Coatings keep it covered

Never have the words roller and coaster been used so frequently as they have been to describe 2020, with most timber and related industries experiencing dramatic drops in trade, followed by a steep surge in demand as homeowners set about improving their gardens and living spaces.

The coatings and finishes sector has been no exception, with manufacturers reporting strong levels of demand for their products as the first lockdown of 2020 eased and homeowners cracked on with DIY projects.

“We have been very pleased with demand for our products throughout lockdown – we experienced a big increase in sales,” said Steve Grimwood, managing director of Osmo UK. “With everyone spending so much time at home and the weather being warm and dry in the summer, both our internal and external wood finishes have been popular with homeowners who have decided to focus their attention on DIY.”

Bona reported that its traditional specialist distributors who sell to flooring professionals became “extremely busy” in June after the first lockdown ended.

“We had a strong start to 2020 and then had to quickly adapt to the changing scenario from March,” said Tony Peak, sales manager at Bona Ltd. “This obviously reduced sales but we adapted and worked through and found that when the brakes released in June we were ready for the situation that unfolded.

“Since then it seems the whole building industry is in overdrive and pulling its supporters along with them.”

Teknos GBI saw sales of its decorative products grow above forecast during the pandemic and it has grown its UK and Ireland network of independent decorating merchants stocking its products to 24. The company’s industrial wood sales dropped during the height of the pandemic as many manufacturers enforced temporary closures, but sales picked back up to 2019 levels in the summer and remained there.

The scheduled launch of a coatings portfolio for interior wood, aimed at the furniture, kitchen and interior doors market went ahead but in a different format.

“We had planned a launch event in our Bicester Application Centre that, of course, had to be postponed in favour of a soft launch and awareness building online,” said Emma Moore, managing director.

“It has also been difficult for our sales managers to visit manufacturers and introduce them to the systems. Despite this, we have had new customers in the kitchen sector and opportunities with furniture manufacturers. Interestingly, we’ve acquired a number of new customers who run fast lines in the primer market in both Ireland and the UK.”

Anker Stuy, which opened its UK sales and distribution base around 18 months ago, saw its portfolio of customers’ projects grow up to March and then a 70% drop in turnover in April/May. From June it began to recover and managing director Emile Stuy reports that the company is “building up a really nice track record of references and customers”.

One such customer showcasing Anker Stuy products is RHS Garden Bridgewater, which is currently due to be opened by the Queen in May.

“That used almost 10,000 linear metres of Siberian larch [supplied by Prowood] that was treated with our wood stain,” said Mr Stuy.

The joinery market is huge for Anker Stuy and the pandemic forced it into a change in sales strategy.

“We went online and provided virtual seminars and YouTube videos and we also used Instagram to make contact with smaller customers – joinery companies with between two and nine employees,” said Mr Stuy. “We gained a lot of new customers that way.”

The larger joinery companies have been a tougher nut to crack, though.

“We noticed that the large joinery companies were struggling with the coronavirus regulations and they were also busy preparing for Brexit, so we will re-focus on them in 2021.

He has revised his target of making the UK market 10% of Anker Stuy’s total turnover in the next five years upwards, to 15%, basing this on the new customers it has taken on board and on the pipeline of potential customers.

“We know we have potential customers who have told us ‘let’s sit this coronavirus crisis out and then come back to the table’,” said Mr Stuy.

AkzoNobel flagged up the uncertainty Covid-19 has created around both private and government funded projects.

“While this has had less impact on the projects already in motion, it has stopped or delayed new projects,” said Chris Bradford, marketing director at AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings.

“The ‘remote’ working model has created uncertainty around the future need for commercial office space and the impact on residential housing. This has created uncertainty around the future need for large, mixed-use building structures and corresponding woodworking items.”

While it wasn’t exactly business as usual, all the manufacturers contacted for this feature continued operations through 2020.

“We didn’t close, but we did operate a skeleton staff at the height of the pandemic, while others were on furlough,” said Teknos’s Emma Moore.

“We were back to a full team by late summer as orders recovered, with some functions like finance and marketing working from home throughout the year. We have introduced operational measures to keep staff safe, including limiting visitors to our buildings, having socially-distanced and screened work stations, banning international travel and ensuring customer visits are kept to a minimum and adhere to Covid-19 policies.”

Graham Buchan, UK and Ireland managing director at Sherwin-Williams said he has been struck by the resilience and “innovative spirit” of their customers, who have found new ways of working, and also of his own team “who found new ways to communicate with customers and provide solutions”.

“Our working practices had to change radically,” he added. “Those employees who could work from home were told to do so and we introduced extensive screening, cleaning and social distancing procedures within the facility, which all remain in place.

“We maintained service at our Knottingley facility and our production sites in Italy and Sweden remained operational throughout.”

The Dutch government’s stance was that all manufacturing could continue, subject to adhering to safety measures and so Anker Stuy was able to carry on production throughout lockdowns.

“Our production volumes weren’t impacted and the Netherlands construction sector is really busy at the moment,” said Mr Stuy.

