Sensitivity of waterborne coating materials to high acidity and high content of arabinogalactan in larch heartwood

Larch wood is known to be a challenging substrate for waterborne coatings on windows or claddings in exterior applications. In earlier studies the surface properties of larch heartwood were characterised with low pH-values and high content of arabinogalactan. A systematic variation of formulations with different combinations of binders and thickening additives was investigated regarding the sensitivity of the coating materials to high acidity and arabinogalactan. Panels of spruce wood were treated with low-pH buffer solutions and arabinogalactan solutions and after drying the coating materials were applied by spraying. Acetic acid and arabinogalactan solutions were added stepwise to wet samples of coating materials while pH-values and viscosity were measured. Different buffer capacities, changes in viscosity and qualities of film formation were observed depending on coating formulation. The selection of binder and thickening additives enables the formulation of coating materials with lower sensitivity to specific surface properties of larch wood and thus higher quality.