Industrial wood coatings encompass several market areas, including furniture, kitchen cabinets, building products and decorative coatings. Requirements for these markets largely depend on the field of application. Exterior performance is focused on high durability and protection against humidity, while interior coatings require properties such as scratch, chemical and abrasion resistance.
One of the largest sectors of the interior market is the furniture industry. Several resin technologies, including solventborne (SB), waterborne (WB), UV polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) and self-crosslinking acrylics, are used in this market. When deciding which technology to use, it is important to consider several criteria, including processing, performance, aesthetics, VOCs and cost. Figure 1 compares the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.