Wood Coatings Market

The wood coatings market encompasses both coatings for industrial applications such as cabinetry, furniture and flooring and DIY products for home products such as decks and remodeling projects. Wood coatings provide increased durability on woods and aesthetic properties.

One important factor impacting wood coatings is the housing market.

“The housing market is directly linked to the wood coatings market, which is why the housing market recovery had a strong effect on our market,” said Anthony Woods, segment marketing director wood coatings, AkzoNobel.

“The growth drivers are based on new housing starts and home remodeling,” Woods noted. “In addition, the shortage of contractor labor is driving an increased trend to in-factory finishing, especially in building products. Trends in architecture, home design and lifestyle are key drivers for our work in wood coatings. We continue to see a growing trend in open home design – a main influencing factor on how consumers choose complementary coatings to showcase how the rooms flow together. Does the flooring complement the furniture in a space, and do the kitchen cabinets marry well with the furniture that is chosen? Color and protection are key features that customers rely on, and they value our expertise in this area. We also see opportunities in bathrooms, where homeowners have enormous options to create on-trend bathroom looks, given the choices in vanities and flooring options.”

Jill Lamont, senior marketing manager, wood care at PPG reported that economic indicators are favorable for the architectural coatings industry in the coming year with projections indicating that both housing and commercial construction will grow in 2019. “We are seeing various factors drive growth in the coatings market, including a rise in existing home sales, new construction, employment rate and consumer confidence.”

“The wood care market sales continue to increase year over year,” said Jennifer Newell, brand manager at Rust-Oleum.

“Boomers are downsizing from traditional five-bedroom family houses to updated three-bedroom homes or condos and finding their heirloom furniture and décor is no longer scaled to fit the new, sleekly designed contemporary environments. Their furniture and décor feel outdated and consumers are updating both. Millennials are driving their own trends as well, with social media being an influencer to their space. Environmentally friendly and repurposed/reclaimed furniture and décor trumps other considerations.”

Meeting Customer Needs

Wood coatings manufacturers interviewed by Coatings World reported that their customers are looking for products that provide eye-appeal, durability and ease-of-use.

“Our customers have two key focus areas,” said Woods. “First, the benefit to the end consumer, which means improved aesthetics as well as stain and scratch resistance; and second, the reduction in their total cost of ownership, which focuses on products that can remove process steps or costly labor steps as well as increasing their overall production capacity or reducing their costs.

“We identify color trends and translate them into relevant color palettes and products that meet our customers’ expectations in every circumstance. Our coatings are designed to offer protection of your wooden home features to ensure the beauty lasts.”
“Our wood care product lineup has a history of innovation and technology that delivers against the needs of professionals,” said Lamont. “Customers continue to look for wood care products that are versatile, durable and easy to apply regardless of the climate. Olympic Elite Advanced Stain + Sealant in One, for instance, is engineered to protect and enhance the natural beauty of wood. Olympic Elite stain was developed for durability and incorporates high levels of protection against the damaging effects of sunlight and water while providing mildew and algae resistant coating. Semi-transparent and semi-solid stains are available in 14 wood-inspired colors, and 40 rich color options are available in the solid stain opacity.”

Lamont noted that additional trends in terms of performance include products that are versatile and can perform on a variety of substrates and in various weather conditions. “A great example of a product like this is OLYMPIC MAXIMUM Stain + Sealant in One, which contains unique WEATHER-READY application technology.”

Color Trends

AkzoNobel has a global team of experts dedicated to color. This team works with designers and architects around the world to understand the impact of fashion and lifestyle on colors used in paints and coatings.

“Our wood coatings business recently launched the results of our latest work on color trends for 2019: Sage grey, Chili red, Dijon yellow and Lapis blue. These colors were sweeping the runways in fashion shows all over the U.S. and Europe,” said Woods.

“The recent grey tones that have dominated paint colors recently are moving slightly into a more sage-based color that is crisp and neutral without being dull. The bright red and yellow colors give consumers a pop of color to delineate space on an accent wall or with a brightly colored appliance in a kitchen.”

