VOG regulations cause confusion about redwood finishes

By Charles Jourdain Vice President for Technical and Inspection Services California Redwood Association

A LL WOOD, including redwood, ll performs best protected by a quality wood finish. Consequently, finishes are important and profitable for redwood lumber dealers, first sold with lumber and afterward for maintenance.

A wide variety of products are available with new formulations constantly being developed. Selection of wood finishes can be confusing for both consumers and building professionals. The wood and finishes industries, however, are working to close this information gap.

A major reason for the recent, rapid changes in wood finish formulations is that California, New Jersey, Arizona, New York and Texas have imposed air quality regulations which affect the formulations of wood finishes that can be sold. Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin have similar regulations in the planning stages with other states certain to follow. Therefore, an industry priority is the effectiveness evaluation of the new low volatile organic compound (VOC) finishes.

Supervisory research chemist Bill Feist, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wi., is currently evaluating over 60 low-VOC finishes and will make a preliminary report at a National Forest Products Association meeting in April. While it is too early to make definitive conclusions, Bill says, "ln general, the pigmented film-forming products appear to be holding up the best and, over all, the new VOC-compliant finishes don't seem to be performing as well as the older formulations."

More research on low-VOC finishes and other contemporary wood finishes has been taken on by the Joint Coatings/Forest Products Committee, co-sponsored by the National Forest Products Association and the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology.

Committee task groups are currently researching specific subjects. Priority topics are low VOC-finishes, the effects of acid rain on wood weathering and finish performance, moisture control in housing, prevention of extractive bleeding, and ap- plication recommendations for smooth- and saw-textured wood faces. Reports will be published by this magazine as they are completed.

The California Redwood Association is set up to provide extensive information on the phone and through written booklets about wood finishes for redwood. In fact, CRA gets hundreds of phone calls and letters annually about using redwood. Over 600/o of these are questions about finishes.

For redwood exterior use, a heavy bodied pigmented finish will last the longest.

To achieve and maintain a natural look, a clear or lightly pigmented water repellent finish is recommended. This has to be reapplied every one to two years, depending upon exposure and traffic. (A simple test to see whether a new finish is needed is to sprinkle water onto the wood. If the water beads up, the finish is holding upl if the water soaks in, the wood should be refinished.)

Clear finishes and stains that perform best on exterior redwood have a number of ingredients in common. They are based on high quality oils with a hydrocarbon solvent such as mineral spirits. Despite recent restrictions on the use of VOCs, these oil-based finishes should remain available. The best contain mildewcide, water repellents and ultraviolet protection which can be either pigment, an ultraviolet stabilizer or both.

For redwood dealers, stocking, recommending and selling highquality finishes for redwood decking and siding create satisfied customers and return business. Requirements that ingredients be listed on wood finish containers are loosening up, however, and it may be necessary to ask finish suppliers for additional information about their formulations.

Story at a Glance

New formulations being evaluated...industry committees do rcsearch... Galifornia Redwood Association rcady to arrswer questions and provide you with recommendations.