Dr Jakub Sandak, Dr Anna Sandak and Faksawat Poohphajai, InnoRenew CoE researchers, together with Michael Sailer from Xylotrade B.V., Lauri Rautkari from Aalto University and Tiina Belt from Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), published an article, “Bioinspired Living Coating System in Service: Evaluation of the Wood Protected with Biofinish during One-Year Natural Weathering”, in Coatings.

Wood exposed to natural weathering changes its appearance and performance. To prevent these changes, timber used on buildings’ outer surfaces is usually coated. However, these coatings often include toxic chemicals and tend to change in appearance over time. To develop improved solutions, researchers adapt existing natural processes into technological solutions. The presented results indicate that a biofinish coating could be a suitable choice for wood surface protection.

Coatings is an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal with an impact factor of 2.436 that is published monthly and features contributions about coatings and surface engineering.