Bona and Osmo had similar experiences, with those employees who could work from home doing so and warehouse staff going in to work and following stringent Covid-secure safety measures.

“We managed to keep going all the way through,” said Bona’s Tony Peak. “Our central and local marketing teams were also busy creating new ways of promoting our products virtually via webinars and so on.”

The interior and exterior wood coatings markets fared pretty equally over 2020, according to contacts.

“Some sectors, such as kitchens, are showing particularly strong demand, which may be due to people deciding to renovate their homes because they have been stuck inside for so long – and, of course, they have been unable to spend money on holidays,” said Graham Buchan at Sherwin-Williams.

In spring and summer Anker Stuy’s web shop saw an “explosion” of business and had to take on additional staff to handle orders for its products. And when winter arrived it noticed an increase in demand for interior paints.

Osmo also noted an increase in sales of its exterior products during the spring and summer months, adding that its Polyx-Oil Original is its most popular product because of its versatility.

“It can be used on many different surfaces,” said Mr Grimwood. “It helps that internal renovations can be completed all year round, whereas exterior products can only be used during the dry months.” 

In terms of customers’ expectations, Teknos notes there is some caution amongst customers about over-stocking product, so although it has seen high demand for paint, the values of those orders have been slightly lower than ‘normal’ years. However, expectations of high technical support and durable paints remains the same, said Ms Moore.

For Anker Stuy, joinery companies are looking for ‘idiot-proof’ products that can be applied easily in layers up to 250-300 microns thick and that are quick flowing and quick drying. Technical support is also important to these customers, so the company is hands-on with advice on “the right pumps, the right pistol settings and the right environment settings”.

For its cladding customers, durability – and proof of that – is key.

“Both segments are looking for innovative products, said Mr Stuy. “Fire resistance is an example of that.”

“There are always demands for improved performance in terms of faster drying, better finish, greater efficiency in application and so forth – anything to help make our customers’ operations more productive and competitive,” said Graham Buchan at Sherwin-Williams.

“Then there is the ongoing trend towards ‘greener’ solutions through the use of waterborne or 100% solid solutions, bio-based products and anything that will reduce waste from the supply chain.

“There is also a trend towards more ‘functional’ coatings, such as fire retardants and anti-microbial solutions – although in this latter case it is important to note that these are generally not anti-viral.”

AkzoNobel offers a full range of products for interior and exterior applications via its different brands (Sikkens, Dulux and Cuprinol) and said that demands regarding sustainability subjects – for example, improvements in indoor air quality, regulations of hazardous substances, and the circular economy – remain important and “continue to gain awareness at the consumer end”.

“The regulatory environment is limiting the use of certain substances – biocides, for example – leading to new developments that need to be re-registered for our customers,” said Mr Bradford. “This means a lot of effort at our end to continue the supply, not only financially to cover the registration costs but also in administrative effort to be compliant with the registration process.

“The greater focus on indoor air quality as well as the working environment quality has increased interest in our formaldehyde free products and our high quality 1K water-borne range for interiors,” he continued.

He added that the new regulations concerning combustible materials in tall buildings would drive the complex subject of fire retardancy and that continuous UV curing demands has resulted in a new AkzoNobel development of 100% UV cured for exterior applications such as windows and doors.

“We are also seeing an interest in hygiene, anti-bacteria and anti-viral products for residential and home furniture,” said Mr Bradford. “While this is not driven by regulatory bodies, it is a growing interest among consumers.”

For Osmo, top of its customers’ collective wish list is a finish that is long-lasting, hardwearing and that will protect the wood from damage.

“Our products include a unique and natural combination of ingredients,” said Mr Grimwood. “We use carefully harvested natural oils (sunflower, soya, linseed and thistle oils) and hard waxes (carnauba and candelilla) and our products protect the wood from the inside and the outside, forming a protecting microporous surface. This allows us to meet – and exceed – our customers’ requirements.”

Osmo’s aforementioned Polyx-Oil Original is its top seller, thanks to its versatility and suitability for floors, furniture, doors, stair rails, children’s toys and so on, and the fact that “customers really like the way it enhances the wood and makes the grain ‘pop’”, said Mr Grimwood.

Bona said its strength lies with producing the best performing lacquers in both 1 and 2 component. Demand for these has been very strong, with matt and silk matt finishes still the most popular.

“Our Traffic Natural and Prime Natural products are still in demand for those looking for a truly natural finish,” said Mr Peak.

“Sales of our Bona Craft Oil 2K are still growing and in 2020 we introduced extra colours. The versatility of this product is that it can be a finish in itself with only a single coat and cured for use in only 12 hours, or it can be overcoated with Hard Wax Oil or Traffic HD lacquer to change the sheen or increase durability.”

While Bona Mega and Bona Traffic HD have been the company’s best-selling lacquers, with customers appreciating “the feel of the product under the roller, the quality of the de-foaming and levelling and the speed of curing”, it’s the Flexisand machine that had a “spectacular” year in 2020, creating “a buzz on social media” and selling through word-of-mouth.

“Contractors love the balance of the machine – you can use it for hours with almost no effort, while sanding the floor from the roughest grit to the finest diamond abrasives leaves a scratch free finish,” said Mr Peak.

