acetylated wood?

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message Michael Kallay Member Username: mkallay Post Number: 3 Registered: 04-2021 Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 12:08 pm:    Recently I have received inquiries about a product called acetylated wood, currently available under the trade name Accoya Wood. While performance characteristics for Accoya Wood appear impressive, the product comes with a high cost, and limited availability. I’m curious, does anyone know of any other manufacturers producing this material? I understand that Eastman Co (who also make cellulose acetate film) tried to market this under the trade name Perennial Wood, but gave up on the product a number of years ago. Does anyone know of any alternative manufacturers currently producing this product? Or insight, experience with it? Thanks! Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 12:00 pm:    I'm not aware of another manufacturer producing acetylated wood available in the US. I haven't researched if other companies are producing it outside the US where it could be imported. I recall from my research that some wood finishes are not compatible with acetylated wood. I never got too far into the research on what would work and what should be avoided ... but it was something that people have struggled with apparently. One manufacturer's data sheet I saw specifically said it was not for use on acetylated wood which sparked the questions. I don't know how it directly compares to acetylated wood, but I've also come across other modified woods you might consider while researching. It seems like there are two main branches of modified wood; chemical modification (like acetylation) and thermal modification. The other chemical modification process I ran across was called furfurylation and this is what Kebony is (I don't know of other products at the moment using this process). Examples of thermally modified woods are Thermory, Arbor Wood, and WelldoneWood. I haven't really dug into the research to see where one process or company has advantages or disadvantages compared to the others. Ronald L. Geren, FCSI Lifetime Member, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSC, SCIP Senior Member Username: specman Post Number: 1592 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 12:15 pm:    In addition to finishes, fire-retardant treatment is also an issue. Standard treatments typically will not work with acetylated wood. There is one FRT product specifically for acetylated wood, but I could not find any local (meaning U.S.) suppliers. I am specifying acetylated wood on a current project for exterior wall siding, but we're having to bring in the FRT product from overseas to comply with IBC Section 1405 (2018). Ron Geren, FCSI Lifetime Member, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSC, SCIP Rosa Cheney Senior Member Username: rdcaia Post Number: 22 Registered: 07-2018 Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 12:29 pm:    We have a very knowledgeable rep of these various woods in our area (Metro DC). Chris Crane. She just did a CSI presentation for us, and went into lots of great detail on what the wood actually is, the differing processes to modify the wood, and then best practices for a successful installation of each. She reps ReSawn Timber Co. I would highly recommend reaching out to Chris for technical info, even though she might not be in your area. Her contact info is on her website below. Chris Crane https://chriscranecontractdc.com/ ReSawn Timber Co. https://resawntimberco.com/ (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Monday, June 21, 2021 - 01:01 pm:    Thanks all, for above responses. "Guest", I've also recently become aware of thermally modified wood - will look into that. Rosa, I'm in the NYC area, so Chris may be close enough. The finish issues seem to be pretty well documented, I have seen that one must be careful to check for compatibility. In our particular application, the designer was looking for a natural stain, so not as much of an issue. Fire treatment is not an issue for this project. Thanks again! Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 11:07 am:    Here is an image of a project that used this product as siding, newly completed - this is what was sold to the Owner, no maintenance, no finish required: https://cdn.worldarchitecture.org/net/bin.aspx?file=ls20141203_harrisonbainbridge_002.jpg Here's what it looked like about 2 years later: https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2fd77a26257e62ea1102a29797b8c8f532717cda/c=0-0-1850-1045/local/-/media/2018/03/07/Kitsap/Kitsap/636560308907146755-BI-Harrison.JPG?width=1320&height=746&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 1160 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 01:11 pm:    I don't think one could realistically expect the appearance to change upon exposure to sun, rain, snow, etc. The question really should be whether the wood itself is deteriorating. J. Peter Jordan, FCSI, AIA, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1853 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 05:14 pm:    I was thinking the same thing, Peter. The other question is what the owner was expecting it would look like over time. Sometimes product benefits are misrepresented, or at least oversold. J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 1161 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 05:55 pm:    There is a lot of stuff for which expectations have to be managed; designers' expectations as well as owner's expectations. J. Peter Jordan, FCSI, AIA, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1380 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 06:10 pm:    I've never seen untreated wood do anything except turn gray. Maybe it was miscommunication. Marc Chavez Senior Member Username: mchavez Post Number: 627 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 06:19 pm:    we had a piece on ZGF's roof in Seattle...probably sill there... in the weather....when I last saw it (with about 2 years exposure) still looked light tan...as it was when placed on the roof....contact Cindy (spec writer in seattle) and see if it's still there. and THAT was in 2015ish