Finishing properties of polyurethane, nitrocellulose and acid catalyst based coatings on petai (Parkia species) / Shara Dila Shaari

This study attempts to evaluate the surface properties of finished Petai (Parkia speciosa) coated with different finishing system. Three (3) types of commercial lacquer namely Acid Catalyst (AC); Nitrocellulose (NC) and Polyurethane (PU) based were used in this study. Four (4) types of treatment which include System A (wood filler + sanding sealer + topcoat), System B (sanding sealer + topcoat), System C (wood filler + topcoat (3 times coated) were used. The quality of finishes were evaluated in term of gloss, adhesion, abrasion, impact, heat resistance cold check scratch and resistance to household, chemical and solvent. It is concluded that, Polyurethane lacquer is the best among three (3) selected coating material followed by Acid Catalyst and Nitrocellulose respectively. PU lacquer shows good resistance against impact, scratch, gloss, cold check and resistance to household, chemical and solvent. System C is the best surface treatment compared with other system. The types of lacquer and treatment greatly influenced the performance of the finished surface. This study suggests that the selection of finishes and the type of treatment are important to ensure good finish performance.