executive at Adler Lacke, Schwaz, Austria, a specialist in wood
coatings. “Creativity knows no limits when it comes to pieces
of furniture.”
A current trend is for wood in furniture and other parts of
the home to be untreated, which requires special effects from
wood coatings and stains. There is also a preference for
coarsely textured surfaces equivalent to a
This natural style contrasts with a desire
for modernist wood products with clear
lines and smooth surfaces and also for fur-
niture of classical design with a polished
appearance.
The variety of vogues in the wood products market offers great scope among wood
coatings producers for customization backed
by close cooperation with wood workshops
and professional painters.
The requirement for customization is a
major reason why wood coatings businesses
in Europe are able to sell their products at
premium prices. Environmental regulations,
which limit emissions of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and have triggered a
shift to more costly waterborne coatings,
have also been a factor behind higher prices.
Orr & Boss says that even in 2000 there
was a 15 percent price premium on wood
coatings in Europe compared with the global
average. By 2015 this will have risen to a 40
percent premium, according to the firm.
Adler Lacke reported € 67 million ($87
million) in sales in 2006 on an output of
15,000 tons, most of it wood coatings. Last
year it recorded revenue of €83 million, 20
percent higher than five years previously but
on an output of 15,500 tons or only three percent more.
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Coatings World | 27
