High Solids/Low Solids Coatings

WHO SELLS COMPLIANT COATINGS?

Q: Occasionally I am told by an end-user company that the coating supplier can't provide the company with a compliant coating.  Is there a short list of companies that specialize in compliant coatings?  If so, where can I find the list?

A: There is no shortlist that I’m aware of; however, for the most part you can expect that standard type coatings are readily available in VOC-compliant formulations from most paint vendors.  A search on the Internet will quickly bring up a long list.

Also, bear in mind that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of coatings that are sold to the end-user industry.  Some are off-the-shelf products, while many are specifically formulated to meet exacting performance and/or application specifications.  Consider the following hypothetical example.   There are many VOC-compliant high gloss, white polyurethane coatings on the market, but you might need a coating that can be applied with an HVLP spray gun to achieve a wet film thickness of 5 mils, has a pot life of 12 hours at 75oF, yet dries to the touch in 3 hours. To top it off, you only require 20 gallons per year. It is possible that these requirements are too demanding for most off-the-shelf products, and that only a handful of paint companies are willing to attempt to develop such a product for you ... and then for only 20 gallons/year!

Clearly, you can search the Internet for suppliers of the coating, but I have no idea how you would find someone who can meet your tight specifications.  On the other hand, there is a website, www.CoatingDepot.com at which you can advertise a complete description of your required coating.  This is a subscription site and you will first need to become a paid member.  Then, only those paint suppliers who are also members will get to see your request.  Other useful sites are www.finishing.com and www.paintcenter.org.

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