Special Invisible lacquers: who has them?

HOW MATT IS EVEN ‘INVISIBLE’

PARQUET LACQUER LOSES ITS GLOSS AND SHINES AS NEVER BEFORE

Photo – Pallmann

The comparison between lacquer and oil is actually the same as that between a finish which forms a film and a finish which doesn’t. Lacquer protects by means of an impenetrable coat which sits on the wood, whilst impregnation finishes such as oil, wax, and hard wax protect the floor from the inside out and do so partly by saturating the pores and partly by means of some hardening on top. Whilst lacquer and oil could look different up until a few years ago, the difference is now much less due to the arrival of extremely matt lacquers. Lacquer is gradually becoming invisible.

The alchemist at work We all understand the illustration of a chemist looking for a solution. Think of a chemist, for instance, who comes across an excellent product with lots of good features, but in each case there is always one small drawback which sticks out. A good alchemist searches for a solution until he or she has eliminated the drawback. He or she tries

all sorts of additives in bubbling test tubes and laboratories, nestled in the catacombs of the ‘castle’ and protected from the curious glan ces of possible hijackers. The philosopher’s stone is often ‘almost’ found at the end, but ‘not quite’. The flaw was always the same. The cure for a certain illness comprised a mix of various medicines plus a specific medicine to protect the stomach from all those medicines. Another example: How do you remove the annoying gloss from an excellent parquet lacquer without the lacquer losing its protective properties?

The Achilles heel of parquet lacquer The gloss of a lacquer or varnish was the ‘weak point’ of a lacquer finish in many people’s eyes. Whilst beeswax and oil easily respected the authenticity of wood so beautifully, a covering coat of lacquer yielded a satin or even a shiny gloss on the floor so that the look of the wood lost a lot of its character. That, together with the annoying effect of many lacquers, made several clients opt for oil or wax. For a few years now, producers have also managed to produce matt lacquer finishes. They even speak of ultra-matt or ‘invisible’ lacquers. That has completely removed one of the biggest objections to lacquer. The alchemists have claimed victory!

What is gloss exactly? Gloss is a property which occurs whenever the surface of a material is so smooth that the relief is smaller then the wavelength of visible light. Gloss is measured by recording the reflection of a ray of light falling on the material. That measurement of the reflection has to be done using the following rule: The angle of incidence is the angle of reflectivity. Gloss depends heavily on the angle from which the material is viewed. If an observer looks straight ahead at an object, that object will hardly have any gloss at all, but if he or she looks almost parallel along the material, gloss can be seen.

How do you measure gloss? When measuring gloss, it is important that the angle is standardised. Typical angles are 20°, 60°, and 85°. For a high gloss, the gloss is usually measured with 20°, whilst for a lower gloss this is 60°. Matt materials are measured with 85°. Apart from the method with remission, gloss can also be measured by comparing the amount of reflecting light with the amount of diffused light (this can be seen with different angles to the angle of reflection). The degree of gloss is expressed as a percentage. For instance, a high-gloss paint has a gloss level of over 85%, a semi-gloss paint about 70%, silky gloss 30%, and matt 0 to 15%.

Mattifying and protection Now, what did we ask the alchemist just now? ‘What medicines can you use to remove the annoying gloss from an excellent parquet lacquer without the lacquer losing its protective properties, and how do you protect the lacquer from those medicines?’ All varnishes are glossy without a matting agent. The dosage of the Ad M (matting additives) in the lacquer and the quality thereof have consequences for both the quality and the applications of the lacquer. A matt surface is relatively rough (at micro-level) and therefore also more vulnerable to scratches. A matt surface is also more vulnerable to the adhesion of dirt due to that roughness. Due to the extra vulnerability to scratches and dirt adhesion, a matt surface wears out faster and is therefore ready for renovation sooner than a glossy (i.e. smooth) surface. In order to nullify the adverse aspects of a matt lacquer as outlined above, all sorts of additives are used and tricks are pulled out for recipes. These tricks and additives are often the reason why a matt lacquer is more expensive than a glossy one. What’s on the market ?

