CUTEK®
Mason’s Mill & Lumber stocks the complete CUTEK® system — CUTEK® Extreme clear oil, CUTEK® Colortones, cleaners and applicators — plus CUTEK® pre-finished wood milled right here in-house.
Wood protection, passed down through generations
CUTEK® loves the look and feel of wood, and sets out to provide the best wood protection solutions on the market. The company is passionate about the sustainability of the lumber industry — without wood, there would be no need for wood oils.
As a family business passed down through generations, CUTEK® is committed to helping the lumber industry thrive for generations to come.
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The CUTEK® system is built around two simple steps: Prepare and Protect. Start with CUTEK® Wood Stripper and/or CUTEK® Wood Reviver to get your wood clean and ready. Then protect it with CUTEK® Extreme clear oil, adding a CUTEK® Colortone to maintain or change the color. Then maintenance is as easy as a wash with CUTEK® Quickclean and a re-coat with CUTEK® Extreme, no sanding required.
Ayous / African Mahogany — CUTEK® Extreme Clear Finish
Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon), also known as Obeche, African Whitewood, Samba, or Wawa, is a lightweight tropical hardwood native to the forests of West and Central Africa. In its natural, unmodified state, Ayous has a pale cream to light yellow heartwood with a straight to slightly interlocked grain and a medium-to-coarse texture with good natural luster. It's frequently grouped with — and sold alongside — African Mahogany because of its similar workability, dimensional characteristics, and the way it accepts stains and finishes to achieve rich, mahogany-like tones.
Ayous is prized for several reasons that make it well-suited to architectural and millwork applications: it's remarkably lightweight (roughly 24 lbs/ft³), which eases handling for vertical siding, ceiling, and overhead installations; it has low shrinkage and good dimensional behavior once properly dried; and its clear, knot-free character grades produce a smooth, uniform surface ideal for high-visibility finish work. In its natural state, Ayous is considered non-durable to moderately durable against decay, which is why exterior applications require a quality penetrating finish to protect the wood and extend its service life.
Each board is finished with CUTEK® Extreme Clear, a penetrating oil specifically formulated to stabilize exterior wood from within. Unlike surface coatings that sit on top of the board and eventually peel, crack, or flake, CUTEK® carries its oils deep into the wood fibers where they work continuously to reduce moisture movement — the primary cause of cupping, checking, warping, and end-splitting. This is especially important for a species like Ayous, whose natural durability benefits significantly from a stabilizing oil. Because Cutek penetrates rather than films, maintenance requires no sanding or stripping — just clean the surface and reapply when it looks dry. The clear formulation adds no pigment, allowing the Ayous's natural cream-to-honey tone to show through initially before gradually silvering to a soft gray patina if left unmaintained with a colortone.
Because Ayous can react with iron and galvanized fasteners (causing black staining), stainless steel fixings are required for installation. Pre-drilling is also recommended, as the wood can be brittle.
Ideal for architectural siding, feature walls, soffits, porch ceilings, interior paneling, sauna applications, and covered outdoor living areas where a lightweight, workable hardwood with a refined appearance is desired.
Specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Species | Ayous (Triplochiton scleroxylon) |
| Also Known As | Obeche, African Whitewood, Samba, Wawa; often sold alongside African Mahogany |
| Origin | West and Central Africa |
| Modification | None — natural, kiln-dried |
| Finish | Cutek Extreme Clear (penetrating oil) |
| Finish Type | Oil-based, non-film-forming |
| Color | Natural pale cream to light yellow; darkens slightly with age; accepts stains beautifully to achieve mahogany-like tones |
| Grade | Clear grade available; virtually knot-free |
| Grain / Texture | Straight to slightly interlocked grain; medium-to-coarse texture; good natural luster |
| Janka Hardness | ~440 lbf |
| Average Dried Weight | 23.8 lbs/ft³ (380 kg/m³) — lightweight |
| Specific Gravity | 0.32 (basic), 0.38 (12% MC) |
| Modulus of Rupture | 8,680 lbf/in² |
| Elastic Modulus | 934,000 lbf/in² |
| Shrinkage | Radial 3.1%, Tangential 5.3%, Volumetric 8.7% (T/R ratio 1.7) |
| Natural Durability | Non-durable to moderately durable — finish required for exterior use |
| Workability | Machines and finishes well; sands smoothly; accepts stains and oils evenly |
| Applications | Exterior siding (with finish), feature walls, soffits, porch ceilings, interior paneling, sauna walls/ceilings, millwork, trim |
| Fixings | Stainless steel required — Ayous reacts with iron and galvanized fasteners; pre-drilling recommended |
| Maintenance | Clean and re-oil with CUTEK® Extreme as needed — no sanding or stripping required |
| Sustainability | FSC-certified options available |
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Learn More About CUTEK®
See CUTEK® in action. These short videos show how the CUTEK® 2-step system works, from preparing your wood to applying CUTEK® Extreme clear oil and CUTEK® Colortones, so you can take on your project with confidence.
