15/04/2025
The tragedy at Grenfell Tower and the two subsequent independent reviews exposed significant failures in the construction products regulatory system and revealed institutional failures that ...
There are few truly ‘VOC-free’ wood coatings. This may surprise you. It’s not unheard of for coatings to be marketed as ‘free’ from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and there’s no denying the good intentions towards substantially reducing these compounds in paint. In reality however, the very process of production can, technically, introduce trace amounts of VOCs. But before you throw up your hands and say what’s the point then, here are a few things to consider.
If you’re finishing the majority of your timber joinery with water-based coatings, we salute you. You are already on the road to lowering emissions in your factory and in your customers’ homes. VOCs in new builds can be particularly heavy with the high number of new materials contributing to the overall load. So by giving your customers the opportunity to choose timber components with water-based finishes, you are lowering the load and enhancing homeowners’ well-being.
Maybe we need to go back a step though. In paint, some VOCs are beneficial, they aid the drying process and ensure a perfect, lasting finish. In industrial formulations, VOCs ensure flow, levelling and correct film formation for durability. But how do extra, even miniscule amounts of VOCs get into coatings? Waterborne paints are made up of a number of components; some may be naturally derived such as minerals, chalk or clays, while others like binders, pigments and additives may be from synthetic sources. Whichever their origin, these materials undergo various treatments that make them work in paint. Some of these processes use VOCs and no matter how much purifying and drying follows, there is a risk of trace amounts remaining in the finished dry raw materials.
Of course, this level of VOCs is less of a concern. If you are using solvent-based coatings however, extra protection is required. The watchword for all application and especially when applying solvent-borne coatings, is ventilation. There is a reason that the human nose can detect VOCs, it’s evolution’s way of alerting us to unseen health risks. So if you are spraying coatings of any kind in a factory, ensure there is good air-flow and always wear personal protective equipment. If you are brush applying on site, open the windows and doors and allow any VOCs to evaporate while the paint is drying. Be aware though, that there will still be low levels of emissions from the wood, fillers and even glass cleaning agents in windows.
While we’re on the subject of environments, let’s consider the bigger picture. Lowering VOCs in coatings is just one of many ways to improve sustainability in manufacturing. Lowering energy consumption by using fast-drying coatings, is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and another excellent argument for using quick drying waterborne coatings. Once they’re on your products, you want them to last. Choose the best quality coatings you can find because not only will they protect your products for many years, they will also cut down maintenance cycles for the end-user and so save on resources.
Other things to think about include the functionality of the coatings you are using. You could for instance, offer finishes with pigments such as metallics that reflect natural light and so allow end-users to cut down on their artificial light and energy use. Other coating types can enhance well-being, like high-hygiene coatings that reduce the spread of microbes on surfaces.
So, as you can see, VOCs are far from the whole story. If cutting VOCs is part of your business’ sustainability plans this is an excellent objective and you can make a significant difference to your emissions. Check the coating’s safety data sheets (SDS) for information – if you already use coatings from Teknos, you will see that many of our water-based coatings are in fact low enough to be described as ‘ultra-low’ in VOCs.
Don’t forget that as well as lowering emissions, there are numerous additional ways you can reduce your impact on the environment through choosing the right coatings.
We are all part of the drive to preserve resources and protect our world. At Teknos, we are committed to making the world last longer, so much so that you will see this statement on every brochure, leaflet and website that we issue. In 2019, we lowered VOCs in our production by 2% from the previous year. Our on-going programme aims to further reduce our environmental impact through materials handling, VOC emissions, waste management and energy efficiencies. We know we still have a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction. If you want to find out more about our environmental KPIs, we publish an annual Non-Financial Statement on our website teknos.com.
