Joe Kujawski knew he’d be taking a risk.

Sherwin-Williams’ Business Director, Industrial Wood Coatings wanted to draw attention to the advancement of waterborne coatings at the recent AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.

But had industry professionals taken notice?

“It was a gutsy move,” Kujawski told Coatings World. “What if everyone was able to [tell the difference]? What if they were able to say… ‘this is milky. It has a plastic look. It’s not as rich. It hasn’t penetrated into the grain.

“Previous generations of waterborne coatings have never really had the respect in the industry that solvent-borne coatings have,” Kujawski continued. “Solvent-borne coatings have always [had] a richer look. They allow the grain of the wood to highlight through. Overall a much more luxurious appearance.”

Sherwin-Williams polled 67 industry professionals, who were asked to look at 14 panels finished in a variety of light and dark stains and paints and decide which kind of topcoat – waterborne or solvent-based – each panel had.

Participants were able to touch and look at the panels and were provided iPads on which they completed the questionnaire, according to Kujawski.

His concerns were put to rest after seeing the results: 51 percent of answers were correct; 49 percent were not.

Individually, no one scored better than 80 percent with the high being 11 out of 14 right.

“You can’t tell them [waterborne and solvent-based finishes] apart these days,” Kujawski said. “That’s a big, big deal. That’s a big surprise to industry experts.

“They were amazed, they were astonished,” he added. “They gravitated towards this display… and they were just really intrigued by the concept. It changed their perception of waterborne coatings. This isn’t your grandfather’s waterborne [coatings] kind of thing.”

The plan is to continue the challenge – Kujawski compared it to the “old Pepsi challenge” – at upcoming industry shows.

It coincides with Sherwin-Williams’ launch of Sayerlack – a line of “advanced European waterborne finishes,” Kujawski said.

The current waterborne finishes on the market are “lightyears” ahead of the “older formulas,” he added.

Kujawski touted Sayerlack’s near-zero VOC and noted that it “doesn’t raise the grain, dries fast, touches up nicely, sprays well and is very smooth.”

Sayerlack is available at Sherwin-Williams’ more than 70 North American service facilities and across the globe, said Kujawski, adding that the coating is frequently sold to furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturers in Europe, Asia and North America. 

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Photo courtesy Sherwin-Williams

Joe Kujawski, Business Director, Woodcoatings for Sherwin-Williams (Photo courtesy Linkedin)

 

Infograph courtesy Sherwin-Williams