Chapter 7 - Market Needs and End Uses (1) – Architectural (Decorative) Wood Coatings

Abstract

This chapter describes the market needs and end uses of wood coatings as well as differentiates between them on the basis of technology, maintenance or new work, interior or exterior, furniture sector, and flooring sector. Architectural coatings are manually applied, and must dry and cure under ambient conditions. Industrial wood coatings have a wider gamut of technologies to choose from and processes are often wholly or partially automated. Volatile emissions are also curtailed, but factory conditions offer additional options such as abatement. While it would not be true to say that the decorative sector never coats new work, there is much more emphasis on the maintenance of existing coatings. In contrast, the industrial sector is primarily concerned with new wood or derived products such as particleboard and MDF. Although the architectural sector does offer general-purpose products, there is a growing tendency for exterior products to be formulated differently. In the industrial markets, product sectors are mostly defined by their function as interior or exterior, and formulated accordingly. The interior furniture sector is primarily an industrial operation with a very wide range of technologies, the choice of which depends on the desired appearance and whether coating is carried out on flat or assembled units. Within the decorative sector, this is more of a niche market, including restoration. The coating of wooden floors bridges both the industrial and decorative market sectors. Wood coatings are judged by their performance and appearance characteristics in relation to the period over which these attributes last.