The term lacquer is used for a number of hard and potentially shiny finishes applied to materials such as wood. In modern techniques, lacquer means a range of clear or colored wood finishes that dry by solvent evaporation or a curing process that produces a hard, durable finish.
Lacquer forms a protective clear layer on metals and is particularly useful on brass, aluminum, silver and copper, which are often in the form of decorative items.
The lacquer market continues to be in a transformative phase, as solvent-based lacquers give way to water-based variants. The shift has been induced by a range of factors, however, stringent regulations and carbon consciousness among end-users are the prominent factors. Although solvent-based lacquers still account for a significant revenue share of the market, demand for water-based lacquers is also growing at a steady pace.
Lacquers continue to be the preferred finishes for woodworking owing to a bevy of advantages. Among the various types of lacquers available to end-users, demand for nitrocellulose continues to be the highest, on account of its competitive pricing and quick drying features. Nitrocellulose lacquers are ideally suited for production shops of all sizes, as they offer a uniform layer of film over the material. The fact that nitrocellulose lacquers are evaporative in nature provides for easy blending. Although nitrocellulose will continue to the highest selling lacquer type globally, its limitations are influencing end-users to opt for feasible alternatives. Notable is the problem of ‘crazing’ associated with the use of nitrocellulose.
Global demand for lacquers is likely to reach roughly 7 million tons in 2018, as applications in furniture, automotive, and architectural industries create sustained growth opportunities. The shift from solvent-based to water-based lacquers will become more palpable in the next decade, as a combination of environmental compliance and end-user consciousness induces changes in manufacturing and uptake.