Is there any timber that doesn't need oiling or painting

I'm getting some windows put in and we're keen to put in some timber to soften our house. But my wife doesn't want to paint them, even externally. Some windows are a bit high up and I'm not keen to regularly oil them.

I think I know the answers to this but I have to ask the following:

Is there any timber at all that I can use on a window that will last the distance without oiling?

How about if I do compromise and get a cedar window then get up on a ladder twice a year and oil them? Will they last as long as a painted window?

TIA.

short answer in no.

You can just let cedar go grey and I believe it will still be OK.

Paint maybe every two years with Sikkens products depending on the exact exposure. All my cedar is coated with Sikkens. Love it. Our northern fully exposed wall was painted over three years ago and still looks great. It’s getting redone in March along with the rest of the house.

First used on our cedar weatherboards, windows, doors back in the early 80s.

My house had ~40 year old cedar, which looks like it was only finished a couple of times. Looks like something varnishy (ick), which was flaking off, but the frames still roughly original cedar brown. I just painted over it all over the break, wife hated it, wanted white. *sigh*.

It depends what you mean by "needing." If it is only rot that concerns you then there are timbers that can naturally withstand rot. If weathering is an issue then all timbers will weather without a finish.
Teak is used for boat decks in an unfinished state and lasts for years. Same with Crows Ash. Australian Red Cedar, Calafornian Red Wood and, to a lesser extent, Western Red Cedar are often used unfinished. Other timbers', read Class 1 Hardwoods, will also handle the rot problem but are often inclined to check which makes them somewhat unsuitable for finer work.

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Originally Posted by Lappa

Paint maybe every two years with Sikkens products depending on the exact exposure. All my cedar is coated with Sikkens. Love it. Our northern fully exposed wall was painted over three years ago and still looks great. It’s getting redone in March along with the rest of the house.

First used on our cedar weatherboards, windows, doors back in the early 80s.

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Which Sikkens products do you use?

Have seen weatherboards in northern NSW west of Lismore in particular that had many buildings in weathered grey weatherboards apparently last painted in the 20's or so whenever they were built. Many bare grey weathered weatherboards The thing apparently was something that was referred to as NATIVE TEAK? Is boring as -pale -not much grain etc. But seems to be the if you want it to last. Turpentine also used for marine pilings etc -excellent reference BTW .:)

Well only if you don't worry about things like rot or other weathering -Well then none does. I do presume that you be looking for HIGHLY DURABLE kinda ? Well just jump on the net -will come up with what is local -if that is a thing. Cypress pine ,Jarrah' red gum ,turpentine , native teak are just a few of the Australian suggestion's There are so many more. Then there is the foreign stuff.

Have done some exteriors of buildings with Tallowood and ironbark cladding and then coated with Cutek and left to silver off
Clear Wood Coating | CD50 Timber Protection Oil | Cutek

I also have used this product on my black butt decking

Similar to wood effect vinyl and hybrid flooring, get the look without the maintenance, perhaps the OP should be looking at PVC and Aluminium window frames that come in 'wood effect'.

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Originally Posted by gavinabrown

Which Sikkens products do you use?

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First coat was Sikkens Cetol HLSE followed by 2 coats of Cetol Filter 7.

To redo, we just hose and brush down and recoat with Cetol Filter 7.

New Guinea Rosewood survives pretty well outside without any sealer. There’s a bit leaning up on the outside wall of the old mans old shed that’s been sitting there for 25 years and it looks like it went there yesterday. It has greyed somewhat but the back side is still perfect.
However I agree with Lappa, sikkens products are very good, when applied correctly.

I'm with Beardy on this one with the Cutek CD50 product-The main reason is the ease of recoating which requires just a light pressure wash and simply go again. If you wish to used the various Colortone additives, this will generally provide a longer lasting finish and stop 'greying' early on.

After trying everything else, I have yet to find a comparable and had good results on exterior WRC, Cypress, Ironbark, Oregon and Blackbutt.

But if pain and suffering are your thing through stripping, scraping and sanding then so be it....