Our Water Based Journey – The Story So Far

For those of you that have been reading our blog posts, you will know that we have made the big switch from acid catalyst and polyurethane paints to water based paints.

So Why Did We Do This?

There were a few reasons we done this. Firstly, we have to do our bit for the planet.  There is no doubt that the use of solvent based, and high formaldehyde based finished have a negative impact on the environment.

In addition, a new EU directive comes into force on August 6^th 2026 that limit the use of certain chemicals in finishes.  We agree with this, even though it significantly raises our production costs and the time taken to finish a piece.

But, the main reason that we changed our practices early, was to give customers the ability to truly look after their furniture.  We produce and supply an awful lot of what we would term “High Traffic” furniture.

By this we mean that the furniture we produce is mostly practical. Hall tables and Console tables have car keys thrown on them.  Anyone that enters your home will likely pass that table. So it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that it may suffer a few scratches over the years.  The same applies to dining tables, beside lockers, Pantry units etc etc.

Another reason is that, as we can provide any colour from any paint manufacturer range, it is also likely that the colour you select with your initial purchase, may not be the colour that suits your room in the future.

Ordinarily, if you wanted to change the colour, or have the colour freshened up to repair the scratches, you would have had to return the table for it to be repainted.  This is not cheap.  Remember, it has to be collected, sanded back, re-primed, re-painted and then returned.  It’s a significant cost and could be up to 60% of your original purchase price.

So How Is It Going For Us?

Well, it certainly wasn’t easy but we are getting there.  The first issue that we had to overcome was that water based and chemical based paints don’t mix.  We didn’t foresee this and as a result have to add totally new paint and spray systems.  If you put solvent based thinners, used for cleaning, anywhere near water-based paint it turns to a jelly like sludge, stuff of nightmares.

Another issue with water-based paint it its tendency to run.  It runs like Usain Bolt! We would finish a piece and put it in the drying room, looking perfect, only to come back some time later and there are runs and drips all over the place.

The main reason for this was that as we transitioned, we had to get used to the new ways of water-based.  You have to be faster with the spray gun, you have to use less paint but cover more times.

We also found that rather than our old ways of two coast of primer and one coast of chemical-based paint, we have to now have one coat of a harder primer and then two coats of paint.  This gives the best and most durable finish.

However, with the drying time to re-coat being up to 10 hours this has slowed down our turnaround times and has a knock-on effect on our lead times.

But there are benefits.  The main benefit is to the customer, and the customer’s health.  When a chemical-based finish is delivered it usually stinks out the house.  Because a paint is dry, it does not mean that it is fully cured.  The curing process is whereby the chemicals and solvents in the paint leec

h out into the air, they are not too good for your health.

While the water-based paint also takes up to 21 days to fully cure, there are no harmful chemicals being dispersed into the air, so a much healthier option.

Conclusion

While we are not there yet, we are getting there.  There are definite downsides to this switch to water based paints but there are also come benefits.  While we have touched on the definite health benefits there are others.

Clean up is easier, once no solvents are used.  Perhaps the biggest benefit is actually the disadvantage of the much longer drying time.  When using chemical based paints, the paint it atomised so finely that the mist given off from the spray gun, overspray, is dry when it hits the freshly painted surface leading to rough feeling finished.  But, because the water based paint is still wet, the overspray is also wet so doesn’t affect the finish as badly.  This allows us the get a more even finish.