terfront or in the shopping mall, each environment brings it’s
own performance requirements,” he said.
“New construction has always been an important segment which
continues to be a challenge,” said O’Reilly. “However, house painters,
disaster restoration contractors, remodelers and flooring contractors
all regularly require wood coatings. DIYers represent a sizable seg-
ment for exterior stains as well as interior wood finishing products.
The woodworking enthusiasts are also a passionate group interested
in natural appearances and traditional finishes.”
Decks are still a large market and even with the introduction
of synthetic substrates, wood still accounts for 80 percent of all
decks. “At Benjamin Moore we have also seen a greater demand
for more exotic woods like Ipe and Mahogany,” said Spillane.
The Thompson’s Water Seal brand is primarily a DIY brand. “One
of the growth areas of our segment is exterior wood cleaning. While
deck cleaners are not new, the changes in waterproofing product for-
mulations and the changes in the types of products that consumers
have made it more important than ever to offer consumers exterior
wood cleaners geared for their projects,” said Kozlowski. “The con-
sumer needs a different product to remove a solid deck stain than
they would need to clean a deck that is dirty but doesn’t have any
coating. High-extractive woods like redwood and cedar also require
a specific cleaner to optimize their naturally beautiful color.”
The switch to low VOC water-based products is a key trend
Dow Unveils New Binder Technology
for Wood Coatings Market
Dow Coating Materials has two new acrylic/polyurethane binders
for wood coatings: EXP-77 and EXP-4414. According to the company, each offers early hardness development, improved block,
print and dirt pickup resistance and warmth when applied to
wood. These properties make it suitable for factory- and field-ap-plied waterborne interior wood finishes on applications such as
kitchen cabinets, residential and office furniture, DIY interior wood
coating projects, interior joinery and general wood finishing. Both
can be formulated into high performance and lower VOC coatings. They are recommended as a sealer and topcoat in clear coatings, and give clarity and warmth over both dark and lighter
woods, the company said. EXP-4414 and EXP-77 are APEO-free
and NMP-free. They utilize self-crosslinking chemistry responsible
for the development of chemical and stain resistance, are quick
drying, which allows for early sandability, and have high levels of
water resistance. Both products are based on Designed Diffusion
Technology, which offers a new paradigm in waterborne polymer
film formation, according to Dow. This technology gives customers a system for formulating at low VOC levels. It also shows
potential for producing coatings that provide lower TVOC, a
measure of VOC emissions that are released from a coated surface
after a certain period of drying, the company said. An important
aspect in wood coatings, low-TVOC formulations can contribute
to overall improved air quality in residential or office environments.
in the wood coatings market. However, consumers are not willing to sacrifice product performance. Wood coatings manufacturers need to offer environmentally compliant products that are
equal to or better than their oil-based counterparts.
“Consumers and painting contractors are always looking for
products that will last longer and are easier to be applied,” said
Spillane. “With alkyd-based product being the backbone of the
exterior stain market, people have begun to look for water-based,
more environmentally-friendly products.”
According to O’Reilly, consumers are looking for durability,
speed of use and lower odor in their wood coatings. “National
companies are looking for nationally compliant products that
perform,” he said. “The market is shifting as advances in tech-
nology push water well past the durability thresholds of oil.”
“DIYers are looking for superior quality products that simplify
their project, both in terms of time spent doing it, and in the appli-
cation itself. But they will not sacrifice performance for ease. They
want it all,” said Ferrara. “The same is true for experienced wood
workers and wood finishers. They are always on the lookout for
products with improved performance, but demand the same profes-
sional results that they’ve come to expect from the Minwax brand.”
In order to succeed wood coatings manufacturers need to
meet their customers’ needs and stay one step ahead of the next
trend. Keeping on top of the next big thing in terms of color is
very important.
“The ability to offer innovation and advances in technology
that translate into simplicity, ease of use and time reduction will
ultimately drive incremental business and impact mature markets even increasing incident of use,” said O’Reilly.
“High-quality, performance-driven low-VOC products con-
tinue to be important, not just for their regulatory compliance,
but because many of them, specifically those that are water-
based, have features and benefits that 21st Century DIYers want
including low odor, fast dry times and easy soap-and-water
cleanup,” said Ferrara. “When it comes to color, wood tones re-
main very popular. We are also seeing the return of lighter colors,
as seen in the cabinetry and furniture categories.”
According to O’Reilly, interior traditional colors always do well,
such as Golden Oak, Early American and Traditional Cherry. “For the
last few years we’ve been trending toward darker colors and shades
of burgundy such as Espresso, Kona and Cabernet,” he said. “Re-
ducing wait time is important for the time consuming process of stain-
ing. On the exterior, toners are always appreciated with solid and
semi-transparent wood tones dominating decks, fences and furniture
while the ability to customize is critical for siding. Reducing mainte-
nance, whether it be traffic durability, color retention or coating life,
people want to appreciate wood longer between maintenance cycles.”
New Technology Innovations
Rustoleum’s Varathane brand is a unique interior stain formula in a
squeeze tube that offers fast working time, lower odor, less mess and
great control. “Formulated with cling for use on vertical surfaces
simply squeeze the stain directly onto any surface and spread with a
brush, wipe excess with a clean, lint-free rag,” said O’Reilly. “A companion line of polyurethane in the same tube packaging is also for-
22 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
February 2011
