International. The American Society for Testing and Materials (Astm) has presented a new international standard proposal that will provide guidelines for selecting wood substrates and evaluating the outdoor performance of architectural coatings, such as exterior paints, and primer and deck finishes.
The proposed standard (WK32654) called "Practice for The Selection of Wood Substrates Outdoors - Assessments of Architectural Coatings," is being developed by Subcommittee D01.42 on Architectural Coatings, which is part of ASTM International's Committee D01 on Paint and Coatings, Materials and Related Applications.
According to Marek Gnatowski, Ph.D., member of D01, the need for the proposed standard is the result of the increasing complexity of wood-based materials used in architectural applications, architectural product finishing techniques, and the demand for high-quality coatings capable of performing on a wide variety of wood substrates.
"Properly designed and tested, coatings increase the longevity of architectural elements and reduce maintenance costs in buildings. On the other hand, forest resources that supply high-quality solid wood for the construction industry for architectural applications are becoming increasingly scarce," says Gnatowski, Technical Director and President, Polymer Engineering.
Once approved, the standard will offer guidelines to chemists who are formulating new paint or other finishes for use with wood in architectural applications. In addition, end users will find the proposed standard useful for comparing the performance of a variety of architectural finishes.
