Waterborne polymers for water repellent wood coatings

Waterborne polymer emulsions composed of vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE), ethylene-vinyl chloride (EVCl), and other vinyl acetate copolymers were evaluated as polymer systems in water repellent coatings for exterior wood applications. Data presented indicates that these polymer emulsions exhibit an excellent balance of performance properties, making them the polymer of choice in water repellent coating formulations requiring low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. The data further suggest that polymer morphology and other emulsion polymerization process parameters (e.g., surfactant package, functional comonomers, initiation system, and particle size) may play a role in achieving industry accepted performance.