The wooden door coating process involves multiple steps designed to meet specific customer requirements and standards. The main principle is to select the appropriate coating type based on the desired surface effect, which can be either fully enclosed or semi-open, and either transparent or solid color. Most wooden doors in the market today feature a fully enclosed transparent colored finish, commonly using PU (polyurethane) paint. This article will explore the process, advantages, and disadvantages of PU-based fully enclosed transparent colored finishes.
The basic process described here is suitable for most wooden door manufacturers. However, each factory may adjust the process according to their product positioning and materials, leading to various modified methods. Below are several common derivative processes.
**One: One-Base Side**
1. Process: White blank grinding → Scraping water ash → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray colored transparent topcoat.
2. Product Positioning: Low-end products.
3. Advantages: Simplest process with the lowest cost. Water ash can cover wood defects, and a darker color helps achieve uniformity.
4. Disadvantages: No permeability, cannot show natural wood texture. The coating may have uneven surfaces due to poor filling and anti-sag properties. Water ash grinding is labor-intensive and dusty.
**Two: Two-Base Side (Including Water Ash Type)**
1. Process: White blank grinding → Scraping water ash → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray colored transparent topcoat.
2. Product Positioning: Low-end.
3. Advantages: More filling and better anti-sag properties than one-base.
4. Disadvantages: Limited permeability and layering, not ideal for showcasing wood grain. Water ash grinding is still time-consuming and messy.
5. Suggestions: Use colored water ash instead of wood-colored ones, and apply color repair oil before spraying the topcoat to improve texture visibility without significantly increasing costs.
**Three: Three-Base Side**
1. Process: White blank polishing → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Repair → Light sanding → Spray clear topcoat.
2. Product Positioning: High-end products.
3. Advantages: Excellent permeability, clearly showing wood texture. No need for water ash, reducing grinding intensity.
4. Disadvantages: Higher cost and complex process. Deep wood pores may not be fully filled with three primers. Fine textures may not be enhanced.
5. Suggestions: If the material is dark, apply the second primer wet-on-wet. Alternatively, replace spraying with scraping to save costs and improve results.
**Four: Base Coloring, Face Repair**
1. Process: White blank grinding → Seal with solid base → Sanding → Rub PU Gres → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Spray transparent primer → Sanding → Color correction → Light sanding → Spray clear topcoat.
2. Product Positioning: High-end products.
3. Advantages: Excellent permeability and 3D effect. Even if the wood texture is not clear, it can be enhanced through this process.
4. Disadvantages: High cost and long production time.
5. Suggestions: Avoid base coloring if the wood has beautiful natural texture (e.g., Sapele veneer). Lighten face color after base coloring to enhance depth and clarity.
Each process has its own strengths and limitations. Choosing the right method depends on the product’s purpose, material quality, and budget. It's crucial to balance cost, efficiency, and quality to achieve the best outcome.
With the growing popularity of the wooden door industry, competition has intensified, and profit margins have shrunk. Manufacturers must find ways to reduce costs, improve quality, and boost productivity. While higher quality often implies higher costs, it doesn't always have to be the case. By optimizing materials and techniques, such as replacing traditional water ash with new alternatives, factories can achieve better results at lower costs.
In the past, brushing was the primary method, but spraying improved efficiency and quality. Some companies now use scraping, which not only reduces costs but also enhances the final appearance. Painting, like any other science, continues to evolve with new techniques and innovations. There is always room for improvement, and the future of wooden door finishing looks promising.