Sustainability, Durability, and Ease of Use Drive Exterior Wood Coating Developments

By Cynthia Challener

Overall, the global market for wood coatings in exterior architectural appli­cation is a healthy business with strong growth opportunities, asserts Gerjan van Laar, market segment manager for Decorative Coatings at DSM Coating Resins. Rising disposable income is increasing the demand for premium wood coatings. “People are willing to pay more for unique appearances and functional products that help them fulfill their needs.

There is, for instance, a huge movement towards matted coatings, because consumers really admire the natural beauty of surfaces like concrete and wood,” he comments. “In addition, due to the movement from Do It Yourself (DIY) to Do It For Me (DIFM) in both Europe and North America, we have seen an increasing demand for renovation in the profes­sional paint market,” he remarks. Contractor labor shortages are complicating this situation. “People are spending their time differently because consumer behavior is changing. For example, millennials and generation Xers are outsourcing the practical jobs more than the baby boom generation did.

At the same time, there is a short­age of professional painters in mature economies, which is leading to increas­ing demand and a relatively small offering,” says van Laar. AkzoNobel has observed that the increasing cost and lack of availability of contractor labor is driving a shift from in-field finished to in-factory finished products, according to Anthony Woods, segment marketing director for Wood Coatings in the company’s Industrial Coatings b{isiness.