The effect of sealant as a finishing on a wood panel (plywood) / Shuhaili Johar

Finishing is important to protect the surface and helps to enhance the attractiveness of the surface texture. In this study, 300mm x 100mm x 12mm of grade B plywood was used to evaluate the surface quality based on three types of sealer i.e Acid Catalyst (AC), Nitrocellulose (NC) and Polyurethane (PU) and finishing system (1) a sealer + a top coat, (2) two sealers + a top coat and (3) three sealers +a top coat. The coated plywood was tested for surface roughness, surface hardness, adhesion and household test according to the American Standard Testing Method (ASTM) and International Standard Organization (ISO). It was observed that PU sealer has better effect on adhesion, hardness and household reagent. While for surface roughness, AC has better effect compared to other sealers. For finishing system, system 3 has better effect on surface roughness, adhesion, hardness and household reagent. But for basic household items and hardness, system 2 is adequate to create the better surface.