Conservation and Restoration of Clear Coatings on Furniture and ...

42
4.2 Industry
<strong>Conservation</strong> even on an international level is such a small entity that in most cases materials <strong>and</strong> practises used to
forward conservation technology are borrowed from other industries. Paint <strong>and</strong> chemical companies are the largest
Industry contributor in furniture conservation.
The paint manufactures that produce clear coatings for use on furniture <strong>and</strong> interior timbers are the most likely
partner to help with solutions for many <strong>of</strong> the outlined conservation issues. The specialist knowledge <strong>of</strong> paint <strong>and</strong>
material chemists is second to none in underst<strong>and</strong>ing the degradation, removal <strong>and</strong> replacement processes <strong>of</strong>
finishes. Paint companies must perceive a commercial application for products to be economically viable, hence I
believe the research <strong>and</strong> eventual products <strong>and</strong> technologies to be used in the application <strong>of</strong> clear coating
conservation need to be further reaching than just the small conservation market.
Paint companies have become very pr<strong>of</strong>icient at marketing their products to architects, building industries, <strong>and</strong> to the
broader public with ‘environmentally friendly’ <strong>and</strong> ‘sustainability’ almost becoming marketing slogans. The
environmental <strong>and</strong> sustainable approach in paints <strong>and</strong> clear coatings has much in common with preservation <strong>and</strong>
conservation ethos in that in context to conservation, the product would be environmentally <strong>and</strong> user friendly. That it
would be long lasting <strong>and</strong> maintenance friendly, <strong>and</strong> that when it did reach its expiry date, it could be removed
without the need for toxic <strong>and</strong> damaging chemicals.
Paint <strong>and</strong> chemical companies currently invest huge amounts <strong>of</strong> money into developing products which are
environmentally friendly, Government legislation is being implemented globally calling an end to the VOC (volatile
Organic Compound) solvents found in most paints <strong>and</strong> coatings. Although water based finishes have been
developed <strong>and</strong> produced for several decades, as clear coatings these currently present many similar problems to the
nitro-cellulose <strong>and</strong> solvent based polyurethane, in that they are hard to remove <strong>and</strong> actually deteriorate faster than
solvent based coatings. Thus their need for replacement will occur faster <strong>and</strong> more frequently than solvent based
coatings. If environmental factors are taken seriously by paint companies (with millions <strong>of</strong> dollars already being
invested to create healthy <strong>and</strong> sustainable products), then the principles <strong>of</strong> conservation should be taken into
consideration, as no architect, designer, builder, owner or manager will want the problems <strong>and</strong> associated expense
<strong>of</strong> upkeep, maintenance, removal <strong>and</strong> eventual replacement <strong>of</strong> the finishes used to protect <strong>and</strong> enhance substrate
materials.
Shared objectives for environmental <strong>and</strong> conservation friendly clear coatings
■ Reduction <strong>of</strong> Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). This is the main push behind government legislation
<strong>and</strong> the reason coating technology has shifted to water bourn development
■ Sustainability, would be advantageous to have coatings which could be repaired <strong>and</strong> top coated
■ Economically viable as coatings can be repaired rather than removed or replaced without the need to
close buildings due to contamination risk