Wood Coatings Market
Tough economic conditions and a trend toward using
composite materials in place of wood, mean another
challenging year for wood coating manufacturers.
Photo: Thompson’s Water Seal
BY KERRY PIANOFORTE
ASSOCIATEEDITOR
As the economic downturn continues, wood coating manufacturers, whose business is closely tied to the housing and manufacturing sectors, have felt the crunch. “In
2008, the wood coatings market was
subject to a general downturn due to a
sharp fall in the construction industry
and the consequent downsizing of
manufacturing across the entire wood-production industry, from furniture to
parquet floors to floor and window
frames,” said Sandro Paniccia, president of Italian firm ICA Group.
“Despite this, ICA Group still managed to close 2008 with an overall
increase in turnover of four percent.
For 2009, we are not expecting a major
increase, but are aiming to build on
the solid growth we achieved in 2008.”
“The market in 2008 was basically
flat for wood coatings due to many factors including decreasing wood prices
and demand, an increase in synthetic
and composite decking materials used
in the market and a slow housing market for new construction,” said Sean
Morris, product manager for Cabot
Corp. “We expect a slow start in 2009
with more demand for wood products
and coatings in the third quarter, after
new construction and remodeling
rebound and eventually stabilize.
Wood products and coatings are gaining popularity in the worldwide marketplace as they are a truly ‘green’ renewable resource with great features
and benefits.”
“In 2008, the interior wood finishing
category is estimated to be down approximately five to ten percent across all
channels of distribution,” said Jacquelyn
Ferrara, director of marketing, Minwax,
Sherwin-Williams Wood Care Products.
TOUGH TIMES CALL
FOR TOUGH COATINGS
In these challenging economic times,
consumers are placing more pressure
on wood coatings manufacturers to
deliver quality products with a reasonable prices. Consumers may also
be more likely to tackle a project
themselves, rather than hire a costly
contractor. These DIYers are looking
for affordable, easy-to-use products
that deliver performance.
“The trends that we’ve been tracking
include the demand for easy-to-apply,
low odor, fast-drying products which
Minwax has certainly addressed with
our wide product range of water-based
stains and finishes,” said Ferrara.
“Also, there continues to be a growing
demand for low VOC products as contractors and consumers become more
environmentally aware and local and
regional regulations become more
stringent We’ve also seen an increased
interest in products used to maintain
wood surfaces and ensure the natural
beauty will last.”
In terms of color, the current trend is
rich, dark natural-looking wood tones.
“Consumers want to have coatings that
preserve the natural look of wood like
when it is first installed,” said Morris.
“These natural or translucent tones
will still show the beauty of the wood
grain and texture while providing protection against the sun’s harmful UV
rays and water infiltration damage.
The more pigment used in these coatings, the more durable the finished
wood product will be in the field. In
North America there are drastic
regional color preferences in the market, yet most are still earth tone and
lightly pigmented colors so they look as
close to new wood as possible. Our best
recommendation on new wood is to use
a semi-solid acrylic stain with trans-oxide pigments that will protect the
wood and show the natural beauty the
consumers desire. It will offer protection from the environment and appear
