Best paint system for Accoya Wood

Accoya Wood: Why is it so popular and what is the best paint system to use?

The demand for Accoya wood is soaring and its use in practical building projects is becoming more and more widespread. The UK  market currently accounts for about 25% of  global Accoya sales. So, if you’re a tradesperson and you haven’t worked with Accoya yet it seems likely that you will in the not too distant future. In this blog we’ll look at the benefits and potential drawbacks of working with Accoya as well as the best paint system to use to get the most from this revolutionary wood.

What makes Accoya wood so popular?

Accoya is big business these days and it’s easy to see why. Best described as a high-technology wood, this modified softwood outperforms tropical hardwoods by almost all measures and yet is manufactured in a non-toxic sustainable process suitable for the demands of the 21^st century. The exceptional stability of Accoya is a big attraction for joiners and carpenters who are very familiar with the issues caused by the movement of wood and its durability gives reassurance to specifiers who have been let down by prematurely rotting wood in the past.

Why is Accoya so popular within the finishing trade?

The nature of Accoya means that it machines to a very smooth finish and combined with its stability means that very precise detailing can be achieved. The stability is also the key to why most coatings last considerably longer on Accoya (typically three times longer) between maintenance intervals than on other timbers. Added to this, Accoya is less affected by UV light than some other species, meaning that this low maintenance characteristic also extends to translucent coatings. To put it simply, coated Accoya wood looks incredible and stands the test of time.

What are the drawbacks to using Accoya?

Uncoated Accoya wood can be prone to surface mould growths, like any non-toxic timber, particularly softwoods. This is a collective term for various organisms (mostly fungi) that grow in or on the surface of  wood in warm, damp conditions and create blue, grey or black stains. These are particularly noticeable in certain conditions before the uncoated Accoya matures to a natural grey patina.

What paint should be used with Accoya?

While there are multiple paint types that can be used with Accoya® wood, we strongly recommend using Anker Stuy Coatings. Anker Stuy works with Accsys Technologies to provide coatings that offer the best possible performance and durability. As we’ve covered, for all of the many advantages of using Accoya, it has the drawback of being somewhat prone to absorbing water. however If correctly applied and the coating specification is followed, Anker Stuy coatings prevent this. The Anker Stuy system is easy to apply, dries quickly and offers good UV protection.  The system includes a primer, topcoat, v joint and endgrain sealers and is available in a wide range of colours.

The topcoats from Anker Stuy Coatings are specially formulated to provide long term durability. They have been tested using recognised coating industry methods. Anker Stuy also test all of their topcoats in an outdoor exposure site which is situated just 30 kilometres from the North Sea. At this site they track and monitor the test samples for more than 10 years. In this way they can have a realistic assessment of the performance of our topcoats. The topcoats are also supplied under KOMO certification which means that they meet the highest water uptake standards in Europe.

Drying times of Anker Stuy on Accoya wood

With a typical dust dry time of just one hour and a repaint time of between 4-6 hours Anker Stuy is a great choice for professional finishers and joinery manufacturers

Find out more about our range of Anker Stuy primers and topcoats here: Anker Stuy

And, if you have more questions about any of our products, drop our sales team a line