At Teknos, AQUATOP exterior topcoat is the star performer, while in the decorative world FUTURA AQUA has “legions of fans due to its versatility”.

“It can be sprayed or brushed, coats wood and metal and can be used inside and outside,” said Ms Moore. “The @TeknosGBI Instagram channel is constantly buzzing with professional decorators sharing the stunning finish they are achieving with this product.”

Sherwin-Williams doesn’t single out a specific product, saying that demand is strong across the range “from more ‘traditional’ technologies such as PU/AC/PC through to our waterborne and high-performance UV products”.

“As mentioned, we have seen some very high activity in the kitchen sector, so the products going into this segment, which can be solvent-based or water-borne, or, indeed, UV, are in particularly high demand.”

The windows and doors industry in the UK and Europe is a core market for AkzoNobel and one in which its customers “value our primers, mid-coats and top coats, not only due to our proven durability and high quality of our coatings systems (see details on our Global Weathering Program) but also due to our strong combined product and service offer,” said Mr Bradford.

In January 2020 the company’s Sikkens Wood Coatings brand launched its RUBBOL 100% UV cured range.

“It offers new possibilities to increase wood window manufacturing efficiency by using instant drying solutions, leading to shorter production times to increase capacity and generate energy savings,” said Mr Bradford.

“This innovative product range supports a more sustainable production process by offering a system of 1K products with no emissions and no mixing. In addition, very good adhesion and very good mechanical properties of the surface with excellent durability will increase product quality with less rework or scrap.

“The full 100% UV cured range consists of putty, primer and topcoat system for wood window applications and our new topcoat for PVC window applications.”

For Anker Stuy its top sellers remain its Hydrolux line for the joinery sector and it TP wood stain in the cladding sector.

Looking forward, it is pursuing the development of a fire resistant product and is looking for companies in the UK with which to “co-create” a total system.

“We co-created a fire resistant coating with an interior door manufacturer in the Netherlands and conducted a single burning item (SBI) test. The EN 13823 SBI is the official test to show the product is doing what it should but it can only be carried out in a fully finished product – so, for example, an interior door, or a fully finished window or cladding,” said Mr Stuy.

“We have an interior door producer partner and a cladding producer partner in the Netherlands and now we are looking for similar in the UK.”

For many manufacturers, of course, some of the product development pipeline has been moved from 2020 into 2021. At AkzoNobel, for example, Covid-19 has delayed some customer trials but developments will be rolled out this year.

“For exterior wood our planned expansion in the cladding portfolio has been pushed into 2021,” said Teknos’s Emma Moore. “It will be worth the wait, though, with a direct-to-wood solution for cladding that cuts drying times and has excellent adhesion and levelling.

“On the decorative side we are introducing a dead matt and a very high gloss in the FUTURA AQUA wood coatings family and a new range of super-durable exterior decorative topcoats for wooden buildings.”

“There are always new products in development at Sherwin-Williams and we are constantly refreshing or extending our ranges,” said Mr Buchan. “That makes it a little difficult to single out any specific products but there have been some very exciting and innovative developments in water-borne interiors, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

“Additionally, our exterior finishes range for windows, doors and cladding has been extended and strengthened and we have also launched new FR and bio-based systems.”

Over at Bona, this year will see the launch of a new SuperSport HD to replace Bona Sportive lacquer.

“Worldwide, Bona is used on many of the most prestigious wooden sports floors,” said Mr Peak. “We are official technical partners of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and we’re aiming to push the performance limits further with this new product. New SuperSport HD will have an all new single component version and there will also be an improved line marking paint.”

As for the 64 million dollar question of what is going to be in fashion, Teknos identifies “a strong trend towards nature and this will be reflected not only in earthy shades but also tones that have a soothing softness”, said Ms Moore.

“People will be introducing more plants and outdoor elements into their homes and looking for palettes that complement these, such as light taupe, ecru or pastel pink, with ‘pops’ of colour on focal points, such as window frames or doors.”

However, dark colours in blues, greys and greens remain popular among Sherwin- Williams’s customers, as do matt, non fingermarking finishes.

“Our Global Colour Centre is totally focused on identifying and influencing which colours will be in vogue and its Colormix forecast for 2021 can be seen at wood.sherwin.com,” said Mr Buchan.

For AkzoNobel, the trends in exterior colours are grey, deep charcoal, flat black, navy, sage and clay, closely related to its 2021 Colour of the Year, Brave Ground.

Mr Bradford added that the shift to opaque is still ongoing and that colour mixing and matching will increasingly be done at a local level.

Anker Stuy has seen interiors heading towards clear, natural, low-gloss finishes and light stains where “you really see the wood grain”.

Osmo has noticed an increase in demand for white “Scandinavian-style” flooring and said this had been reflected in sales of its Polyx-Oil 3044 Raw and Polyx-Oil Tints 3040 White.

“From light to dark, we are also starting to see a trend towards rich dark tones on flooring and furniture, so my prediction would be that this increases in the future,” said Mr Grimwood.