Materials Guide

Wood vs. Solid Surface Window Sills

Both make an excellent made-to-measure window sill — the right choice comes down to where the sill lives and the look you're after. Here's how solid hardwood and solid surface compare, and how to pick.

Solid Hardwood
Solid Surface
Look & feel
Warm, natural wood grain
Smooth, uniform, matte
Best for
Living & sleeping spaces, period homes
Kitchens, baths, high-moisture, rentals
Moisture
Good — sealed finish
Excellent — fully non-porous
Maintenance
Wipe clean; re-oil high-wear edges
Wipe clean; scratches sand out
Repairability
Refinish or re-sand
Seamless — chips & scratches sand out
Finishes
95 hardwood stains
77 solid-surface colors
Construction
3/4" solid slab
12mm slab + laminated build-up edge

Solid hardwood

Solid hardwood brings genuine warmth and grain to a window sill. Made from furniture-grade stock with a durable, sealed finish, it's the natural choice for living rooms, bedrooms and period homes — anywhere the sill is meant to be seen and touched. It's offered in 95 stain finishes across species like walnut, white oak, maple and cherry, so you can match existing trim, cabinetry or flooring. Wood is a little more sensitive to standing water than solid surface, but a sealed hardwood sill handles everyday condensation well and can be re-oiled or refinished over the years.

Solid surface

Solid surface is a man-made composite (the same category as Corian®) that's non-porous, seamless and fully repairable. It shrugs off condensation, cleaning products and direct sun, which makes it the dependable pick for kitchens, baths, laundry rooms and rentals — anywhere a sill has to take abuse and still look clean. It's offered in 77 colors, wipes down like new, and because it's solid all the way through, scratches and small chips sand right out.

Which should you choose?

  • Choose hardwood when the sill is a design feature — living and sleeping rooms, historic homes, or anywhere you want to match wood trim.
  • Choose solid surface for wet, high-traffic or rental spaces — kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms where low maintenance and moisture resistance matter most.
  • Either way, you get the same made-to-measure sizing, edge profiles, corner shaping and ±0.5mm fabrication.

See every option up close on the materials page (172 finishes in total), then design your sill to get an instant price in either material.

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