The wood used for furniture, flooring and other interior-decoration applications is particularly susceptible to abrasion, scratches and general soiling, as well as water and chemical staining. To protect the sensitive substrate, wood coatings must serve as a strong barrier against external threats. Of course, they must also impart high gloss and other decorative touches.
Increasingly, formulators are turning to ultraviolet (UV)-cure technology to develop high-performance wood coatings. Through careful raw material selection, UV-cure coatings formulators can more easily manipulate physical properties, such as chemical and weather resistance, as well as mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elongation. Controlling these properties enables formulators to create customized coatings that meet specific performance criteria for each application (i.e., excellent abrasion resistance for wood flooring, superior water resistance for wood furniture).
In addition to performance benefits, UV-cure technology provides processing advantages over traditional solventborne technology.