Accoya
Accoya Wood is a highly-recommended type of modified wood that is becoming increasingly popular within the industry. Renowned for its sustainability and strength, Accoya is an effective choice for a range of both interior and exterior projects.
Accoya timber is created through an innovative technological process of acetylation, whereby the free hydroxyls within the wood are transformed into acetyl groups. This transformation makes the timber less likely to absorb water, creating a significantly more stable and durable product that is less susceptible to fungi, termites and rotting.
Imagine a solid wood that is sourced from fast-growing sustainable forests, has zero toxicity and provides dimensional stability and durability that exceeds even the best tropical hardwoods. Accoya wood has been tested over prolonged periods in all types of weathering conditions – above ground, below ground and even in water and has been proven to withstand the toughest of external environments.
The exceptional durability and dimensional stability mean that Accoya wood requires significantly less maintenance because paints and stains stay where they belong: on the wood. In fact test results between Accoya wood and unmodified wood constantly prove that coatings last up to 3 times as long on Accoya wood.
Spanning eight decades of research, Accoya wood combines past and present scientific wood acetylation study with a proprietary production process to deliver reliable commercial-scale results. The acetylation process used to make Accoya wood is entirely non-toxic and introduces no
chemicals not already found in the wood. In producing Accoya wood, the chemical structure of the wood is modified from the surface to the core, providing outstanding and durable performance.
HOW TO USE ACCOYA WOOD
Transportation and Storage – Accoya wood should be carefully transported and stored in a manner consistent with other high quality woods. This
includes keeping it from getting wet shortly before being processed. The equilibrium moisture content of Accoya wood is quite dry (3 – 5 % in normal
conditions). Wood measuring more than 8% moisture content is likely to have excessive “free” water and should be allowed to dry.
Processing
As a result of kilning and our production process, Accoya wood may have some discolouration. Planing may be desired to remove surface decolourisation.
Fixings
Always attach Accoya wood with stainless steel fasteners and fittings with A2 or A4 (EN 10088-1) quality or A1S1 type 304 or 316 when possible. You
may also use specially coated (epoxy, polyurethane) fasteners. Preferably pre-drill for screws. Attach small pieces, such as glazing rods, with
staples to minimise chances of splitting, 18 gauge A2 quality staples are recommended.
Coating
Accoya wood may be finished with semi and non-film forming paint systems such as stains and oils. The products tested to date show that oil-based systems are more quickly absorbed by Accoya wood than water.
Please refer to your coating supplier for advice about the best way to apply their products. If using film-forming opaque and translucent coating systems, they should be applied on all sides with a minimum film thickness that corresponds to the requirements of the end product and/or paint supplier’s instructions. End grains should be sealed with a suitable product so the protection of all finished sides against water (liquid) uptake is approximately equal. Please contact your coating supplier for further advice.
Application Suitability
Accoya wood offers unsurpassed dimensional stability and durability class 1 according to EN 350 – 2, EN 113 and ENv 807 in risk class1 to 4 according to EN 35 – 1. Permanent contact with materials that are pH9 and above is not recommended.
Please feel free to download and print documents relating to Accoya® wood here:
Accoya Performance Testing Summary
Click here to watch the video on the sustainability credentials of Accoya.
For more information on Accoya you can visit their website by clicking here.