Can You Stain Accoya?

Having your windows, doors, conservatories or orangeries finished with a stain of your choice can truly be the finishing touch that brings your property together. If you’ve chosen to use Accoya wood in your home, you may be worried that you have to compromise on this final, more personal step.

Accoya is an environmentally-friendly engineered timber grown from sustainable sources that can provide a beautiful finish to your property. It undergoes a thorough treatment process for unshakeable strength and an extended lifespan of over 50 years.

But does this sustainability come at the expense of being able to make it your own with a stain?

Using Accoya wood won’t prevent you from applying a stain. Accoya is engineered to carry all the same qualities as the finest hardwood and softwood, and therefore you won’t be compromising your ability to finish it with semi and non-film forming paint systems, including stains or oils, to achieve the look you’re after.

Compatible Stains

Accoya wood is just as compatible with commonly used stains as most other timbers, but as a general rule you should always check with your supplier that the chemical formulation of your stain of choice won’t irritate the wood or leave undesirable results over time. Accoya recommend Teknos, Intergram and Cabot’s as preferred suppliers.

Both water-based and oil-based stains are compatible with Accoya, but be aware that oil-based products are absorbed quicker and in large quantities. As oils can also be a food source for surface growths and fungi, it’s recommended that you use a product containing a mouldicide.

Application Process

With Accoya, the same rules apply as with most other timbers. Anything that can stain wood will stain you as well, so always protect your eyes and skin by wearing safety glasses and disposable gloves. If working with an oil-based stain, there will be fumes, so ensure you’re working in a well-ventilated area.

Just to make sure you’ve made the right choice, always test the stain on a piece of scrap wood before committing to the real deal. After all, staining is a permanent process, and if you don’t like it, you’ll have to sand it all down and start over.

Once you’ve sanded down the surface of your Accoya to prevent your stain from catching on uneven timber fibres and coming out blotchy, you can begin coating!