Westgate Joinery was among the first UK companies to manufacture joinery using Accoya modified wood. The East Sussex-based company, part of Specialist Joinery South, started using the material in 2007 and it has now become the company’s default wood species for the manufacture of doors, windows and cladding.
"Before we used Accoya we were using redwood," said Westgate director John Fiest. "We were constantly going back to clients and easing doors, repairing defects on the timber and the coating system. By going over to Accoya we eliminated most of those problems.
"We have experienced very few problems and when revisiting some of the first completed projects, the windows and doorsets still look as good as the day they were first installed."
Westgate has also offered African hardwoods sapele and idigbo, while European oak is a species that some clients like.
"For the prestige projects we do, such as a one-off house, where people want quality, then Accoya scores. But developers are looking at the bottom line," said Mr Feist.
Successful use of the product and increased Accoya brand awareness in the joinery trade and among clients mean dozens of other joinery manufacturers are now using Accoya.
"Everybody else is using it now, so the uniqueness of our product has evaporated and we might have to go back to offering redwood.
"We are also up against aluminium-clad windows, which seem to be being dumped on the windows market at cheap prices."
The company also has to deal with the challenge of imported eastern European products.
"Our selling point is we are local and we encourage people to come and visit us. It gives them confidence."
The only disadvantages Mr Fiest sees with Accoya is the relative high price of the product – he estimates Accoya is 20% more expensive than redwood and 10% more than hardwood – and potential staining from ironmongery. Westgate recommends that stainless steel be used where any ironmongery penetrates the Accoya.
However, Mr Fiest said the product’s advantages were still very strong and he cited outstanding durability, a significant reduction in timber shrinkage and expansion, plus an improved coating performance compared with conventional timbers.
Accoya’s 50-year durability and stability guarantee covers Accoya cladding, windows, doors, conservatories and most other external joinery in Hazard Classes 1, 2 and 3.
Westgate uses the Teknos joinery range of factory-applied coatings systems which are available with 12 and 10-year extended performance warranties on fully factory finished opaque and translucent coating systems on Accoya exterior joinery.
