1958 Summary of Wood Finishing Developments

This tradition-oriented industry is developing in response to increased production and customer needs and labor and material costs. Material performance is the criterion for use, rather than price. Pressure-curtain flow coaters are used increasingly for their speed and material savings. Several varieties of spraying equipment are being developed for use with a wide variety of materials, offering considerable material savings and tougher, more uniform films. Improved finishing techniques suggest multiple finishing operations which will require changes in product construction. Stabilizers are needed to provide control in dimensional changes and variations within the wood as finishing cycles are shortened from days to minutes. Product control requires control of processing schedules and application methods, and personnel trained in these methods. A survey indicates that major finishing problems include color control, awareness of current color and finishing trends, and training and supervision of finishing personnel. Most development effort in exterior finishes is being concentrated on a clear wood finish. The Furniture Development Council has devised a print test for lacquers, a bloom test for white haze that develops weeks after application, a wear test for nitrocellulose lacquers (for gradual wearing by hands, clothes, etc.), and a fine scratch test for glossy nitrocellulose lacquers, for scratches incurred immediately after finishing. Foreign developments include use of polyesters, curtain coaters, and research on exterior wood finishes. Moderated wood bleaching, catalyzed urea, alkyd finishes for kitchen cabinets, and a non-yellowing, non-staining acetate butyrate lacquer are major developments in interior finishes. No solution has been found for softening of lacquer in contact with plastic upholstery. According to a survey, 80 percent of the finishes used were lacquer, 17 percent were synthetics, and 3 percent were varnishes.

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