The right advice, the right product

The commercial use of water based coatings has been moving forward steadily over the last few years. This can be seen particularly in the furniture sector. DBJ Furniture Ltd, a well known bespoke furniture and cabinetry manufacturer based on Auckland’s North Shore have struck up a relationship with Wairau Paints who are amongst other things the Auckland distributor of coatings from manufacturer PPG Industries. Bob Nordgren from JOINERS Magazine spoke with DBJ’s Managing Director Paul Walkinton about why he uses water based coatings and Jamie Tulloch, Business Development Manager from Wairau Paints.

“For us the primary attribute of water based paints that appeals is its environmentally friendly nature. This is particularly important when dealing with furniture and cabinetry product which comes into close contact with people. No bad smell, and no nasty chemicals.” comments Paul.

“That’s not all though, as these paints have got better they have become more durable, they look good and are price competitive vis a vis solvent based paints. With the very real help from Jamie at Wairau Paints and PPG we have managed to meet those challenges and provide our clientele with a better priced, safer product with a good looking range of colours. Water based has proved to be multi purpose for a wider range of surfaces including MDF, plywood and solid wood.”

Certainly looking at the product DBJ produce such as their water based matt finish with its more “natural” look they have a very attractive offering. An interesting one is less ‘fingerprinting’ with the black water based coating which appears to also be popular with clients.

“The look offsets any price differential and requires less maintenance than solvent based finishes” says Paul. “The thanks must go to the companies we contract our finishing work to including Wallace Furniture Finishers, Ultimate Finishers and FSB Group (see ad page 49) for the very high standard of finish we offer our clients.”

Jamie comments “Working with DBJ has challenged us to constantly push the boundaries and as such has been a challenging but highly rewarding process. With the backing of PPG and their technological developments, we have been able to provide a water based product mix that suits DBJ’s and their clients needs.”

Because 90% of DBJ’s projects have veneer in the mix, it is imperative to get this right “We have been consistently making a real push to make technology of various forms an important part of our growth strategy. We are now looking more at new audiences such as boutique hotels and high end home office spaces.” Paul adds, “Wairau Paints in conjunction with PPG products has helped us achieve our goal of gaining an edge in a competitive marketplace and pushing the limits of what we can achieve in the coating space.”

For more information contact

Paul Walkinton at DBJ Furniture Ltd on 09 443 0296, email paul@dbj. co.nz or visit www.dbj.co.nz

Jamie Tulloch at Wairau Paints on 09 443 3430, email Jamie@ wpcpaints.co.nz, or visit www. wpcpaints.co.nz