Investing in wood flooring and furniture is a significant decision for both commercial and residential consumers, and it's vital to ensure that these investments can withstand the test of time and maintain their aesthetic appeal for years to come.
Fortunately, BASF’s Joncryl 953X phoenix platform resin series provides a range of water-based wood coating offerings formulated to meet these requirements confidently. The platform includes Joncryl 9530-A, Joncryl 9532, Joncryl 9533 and Joncryl 9534, all designed to help protect and enhance the beauty of wood products while assuring durability and longevity. Compared to solvent-borne coatings, water-borne coatings produce high-clarity resins without a loss in properties.
Joncryl 9530-A was the first product released on the platform. This product is a universal self-crosslinking polymer designed to be used in both wood topcoats and primers. This resin is characterized by its exceptional clarity and chemical resistance, making it a suitable choice for applications that require superior wood grain enhancement and protection. The properties of the polymer make it an ideal candidate for use in wood finishing processes, where its ability to enhance wood grain and provide long-lasting protection is highly valued. Moreover, the product’s self-crosslinking abilities allow easy application and efficient curing.
Jennifer Coates, Commercial Marketing Manager, expressed her satisfaction with the success of Joncryl 9530-A and how it has opened the doors for further developments in the platform. Coates said Joncryl 9532 is a top performing resin and a step above Joncryl 9530-A in terms of its enhanced chemical, hardness, and scratch resistance.
Meanwhile, Joncryl 9533 is a universal self-crosslinking acrylic dispersion designed to be used in low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) formulations requiring less cosolvent. This makes it an ideal choice for applications where environmental regulations for VOCs must be met. The product offers exceptional early blocking resistance, making it suitable for topcoats and primers where coated surfaces are expected to come into contact shortly after application. Its formulation provides good scratch and chemical resistance, making it a reliable choice for numerous coating applications. “It provides good properties such as hardness and blocking for any application that requires low to 0 VOC,” Coates said. Joncryl 9530-A and Joncryl 9532 can be formulated at 150 grams per liter VOC, while Joncryl 9533 was consistently below 10 grams per liter VOC.
Unlike other products on the phoenix platform, Joncryl 9534 is used as a modifying resin and not formulated independently. Its primary purpose is to enhance other resins by improving blocking, hardness, and scratch resistance. For example, when Joncryl 9534 is used in combination with Joncryl 9530-A at 10 percent, hardness increases by 15 percent. With a 20 percent addition to that same formula, hardness increases by more than 30 percent. According to Coates, it's also vital for these resins to provide high clarity and grain enhancement when used on wood surfaces.
Jonathan Wattras, Technical Specialist, said that all the resins in the phoenix line rely on multi-stage emulsion technology. This advanced technology grants the BASF team more control over the process, enabling them to customize to specific properties required.
The products have excellent scratch resistance; some have even shown superior stain resistance in tests conducted in accordance with Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) standards. According to Wattras, Joncryl 9530-A performed remarkably well, while Joncryl 9532 exceeded expectations with outstanding results in clear and pigmented formulas. Additionally, the products offer a quick dry time for customers, most of which are set to touch in less than 15 minutes and dry in less than 45 minutes. In certain blend ratios with polyurethane dispersions, like Joncryl U 4190, the products showed improvement in scratch resistance and Taber abrasion without affecting chemical resistance. Joncryl 9532 performs exceptionally well in blending for flooring applications.
While the products in the phoenix platform are primarily used in formulations for industrial applications, they can be used in broad application spaces. These products can be formulated for DIY application for use by homeowners and residential customers. According to Wattras, the product line has evolved into a complete wood coatings toolbox that can be customized to meet the specific needs of customers, enabling them to achieve various property enhancements.
Contact BASF to learn more about the products on the Joncryl phoenix platform.