A ‘healthy’ option

As illness and fear of it are touching so many lives in the world’s current pandemic state, BTD Wood Powder Coating of Brainerd, Minn. is seeing an increase in consumer demand for seamless powder-coated wood parts with an antimicrobial additive.

“In the last 30 days, a lot of customers have converted from laminates and other finishes to wood powder coating because it is seamless and has the antimicrobial option,” Craig Martin, CEO, said in July.

BTD applies its ‘t.fusion’ powder coating to MDF components for an attractive finish that’s easy to clean, according to the company.

“The t.fusion finishing process is key to the health and cleanliness benefits of the final products. Cutting edge technology is used to electrostatically adhere paint particles to pre-heated MDF, which is further heated to literally melt the powdered paint particles, fusing and cross-linking the paint to the wood. This thermal fusion results in a seamless, long-lasting surface unequalled by liquid paint, laminate, 3DL (thermofoil) or melamine. The seamless coating keeps bacteria or germs from accumulating in cracks and crevices of the materials. An extra layer of safety can be achieved with an antimicrobial additive that is embedded right in the finish, works 24/7, and has 99.9 percent efficacy in test results,” the company said in a statement.

“In public spaces, no one can be there to clean the surfaces after every touch. However, some level of assurance can be attained in that the antimicrobial additives continue working even when employees can’t. A seamless finish in combination with the antimicrobial additive creates a perfect wood component for applications in the healthcare, hospitality, retail, education, childcare or any other industry where bacteria can pose a threat,” says Martin.

He adds that powder-coated MDF components do not contain solvents or produce significant emissions of VOCs or HAPs. Parts manufactured by BTD using FSC-certified MDF have been specified in LEED and Living Building Challenge projects.

A wide variety of color and finish choices of the wood powder coatings are available for ready-to-assemble furniture, shelving and storage, workstations and desks, cabinetry, doors, and countertops.

For more, visit www.btdwoodpowdercoating.com.