Exterior wood stains and lasures for the future Available to Purchase

In recent years numerous pieces of environmental legislation have been introduced or will be introduced both in the UK and throughout Europe. The greatest environmental issue at the moment is the limitation of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Water‐based coatings have been available for many years; their main application initially was for broad wall paints. More recently, water‐based coatings have come on the market for trim coatings. Although their performance for interior use is sufficient, but inferior to their solvent‐based alternatives, how do water‐based coatings for exterior wood perform? An alternative to water‐based technology is high solids. In a recent life cycle analysis (Ministry of the Environment in France) high solids alkyds have been shown to have low environmental impacts. In the study used for setting the criteria and thresholds for the European eco‐label for decorative paints and varnishes, a high solids alkyd developed by Cray Valley Ltd was put into the category having the lowest environmental impact together with water‐based paints. For the future of exterior coatings for wood, is the route to environmentally friendly coatings water‐based or solvent‐based technology?