Blanchon

A lacquer is invisible if the gloss level is below 4 or 5% when recorded at an angle of 60°. Invisible means it is hard to see if the wood is treated. There is no legislation for the terminology. There is a big demand for these lacquers in North-Western Europe, especially in the Benelux and Northern France, but less so in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Southern and Eastern Europe people tend to prefer satin gloss. The ratio, quality, and nature of the matting agents for getting invisible effects are decisive for the gloss level, ease of application, maintenance, etc. Agents should always be spread over the full thickness of the film to ensure the user doesn’t ‘walk off’ the effect over time. The relevant matting agents are certainly more expensive than those which stay on the surface. At Blanchon, the ‘star’ product is Intensive with its Natural Effect (3%!), then Invisible Effect (12%), and Ultra-matt (8%). Another thriving product is Iceberg, which has had a successful launch and booming sales this year. With a gloss level of 4%, this product, too, easily qualifies as an invisible lacquer.

Chimiver

ECOWOOD 2K is a two-component water-based polyurethane lacquer with natural wood look effect. The use of special resins gives to the flooring an extremely matt, natural and anti-reflection effect. Thanks to its special formulation ECOWOOD 2K is also suitable for coating light and dark wood species. ECOWOOD 2K has also excellent chemical and physical characteristics and is suitable for heavy traffic floors.

Ciranova Ciranova leads innovation in both on-site and pre-finished floors in natural and almost invisible oiled appearances, which are still growing in popularity and Ciranova is no exception here. However, for Ciranova such a finish isn’t proven unless it enhances the natural character of

the wood in pale, coloured, and distressed finishes. With the new PLUS range, Ciranova has the number one reference for invisible finishes for wood. This new range which has been developed amongst other things with an innovative self-matting and bio-based raw material has three different versions, depending on the client’s wishes. Woodlook PLUS gives a light bleaching finish, Ecofix PLUS provides a natural finish, and Oculto PLUS yields a slightly intense finish. For industrial finishers Ciranova Industrial Finishes offers a customised UV oil system to suit the client’s wishes. Here, too, we can obtain the required matt finishes in combination with their water-based which ensure a natural undercoat.

DevoNatural®

Apart from the standard matt lacquers, namely DevoNatural® Passage Matt, Finish Matt Oiled Aspect, and Transit Matt, Devomat also has the following ultra-matt and invisible varnishes in its assortment: DevoNatural® Passage Ultramatt and DevoNatural® Transit Plus Pure. At present, the invisible and matt lacquers are the most popular in the range of varnishes. The use of a greater quantity of matting agent normally has an influence on durability. However, DevoNatural® makes use of a new generation matting agent, which reduces this effect considerably. This, in combination with the conscious choice of superior quality in raw materials, means that the invisible DevoNatural® lacquers score better in the field of durability than most other similar lacquers on the market.

Pallmann Pallmann defines all lacquer with gloss level below 5 as ‘invisible’. In the last few years the demand of these type of lacquer is rising more and more. Some customers prefer to use an invisible lacquer over a matt oil because the cleaning and maintenance required is much lower than for oiled floors, while the optical effect remains the same. Furthermore extramatt surfaces appear less affectable for visible scratches. As scratches in matt lacquer are optically less important. The application of such lacquers is the same than for other lacquers. Special attention to overlapping-effects for example is not required. Processors should always pay attention to the correct application roller. After 5 hours the lacquer is walkable and recoatable and can be walked on after drying overnight. Final strength is achieved after approx. 7 days. The two-component Pall-X Pure wood flooring lacquer with its special extra matt surface can give the “natural look” with the protection of an extraordinary lacquer with a high resistance to extreme mechanical and chemical wear.

RIGO Verffabriek

The master lacquer makers of RIGO Verffabriek had been looking for a way to preserve the untreated appearance of wooden surfaces, when they developed SKYLT ORIGINAL. The invisible lacquer for pure wood enthusiasts. SKYLT ORIGINAL provides invisible protection to matt and freshly sanded wood. Whatever the light and from whatever angle you may look, you will not see any layers or lacquer. The untreated look is currently very popular and is making its way into more and more homes. SKYLT is a water-based lacquer that is easy and quick to work with. SKYLT is non-marking can also be applied to surfaces smoked oak flooring and patterned wood floors, and can be coated after a mere 3 to 4 hours. SKYLT need only be buffed before the final layer. SKYLT ORIGINAL was developed especially for light surfaces, while SKYLT TITANIUM is particularly suitable for dark surfaces. SKYLT can be combined with SKYLT Coatable 2K Colour Oil, allowing users to mimic the appearance of an oiled floor whilst retaining the strength and ease of maintenance of a lacquer.