Looking for advice on caring for Iroko windows - some say Iroko does not necessarily need any additional protection beyond its own natural oils and will weather naturally.

Originally I was under the impression that all I needed to do was lightly oil the Iroko once a year and that a suitable product could be applied with a cloth. But now I have also been recommended products such as Osmo UV clear protection and Deks Olje that need applying before installation and top up with a brush.

Has anyone been down this path?

Thanks

Dovecote

I've used iroko for boats and gates. Very strong and durable. Heartwood will last forever untreated. Sapwoood is prone to rot. Not great at holding onto coatings.

If you want to keep it shiny use high quality marine varnish or Deks Ojle and be prepared to redo to a lesser or greater extent every year.

Alternative would be a teak oil that you can redo a couple of times a year to keep it clean. Oil attracts dirt which can make the finish very dark (like black) over time.

Whatever you do, if you don't maintain it regularly you'll get flaking varnish or streaks of grey/black.

If you like grey weathered wood, I'd recommend not using any coatings or oil.
If it gets dirty you can bleach and scrub and it'll come up nice again.

Dovecote,

In my experience iroko heartwood is very resistant to rot, but sapwood is very prone to rot. The two are usually easy to distinguish as the sapwood is much lighter in colour and softer to the thumbnail.
If you keep the heartwood clear of vegetation (mould, lichen, etc.) it should last as long as the rest of the house.

You can leave the internal face untreated but it might be inclined to pick up and hold onto dirt. I've used water-based varnish on iroko internally with good results. You could apply two (or maybe three) coats of matt, sanding between coats (220 then 400 paper). This will seal the wood and make it easier to keep clean without creating a 'varnished' look.

If you oil now (teak oil or Deks) you might have difficulty varnishing later.
If you varnish now and it flakes you'll have a tedious stripping/sanding job.
If you leave it natural and then don't like the grey you'll have a tedious bleaching/sanding job.

Wooden windows are lovely on the inside but a pain in the arse on the outside.
I fitted Veluxes (on the vertical) to my house because they have aluminium flashings on the outside.

My limited experience with iroko is from some 25 years ago when I purchased a plank about 30 inches wide for a work surface, the left over off cut is about 3 ft long, so that is a piece about 2 ft 6in x 3 ft, it looks to be heart wood, is 2 1/2 in thick and has been kicking around since I got it in various storage places and for the last 10 years has been in a damp cellar which has had the occasional flood. To date there is no sign of rot, splitting or warping

So IMO the wood does not need any treatment - but if you do treat it then you will be into the cycle of repairing the treatment as required

I had never heard of it, so looked it up on the font of all knowlwdge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroko

Just don't cut it down yourself (though that may be connected to a later bit about sanding)