“Stain color trends vary by region, as consumers tend to coordinate their exterior wood substrates with the natural environment around them,” said Dee Schlotter, PPG senior color marketing manager. “ For example, we are seeing a mix of deep, earthy hues native to the Pacific Northwest merge with lighter hues seen along the California coastline, such as driftwood, sands, pale blondes and wheat tones. Warmer stain hues, such as honeyed bronzes and ginger browns are used more frequently throughout the Central U.S., and cooler tones such as smoky neutrals, light greys and trending black hues are more common on the East Coast and in states like Florida. 

“Another trend that is gaining momentum with consumers is extending interior stain colors to exterior spaces such as a deck or patio. There is an increasing interest in minimalism and connectedness to nature in today’s society and this seamless transition allows users to extend their indoor living space to the outdoors.”

Color trends and availability continue to drive sales, Newell noted. “Time savings, and being able to complete projects in a weekend, or on just a Saturday,” she said. “Lighter, gray-toned browns and light, natural neutrals are starting to trickle back into the market after years of darker browns. Grays and gray-toned browns continue to dominate the market. Whitewashed and distressed finishes continue to dominate the market and red and orange-based color tones continue to decline in sales.

New Products

AkzoNobel:

• PurTone Stain System – a revolutionary stain system that develops the natural tone of wood while simplifying the process – ideal for cabinets, furniture, millwork, and paneling. The PurTone Stain System delivers the appearance of a complex and labor-intensive multi-step wipe stain finish in just two to three easy steps. By reducing the labor involved, the system shortens the time workers are exposed to finishing materials and enhances the final wood detail without adding complexity. It can be applied using existing manual or automatic processes and can be used under a variety of clear topcoat technologies. The PurTone™ Stain System provides clear, highly-defined grain and stunning depth of finish.

Benefits:

• Reduced finishing labor costs compared to wipe stain finishes;
• Distinct aesthetics for higher consumer perception;
• Ease of application and uniform appearance for higher  consumer perception;
• Multi-line application;
• Elimination of variability found in hand-wiping
• NaturaMatte – Natural finish, high-performance UV  coatings for flooring

NaturaMatte UV coatings for flooring brings the popular Scandinavian, natural, low gloss look to North America in a high-performance finish. While most products in the market display higher gloss at low viewing angles, NaturaMatte coatings deliver a consistent matte appearance from any angle.

The superior abrasion resistance of this coating system greatly reduces scratches from daily wear and tear. In addition, this innovative chemistry provides excellent clarity without the milky haze commonly found in low-gloss products.

NaturaMatte coatings create an organic look with warm and natural aesthetics that highlight the wood character.

Benefits:

• Matte finish from all viewing angles;
• Superior scratch and abrasion resistance;
• Transparent finish with distinct and clear appearance;
• Warm, natural, organic look and feel;
• Excellent mar and stain resistance that exceeds industry standards;
• Suitable for all UV application lines with gloss control capability

PPG:

• OLYMPIC SmartGuard clear multi-surface sealer is PPG’s latest innovation. The first-of-its-kind product in North America, Olympic SmartGuard offers a super-concentrated formula in a lightweight, easy-to-handle pouch package that covers as much as two-gallon cans. It seals wood, concrete, masonry and weathered composite*, penetrating the substrate to provide advanced durability and protection. It can be applied after rain or cleaning and dries in one hour, as compared to 24-48 hours for traditional products. *Sealing may void some composite manufacturer’s warranties. It is formulated to be extremely fast and easy to apply, especially from a pump sprayer, but applies easily with brush or roller as well. Olympic SmartGuard is available at select U.S. Home Depot stores and premium authorized dealers.

Rust-Oleum:

• Varathane Classic, a line of traditional wood stains that allow the user to build coats to customize their richness of color;
• Charred Wood Accelerator, a finish that mimics the look of a burnt wood finish (without the torch!);
• Next Generation Gel Stain, an updated Gel Stain formula that boasts better durability, one coat coverage, and a two-hour dry time.