It’s always an honor to be featured in an industry publication–even more so when it’s the most active community of woodworkers and DIY’ers in Canada! Our thanks go out to Mark Salusbury for including Target Coatings EMTECH EM1000 Universal Sanding Sealer, and EM2000 Interior/Exterior Waterborne Alkyd Varnish in his write up on low VOC wood finish: “Healthy Clear Coatings: What They Are, How They Work and Why You Should Use Them” at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement.
In his article, Mark offers some great tips and information to help both pro and DIY woodworkers understand the various “VOC” levels that paint manufacturers put on their labels. All of Target Coatings water-based finishes are either Low-VOC or Ultra-Low VOC–for example, for Wood Sealers, the US Architectural Industrial Maintenance (AIM) rule is 600 grams/liter; in Canada it’s 250 grams/liter (g/l). When it comes to Varnish, the US AIM VOC rule is 450 g/l. In Canada, it’s 350 g/l. Both EMTECH EM1000 and EM2000 come in well below the regulatory requirements: EM1000 is 51 g/l and EM2000 is just 21 g/l.
Here is the technical data for both EM1000 Universal Sanding Sealer and EM2000 Interior/Exterior Waterborne Alkyd Varnish (you can find all of our Safety Data Sheets & Tech Data Sheets here):
Mark goes on to say this about EM1000 and EM2000 low VOC wood finish…
EM1000: “This waterborne acrylic emulsion is a crystal clear sanding sealer, primer, pre-stain conditioner and universal tint base for water-based pigments and dyes. A thin, clear liquid with a faint sweet/acrid scent, the first coat absorbed well, raised the grain and dried in 20 minutes, ready for scuff sanding and recoat after an hour. The second coat sealed, ready for any topcoat finish. It can be applied by spray, synthetic brush/pad or closed-cell foam roller from my experience. It produces a soft sheen and enriching, enhancing clarity.”
EM2000: “This is an interior/exterior alkyd varnish of waterborne hybrid alkyd resins. My sample is “satin”, requiring steady stirring to suspend the silica (ultra-fine sand) matting agents. A creamy liquid with a milky colour and muted crisp acrid aroma; I’ve no doubt, like other such emulsions, the gloss and semi-gloss versions are clearer and thinner due to less matting agents. User friendly, it can be applied by spray, synthetic brush, pad and closed-cell foam roller. Designed for fine furniture and cabinetry, woodturners enjoy this as an on-lathe padding finish; it’s also fine for moisture and UV exposed woods such as window and door trim. With 34% solids by weight, it builds well; the first coat over bare wood absorbs nicely, drying to the touch within 20 minutes. Scuff sanding and recoat time is after one hour; I applied three coats in an afternoon. It flows and levels well, produces a light golden film with a soft sheen, brilliance and clarity.”
We appreciate Mark’s review–and his inclusion of EMTECH finishes in his article. Thanks, Mark!
