Organic varnishes and paints for wood, resistant, durable and easy to use

Wooden surfaces or derived materials (MDF, veneered chipboard) must be both mechanically and chemically resistant. The safest way to achieve such resistance is to use wood varnishes and paints. There are plenty of such products, both solvent-based and water-based. Water-based products are very useful when there should be no solvent smell, when you need to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or very important, when you want to reduce the risk of fire in terms of finishing materials. But waterborne finishing materials are not implicitly free of any health or environmental risk. The absence of solvents is beneficial, as the environment is much better protected, but it is not enough for the materials to be, for example, discharged into the city's sewage system or to be used without the usual protective equipment. To be truly safe in all respects, varnishes and paints must be BIO. Such a range of products has createdItalian firm ICA (distributed in Romania by Lomilux), in collaboration with the Dutch firm DSM. The Dutch manufacturer is world-renowned for its long experience in producing resins from renewable sources.

A new range of ICA paints unlike any other

There is increasing talk in the public arena about sustainability, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, replacing petroleum products, protecting the environment and human health. ICA's new range of BIO products responds to all these demands in an area known for high VOC emissions and resins from oil processing, offering products that are safe for our health and the environment.

How do you respond? By:

• the use of renewable organic waste materials
• decreasing the carbon dioxide footprint
• reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds
• increased attention to the health of those who use or benefit from them.

The resin used by ICA to make organic paints and varnishes is not made from petroleum but from biomass from renewable organic materials that cannot be used for human consumption (leaves, twigs, household waste). The process of obtaining this organic resin has been long, with many tests carried out in the company's laboratories, in order to reach at least the performance of the classic resins used to finish wood. Tests with the new resins began as early as 2013, and in 2017 the first public recognition of the quality of the new products was achieved with an award at the Interzum, the category High Product Quality. To demonstrate the biogenic nature of the resin, the products were tested at the University of Camerino and the Sapienza University of Rome.

The formulation of the products allows them to be used in areas such as the manufacture of cots or children's toys. The varnishes and paints in this range meet the requirements of EN 71-3, which is well known to importers and exporters of children's furniture and articles. In addition, as they are water-based products with resins derived from biomass, the problems of emissions of volatile organic compounds or free formaldehyde.

Organic paints not only mean sustainability and healthy products but also coating performance

However healthy and environmentally friendly wood finishing materials may be, it is very important that they have mechanical and chemical resistance, are easy to work with and can be adapted to the technological processes used in large factories. The resins used for the products in the two ranges are acrylic or acrylic-polyurethane and have properties far superior to the bio-based alkyd resins available on the varnish and paint market.

Organic paints and varnishes, inside and out

The ICA BIO product line is structured into two main ranges. In formulating them, we have taken into account the coverage of all the necessary characteristics of the two product ranges.

• Iridea BIO- interior products
• Arborea Organic - outdoor products

Products in the range Organic Iridea, used for finishing furniture and other interior objects or fittings, are resistant to scratching, knocks and other mechanical action, to staining with water, coffee or paint, to moisture and have a pleasing appearance and colour. Unlike bio-alkyd products, they dry faster, sand more easily and are more resistant to direct light. They are suitable for repeated industrial applications and can be used without problems in large factories where productivity is an important requirement. Their good resistance to moisture allows them to be used to finish bathroom or kitchen furniture.

Products Arborea Organic are formulated to be outdoor resistant. They are resilient, highly resistant to rainfall and UV radiation, do not yellow over time and have a natural appearance. They are easy to use and can also be applied by industrial methods (flow-coating, dipping, spraying). They dry quickly and sand easily. They can be pigmented to obtain a wide range of shades and colours. They can be used to finish garden furniture, laminated or ordinary wooden windows, exterior doors or exterior cladding.

Organic lacquers and paints from the Irideaand Arborea are products made from renewable raw materials following environmentally friendly technological processes. They are products that protect the health of both those who apply them and the users of the finished products. So those working with varnishes and paints for wood finishing can now use a range of organic products with very good resistance, which are easy to apply and process. This is what we aim to show you in future materials.