Ask about Mason's Mill CUTEK® Pre-Finished Wood! Contact us for a free quote!
Retain Your Wood's Color
With CUTEK® Colortones you can enhance and maintain the natural beauty of your wood, or alter the color to meet the design requirements of your project. Colortone swatches are shown below in groups of Brown Hues, Red Hues, Yellow Hues and White/Black Hues.
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Revive, Strip or Clean Stained& Weathered Wood to Original Appearance
With the CUTEK® Wood Reviver, Wood Stripper and Quickclean products, you can brighten, clean and restore wood to look like new and prepare for CUTEK® Extreme with CUTEK® Colortone Pre-Mixed Stains. These powerful yet safe CUTEK® wood enhancing products are user-friendly, DIY-friendly and no professional experience is necessary. – CUTEK® needs to be added before the name of each of our products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional varnishes and many "penetrating" oils form a film on the surface of the wood. Over time, UV rays and wood movement break down that film, causing it to flake or peel and letting water in, which leads to cupping, warping, splitting and rot. CUTEK® Extreme clear oil is a true penetrating oil. It diffuses deep into the wood and drives moisture out from the inside. Its protective components stay permanently mobile in the wood, migrating to any cut or fastener hole and sealing it against moisture. This "self-healing" effect is what makes CUTEK® the professional's choice for long-term wood protection.
Step 1 – Prepare: Clean and enhance your wood with CUTEK® Wood Reviver, CUTEK® Wood Stripper or CUTEK® Quickclean. Step 2 – Protect: Apply CUTEK® Extreme clear oil, with a CUTEK® Colortone added if you want to hold or change the color of your wood.
No. CUTEK® Extreme will not peel or flake. Over time, wood exposed to the sun will fade and a CUTEK® Colortone can wear with use. When that happens, simply clean and apply a maintenance coat — no sanding or stripping required.
Yes. CUTEK® Extreme stabilizes wood by controlling the free exchange of moisture between the wood and the environment. Because it stays mobile and self-healing, that protection continues even when the wood is cut or fastened, improving dimensional stability and extending service life.
Yes. Each additional coat of CUTEK® Extreme adds more protection against moisture. The more consistently you maintain your wood with CUTEK® Extreme, the better protected it becomes.
No. CUTEK® Extreme must be applied to bare, clean and dry wood. Existing stains, paints, linseed oil, polyurethane and water-based finishes block penetration and must be fully removed first with CUTEK® Wood Stripper followed by CUTEK® Wood Reviver, or by machine sanding.
CUTEK® Extreme can be applied to new wood without preparation. For the best results — and especially if you're adding a CUTEK® Colortone — we recommend CUTEK® Wood Reviver first to clean the surface, open the grain and remove tannins, mill glaze and other stains.
Use CUTEK® Wood Reviver. It removes the grey and brings back the original color and grain of your wood before you apply CUTEK® Extreme.
Clean it with CUTEK® Quickclean to remove dirt, grease and grime, then recoat. If maintenance has been neglected and the wood has greyed or become heavily stained, use CUTEK® Wood Reviver before recoating.
Stir CUTEK® Extreme thoroughly from the bottom of the can (with your CUTEK® Colortone mixed in, if using) before and during use. Apply thin, even coats with a brush or paint pad applicator. Two or three thin coats are much better than one or two thick coats.
Yes. Wood coated with clear CUTEK® Extreme can be installed immediately or block stacked wet for later use. We don't recommend wet stacking wood coated with a Colortoned CUTEK® Extreme, as it may create an uneven, smudged finish.
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