875 to $1,865 per window (updated August 12, 2026) ², and This Old House's 2026 homeowner survey found an average of $544 per wood window ⁴.

Two things move a wood window's price and its long-term cost more than anything else: whether the outside is clad in aluminum or vinyl or left as wood, and how much upkeep you are prepared to do. The manufacturers are specific about that upkeep, and their warranties depend on it. If you are still choosing between wood and vinyl, vinyl vs. wood windows compares the two; this article is about what wood costs and what owning it involves.

What the cost surveys report

The figures disagree because they measure different things. This Old House's number is an average from its 2026 survey of 1,000 window customers nationwide ⁴, so it mixes small and large windows and every grade of product. Modernize's calculator range is for standard-size double-hung windows only ³. Fixr's typical range sits inside a much wider full range of $150 to $7,500 per window, which runs from a small hopper to a bow window ¹. For more on why the surveys differ, see how the cost surveys differ.

What moves the price

Window type and size

Fixr's per-window ranges for wood windows by type ¹:

The type matters more than the wood in many cases. A casement has more hardware than a hung window, and a bay is several windows joined together. The casement windows and bay and bow window cost articles cover those types in more detail.

Wood species

Fixr reports pine at $650 to $2,000 per window, Douglas fir at $700 to $2,000, mahogany at $800 to $2,800 and teak at $1,400 to $3,000 ¹. Modernize also names pine among the more affordable woods and mahogany among the more expensive ².

Labor and job size

Fixr puts labor at $150 to $300 per wood window on average, more for large windows that need several installers or for upper floors that need a lift ¹. Modernize reports about $70 to $150 per window for labor ². Fixr adds that replacing 10 or more windows at once may lower the per-window cost by about 20% ¹, and lists disposal at $50 to $200 and permits and inspection at $50 to $300 ¹. Whether your job needs a permit is covered in do you need a permit to replace windows.

Clad wood vs. bare wood

A clad wood window has a wood frame and sash with a skin of aluminum, vinyl or fiberglass on the outside. A bare (or primed) wood window is wood inside and out and is painted on site.

Fixr says cladding adds to the material cost but does not give a separate figure ¹, and none of the other surveys cited here prices clad and bare wood side by side. To see the difference for your own openings, ask an installer to quote the same window both ways.

What cladding changes is the outside upkeep. Andersen says the vinyl cladding on its 200 Series and 400 Series windows protects the wood core and never needs repainting ¹⁰. Marvin's Ultimate casement has an extruded aluminum exterior over a wood interior, offered in 19 exterior colors plus custom, and Marvin says the finish is covered by a 20-year warranty against loss of adhesion, chalking and fading ⁹. The interior stays wood: Marvin offers that window in six species, including pine, Douglas fir, cherry, white oak and mahogany ⁹.

The Efficient Windows Collaborative, part of NFRC, lists wood with metal or vinyl cladding among the non-metal frame types and says the sash and frame make up 10 to 30 percent of a window unit's area, so the frame material affects the whole window's performance ¹¹. Compare the NFRC label numbers of the exact windows you are quoted rather than assuming clad or bare wood performs better; window frame materials compared sets wood beside the other materials.

The upkeep the manufacturers ask for

This is where wood costs money after the sale. The manufacturers' own instructions are specific.

Exposed wood exteriors

Marvin tells owners to clean and check the exterior of wood windows at least once a year for failing caulk or paint, to repair any blistering, peeling or cracking in the finish quickly, and to repaint wood exteriors periodically ⁶. It does not recommend stain or clear finishes on exterior wood, and says exposed untreated wood should get a water-repellent preservative; failing to retreat it properly voids the warranty ⁶. This Old House gives a schedule of repainting and sealing every three to five years ⁵.

What the warranties expect

The warranties make maintenance a condition of coverage:

• Andersen gives the non-glass parts of its 400 Series and 200 Series windows a 10-year term, but only 5 years for windows with wood exteriors, and excludes failures caused by not sealing and maintaining exposed wood ⁷.
• Marvin excludes failures caused by not treating, sealing and maintaining exposed wood, and says factory-applied wood primer must be painted according to its instructions within 90 days of installation; primer alone is not covered ⁸. Its factory-applied interior wood finish carries a 5-year term ⁸.
• Marvin's standard aluminum cladding finish carries a 20-year term against chalking, fading and peeling, or 10 years against corrosion and loss of adhesion within one mile of a sea coast or other salt water ⁸.

So a primed wood window bought at a lower price may need painting soon after installation, and the warranty can depend on it. Ask who does that painting and whether it is in the quote. Window warranties explained covers how to read the rest of a warranty.

Clad exteriors

Clad windows still need cleaning. Marvin says how often depends on location: homes on the coast may need their aluminum-clad windows cleaned four or five times a year, and homes in drier climates once or twice ⁶. It also advises against pressure-washing any part of a window ⁶.

How long wood windows last

Fixr gives wood frames a lifespan of 30 to 60 years ¹, and This Old House says wood windows typically last 30 years or more with proper maintenance ⁵. Both tie that life to the upkeep above. Modernize notes that wood expands and contracts with moisture and can rot or weather, and that cladding can protect it ². The how long do windows last article covers the signs that a window is near the end of its life, and rotted window frame: repair or replace covers what to do when wood has already failed.

Getting wood windows quoted

Ask each installer to quote the same species, the same exterior (aluminum-clad, vinyl-clad or primed wood), the same interior finish (bare, primed, stained or painted at the factory) and the same glass. Ask whether field painting or staining is included, because a factory finish and an unfinished interior are not the same price. Is the installer licensed where you live? The how to choose a window installer guide lists what else to check, and the window replacement cost guide covers the other cost drivers. When you are ready, you can compare quotes from window installers.

We are not affiliated with the manufacturers named.

About these figures

• ¹ Reported: Fixr wood window ranges per window, the $1,200 average, ranges by type, species and size, labor, disposal, permits, the 20% multi-window note and the 30-to-60-year lifespan, updated January 21, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ² Reported: Modernize installed range of $875 to $1,865 per wood window, labor of $70 to $150, species and moisture notes, updated August 12, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ³ Reported: Modernize calculator range of $800 to $1,500 per wood window for standard-size double-hung windows, updated September 22, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁴ Reported: This Old House average of $544 per wood window from its 2026 survey of 1,000 homeowners, updated August 11, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁵ Reported: This Old House repainting and sealing interval of three to five years and lifespan of 30 years or more, updated June 23, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁶ Reported: Marvin care instructions for wood and aluminum-clad exteriors, including annual inspection, exterior stain advice, preservative, warranty condition and cleaning frequency, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁷ Reported: Andersen 400 Series and 200 Series warranty terms of 10 years for non-glass parts and 5 years for wood exteriors, and the exposed-wood exclusion, October 2023 document, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁸ Reported: Marvin limited warranty terms for wood primer (90 days), interior wood finish (5 years), aluminum cladding finish (20 years, 10 years near salt water) and the exposed-wood exclusion, effective January 12, 2026, checked October 26, 2026.
• ⁹ Reported: Marvin Ultimate casement exterior material, 19 exterior colors, 20-year finish warranty statement and six interior wood species, checked October 26, 2026.
• ¹⁰ Reported: Andersen statement that its vinyl cladding protects the wood core and never needs repainting, checked October 26, 2026.
• ¹¹ Official record: Efficient Windows Collaborative listing of clad wood frames and the 10 to 30 percent frame-area statement, checked October 26, 2026.