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DEVELOPING A NO-VOC WOOD TOPCOAT
Citation:
Huang, E. AND R. McCrillis*. DEVELOPING A NO-VOC WOOD TOPCOAT. MODERN PAINT AND COATINGS 85(7):38-41, (1995).
Impact/Purpose:
Published Journal Article
Description:
The paper reports an evaluation of a new low-VOC (volatile organic compound) wood coating technology, its performance characteristics, and its application and emissions testing. The low-VOC wood coating selected for the project was a two-component, water-based epoxy coating. Polymer composition variations of the basic epoxy polymer in combination with each of several curing agents were conducted. The resulting top coat showed excellent performance characteristics in terms of adhesion, gloss value, dry time, hardness, level of solvents, and chemical and stain resistance in laboratory tests. The VOC contents of both the clear and the white-pigmented top coats were less than 10 g/L, the detection limit of the test method. The coating performance characteristics and properties in finished material were comparable with those of other low-VOC waterborne wood coatings. (NOTE: Low-VOC coatings are needed for wood furniture. Traditional wood coating technologies emit large quantities of pollutants into the air and consume energy in drying processes and air pollution abatement. Air emissions can be reduced through a shift to low/no-VOC coatings. By phasing in low/no VOC coatings, furniture manufacturers will be able to reduce energy use and air emissions without installing add-on controls.)