Aesthetically Pleasing and Utilitarian Wood coatings

Whether the wood is new or old, the application of a wood finish is one of the most important processes.

Wood coatings are a means of protecting wooden antiques and furniture from environmental damage. Any wood finish (such as paint, varnish, or stain) serves to protect the wood surface, aid in the preservation of a specific aesthetic, and provide a cleanable surface.

WHAT ARE WOOD COATINGS? WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF WOOD COATINGS?

Unfinished wood surfaces exposed to the weather can be used both outdoors and indoors without finishing. They change colour, become roughened by photo degradation and surface checking, and slowly degrade. Wood finishing involves applying a protective covering to otherwise bare wood using specialised wood finishing solutions, but the wood's surface must first be treated before the protective coating can be placed.

Exterior Wood Finishes

Penetrating coatings: Transparent or Clear Finishes, Semi-transparent Stains, Lightly Coloured Finishes and Oils

Film-Forming Finishes: Clear Varnish, Pigmented Varnish, Solid-Colour Stains,  Paint and Fire-Retardant Coatings

Interior Wood Finishes

Fillers, Sealers, Surface Coats (varnish, semi-gloss varnish, shellac, nitrocellulose lacquer, or wax) and Opaque Finishes

Flooring Finishes

Wood possesses a variety of properties that make it a highly desirable flooring material for homes, factories, and public buildings. A variety of wood flooring products are available, both unfinished and prefinished, in many wood species, with different grain characteristics, flooring types, and flooring patterns. Sealers and varnishes are two types of finishes commonly used on wood floors. Sealers, which are typically thinned varnishes, are commonly used on residential flooring.

FACTORS AFFECTING WOODS PERFORMANCE

Weathering is the general term used to describe the degradation of materials exposed outdoors. This degradation occurs on the surface of all organic materials, including wood and finishes used on wood, such as paints and stains.

Wood surfaces that have the least tendency to shrink and swell, it's best for painting. For this reason, vertical-or edge-grain surfaces are far better than flat-grain surfaces, especially when the wood is used outside, where wide ranges of relative humidity and periodic wetting can produce wide ranges of swelling and shrinking.

Discoloration may occur when the extractives are dissolved and leached from the wood by water. The water carries the extractives to the painted surface, then evaporates, leaving the extractives as a yellow to reddish brown stain on the paint.

TRENDS AND ADVANCEMENTS IN WOOD COATINGS

Due to environmental concerns, legislation, and improved quality, there has been a considerable shift away from solvent-borne coatings and toward solvent-free or solvent-reduced systems. The continuous transition to formulas with lower VOC and formaldehyde levels, as well as decreased odour, while some of the newer coatings are solvent-based systems with high solids, the emphasis appears to be on water- borne solutions. Whatever method is used, all new interior wood treatments must be cost-effective and meet performance standards in terms of ease of application, look, and durability. An additional trend as VOC regulations have tightened has been the shift to higher solid solvent-borne wood coatings.

Recent advancements in wood furniture coating technology have centred on the creation of high-performance and bio-based resins that will allow the formulation of long-lasting, low-VOC coatings with excellent quality and characteristics.

UV LED COATING: UV LED coating technology is now being used and has a demonstrable influence, which has been discussed for many years. Because the total investment prices for UV LED equipment have dropped, making the technology more reasonable and because furniture manufacturers are more conscious of the value of energy savings, UV LED coating technology is being used more frequently. Due to their improved durability and application productivity, UV and waterborne UV technologies are becoming the leading technologies in the automated production environment, which comprises more flat-line activities.

Green trends have resulted in a number of technological advancements that help to improve the environmental, health, and safety profiles of coatings across the whole sector, including interior wood. The interior wood sector will be forced to catch up as the standard for high-performance, sustainable architectural and industrial coatings continues to climb. The focus remains on the development of sustainable coating solutions, and although growth in sustainable technologies will be stimulated by regulations, their overall acceptance will occur over the long term.

CHALLENGES

• Interior waterborne resin technologies still need to be developed further to provide for the combination of a long pot life with the stain and chemical resistance requested by the kitchen cabinet and public furniture segments. Only waterborne two-component polyurethane solutions are currently available, which have extremely limited pot lifetimes and are prone to popping and blistering at high film
• Keeping up with the ever-increasing and ever-changing needs of environmental legislation around the world is a challenge. This situation has a huge impact on our global customers, who are required to make products that comply with a variety of requirements in practically every
• Due to smog issues in many of the country's cities, the transition from solvent- borne to waterborne coatings is being pushed. While such rules are vital, the speed with which the government implements new technologies poses a challenge not only for us as a coating provider, but also for end users in terms of
• Low-VOC, waterborne coatings have application challenges such as flow and levelling, foaming, wood grain lift, and adhesion to previously painted substrates, which are the preferred technique to satisfy lower VOC standards. Due to the amount and type of colourants employed, poor block resistance is becoming more of a problem as homeowners gravitate toward darker and richer colour palettes in their décor palettes. It is a challenge to develop coatings that perform acceptably and are forgiving under a variety of application conditions. Elimination of brush marks also remains a significant issue for waterborne coating
• The sector employs a diverse range of technologies and application methods. This variety, combined with the number of substrates, sub-segments, and ever-changing fashion trends, makes it challenging to achieve the high level of performance demanded of interior wood coatings. Growing restrictions and a shift away from some hazardous raw materials are significant challenges for the coatings sector, especially given the industry's price sensitivity and inability to tolerate cost increases.

WOOD COATINGS IN THE FUTURE

The global economy is improving, which will enhance furniture consumption and, by extension, demand for industrial wood treatments, helping to recoup some of the losses suffered in recent years as a result of the global financial crisis. The focus is still on developing sustainable coating solutions, and while the guidelines will help to accelerate the adoption of sustainable technology, it will take time for them to gain widespread acceptance.

The market will continue to push for the best combination of environmental friendliness, performance, and cost, and alkyd latex technology will play an important part in this. Because of the predominance of lower-VOC rules, waterborne and UV wood coatings will continue to gain popularity. Other chemistries, such as polyaspartic systems and alternative, efficient, long-lasting, high-solids (low-VOC) solutions, will also continue to enter the wood coatings industry.

Continued technological advancements will result in more durable, easy-to- use/apply, low-VOC, and environmentally friendly coatings that will become more cost-competitive over time. In the long run, there will be more water-based fine finishes on the market.