Natural durability of wood has been widely studied, but the combination of the natural durability and different treatments has not been the focus of many studies. The durability of wooden products is mainly based on the water permeability and the resistance against organisms. In this study, the water absorption and decay resistance of sapwood and heartwood of Scots pine and Norway spruce were e...

The anti-skid resistance of six coatings (Alfa, Beta, Gamma, Lambda, Mu and Theta) designed for outdoor wood flooring were tested in chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) using a Portable Skid Resistance Tester according to standard ENV 12633. Film thickness, coating retention level, and presence of mineral particles were determined for each coating. Furthermore, the l...

Coupling agents in wood fiber and polymer composites (WFPC) play a very important role in improving the compatibility and adhesion between polar wood fibers and non-polar polymeric matrices. In this paper, we review coupling agents, pretreatment, and mixing technology for wood fiber and polymer currenrly used in the manufacture of WFPC. So far, over forty coupling agents have been used in produ...

The moisture sorption behaviour of three coating thicknesses of shellac and polyurethane films on Dalbergia sissoo substrate is studied in this paper. The thin films of either coat failed to reduce the water vapour transmission significantly. However, the thick coats were able to reduce this rate illustrating the importance film thickness of coating used on surfaces of wood products. The increm...

Mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) chemistry and electroless deposition approaches were used to prepare stable superhydrophobic coatings on wood surfaces. The as-formed PDA coating on a wood surface exhibited a hierarchical micro/nano roughness structure, and functioned as an “adhesive layer” between the substrate and a metallic film by the metal chelating ability of the catechol moieties on PD...

The purpose of this evaluation was to provide an objective evaluation of the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (CO,) as an alternative technology for spray applied in wood finishing processes using reduced solvent formulations. Union Carbide has pioneered this technology under the UNICARBTM trademark. In the UNICARBTM process, the solvent-like properties of supercritical CO, are employed to r...