Want new windows or doors with today’s efficiency—yet long for an older look? Window and door maker Jeld-Wen hopes so, as the company announced a line of reclaimed Douglas fir products at last week's International Builders’ Show in Orlando.

The reclaimed-wood doors and windows in Jeld-Wen’s new line was originally used for fencing, barns, houses and factories, said the company. For doors, it comes in one of three options:
• Weathered (as close to the original as possible);
• Skip-planed, which is smoothed out slightly in some spots but retains much of the original character; and
• Planed, which removes some surface imperfections for a more refined look.

Reclaimed-wood windows, sold only with the planed option, come in casement, double-hung, and a new variety—also announced at IBS—called Tilt & Turn. These European-style windows open like casements on a side hinge but can also open inward from the top, like a hopper window. The company expects the reclaimed-wood choice to cost about 10 percent more than the company’s usual Douglas fir, with perhaps a slightly higher premium over pine.

As with Jeld-Wen’s other door and window offerings, the reclaimed-wood is available in numerous sizes, shapes, designs, and other options, including glass and grilles.

At Consumer Reports, our experience with reclaimed-wood products has been with flooring, and two products in particular that scored low in our flooring tests. But the chief flaws of those two products—resistance to general wear (from foot traffic) and denting—would hardly apply to windows and doors.