What if a summerhouse could be made from a stable and durable wood that doesn’t shrink or expand as the weather changes?
What if it could be guaranteed for 50 years?
And what if it required little maintenance, repainting or re-coating and allowed you to enjoy all the benefits of an additional room in the garden with ease, allowing you to pass your summerhouse on to the next generation or add value to your property?
Such a summerhouse is now available thanks to Accoya – one of the world’s most advanced wood products.
Accoya’s outstanding longevity, durability, low maintenance and sustainability mean it is the world’s leading modified wood product. It is fast becoming the material of choice for self-builders, joiners and carpenters across Europe, and now summerhouses are available in this wonder-wood.
Particularly suited to summerhouses and garden buildings, Accoya delivers huge benefits over traditional wood for outdoor use or structures that are exposed to the elements.
What is Accoya?
Following eight decades of research, Accoya is produced by Accsys Technologies using a patented wood acetylation process. During this process the chemical structure of the wood is modified throughout, not just at the surface, as is the case with traditional treatments. The result is a wood that is naturally insulating and dimensionally stable with every piece of Accoya consistent in quality and there are no exposed non-acetylated surfaces when the wood is cut or joined.
Accoya is particularly suited to summerhouse construction thanks to a number of its key benefits.
Outstanding stability and durability – During the patented acetylation process, the wood’s chemical structure is altered to reduce water absorption and digestibility. This leads to outstanding stability and durability, combined with ease of machining and exceptional performance exceeding even the best tropical hardwoods which are increasingly scarce and far less sustainable. As a result of low water absorption, coatings are not subject to such severe stretch and shrink cycles as other woods meaning maintenance frequency is significantly reduced.
Sustainable and kind to the environment – Naturally renewable, Accoya also boasts excellent environmental credentials by using solid wood sourced from fast-growing responsibly managed FSC certified forests. Nothing is added to the wood during the acetylation process that does not naturally occur within it and so it has zero toxicity and, after exceeding its extended lifespan of at least 25 years in ground contact, or 50 years above ground, it can safely be recycled.
Natural aesthetics – Accoya retains its natural colour after acetylation demonstrating the natural beauty of the wood, yet its durability is class 1, exceeding nature’s most durable woods.
Long-lasting – Having been tested over prolonged periods in all types of weather conditions, Accoya has been proven to withstand even the toughest external environments, even when submerged in water. Its superior resistance to UV degradation improves its lifespan and further improves cost-effectiveness as maintenance is far less frequent.
Scotts’ core range of five summerhouses is now available constructed from Accoya. As standard, an Accoya summerhouse will be offered in an oak stained option or, alternatively, customers can choose from the existing range of nine paint colour finishes.
Accoya’s properties speak for themselves, not least its sustainability and environmental credentials. Here at Scotts, we know that the environmental impact of timber and where it is sourced is something our customers care greatly about.
Laura Ladd, head of marketing at Accoya, explains that there are no toxic chemicals or non-renewable carbon-intensive materials with Accoya and its longevity means that summerhouses are replaced less frequently and fewer coatings are required over its lifespan. Accoya also holds the Gold certification for the Cradle to Cradle™ philosophy and is 100 per cent biodegradable, reusable and recyclable. She says the high-technology wood is sustainably grown in the fastest growing responsibly managed forests and is considered a suitable replacement for increasingly scarce tropical hardwoods.