WEATHERING PROPERTIES OF WOOD SPECIES TREATED WITH DIFFERENT COATING APPLICATIONS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the discoloration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) specimens treated with different chemicals and surface coated with different UV absorbers before being subjected to artificial weathering. The results showed that the influence of coatings containing UV absorbers (UV screeners micronized TiO2 and UVA of hydroxyphenyl-s-triazine types) were similar to each other. The UV screener TiO2 led to the least discoloration of the coated wood surface, closely followed by the UVA of hydroxyphenyl-s-triazines (HPT). The color stability was determined to be better for pine wood treated with micronized copper preservative coated with UV absorber, in comparison to when it was only coated with UV absorbers and then subjected to weathering. Microscopic observation revealed that the clear-coats penetration behavior was different in wood preservative-treated and in untreated wood of Scots pine, which has various extractives. However, the color stability and coating penetration was nearly the same in beech wood treated with preservatives and in untreated beech wood. We provide an explanation for why these effects occurred and discuss the implications of our findings for the development of weather-resistant wood materials.