External Accoya Doors

Accoya – What is it and why use it for External Doors?

Not everyone wants or can have an external door made out of oak or hardwood but not everyone knows what the different options available to them are. One of the biggest alternatives to hardwood doors is Accoya and here we are going to look at what Accoya is and why it is recommended to be used for External Doors.

What is Accoya?

Accoya is made by Accsys at it’s plant in Arnhem in the Netherlands. It starts its life as a fast growing pine tree which is grown in managed forests, these trees are only harvested once they reaches maturity at around the 30 year mark. The raw timber is then introduced to a modification process as plank or beam, known as the acetylation process* which uses acetic acid. This creates extremely dimensionally stable and durable wood.

It is a rot resistance material and very stable across varying climates. It is ideal for many applications including window frame, doors, facades, cladding and decking. It is accredited by the FSC® and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) overall gold certified.

Why use Accoya for External Doors?

There are many reasons why this timber is perfect to use when making external doors. One reason is that it is Class 1 durable** and surpasses event the most durable old growth tropical hardwoods such as teak, the change in the cell walls means that insects and fungi do not recognise it as a food source and therefore will not attack and start to eat it.

Part L

Another advantage of using Accoya is that it would have a high insulation value due to is insulation properties being better than those of other timber doors, which means this keeps the heat inside ensuring good energy savings. This also means that if you require a door or doorset for a new build property where Part L thermal efficiency regulations must be met then Accoya can be a great choice.

Perfect in Rainy Areas

If your door is going to be fitted in a particularly windy or wet location then we recommend you consider Accoya. As it is modified timber it hardly shrinks or swells because of the modification process which means you get highly stable and durable wood and your front door will no linger get jammed in different climate conditions.

Accoya is ideal if you are wanting paint your door. Finishes last quite a lot longer on Accoya meaning your door will be low maintenance which means you save time and money on not having to refinish your door every couple of years.

Sustainable Timber

Another advantage of using Accoya for your front door is that is sustainable, it will have been sourced from FSC forests and have a very long lifespan. It carries a 50 year guarantee against rot and if you decide you want a change of style or it’s life does finally come to an end it can be recycled.

Get Your Own Accoya Door!

So, there you have it! Even though Oak is without a doubt one of the most beautiful timbers you can buy and solid oak doors are a real statement of luxury and style, we understand it sometimes isn’t suitable for you to have Oak for your front door but we hope that you now know why we list Accoya as a suitable alternative.

Go ahead and design your Accoya door here!

*This is subjecting a softwood to an acetic acid, which turns into a hardwood by preventing the cells in the wood from being able to absorb water.
** A woods resistance to rot and decay is measured on a scaled 1 – 5 with one being the most durable.