Wooden fenestration: Colour is everywhere!

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 11:36:32 +0000

The purpose of a paint system is to provide protection to the structure, to decorate it, and to significantly improve its appearance.

There are many applications such as in the automotive industry, the furniture industry, building and paint construction, electronics, agriculture, even microelectronics, but also in road markings

The basic structure of the paint system consists of the following:

From the solvent (organic or water)
From the wetting agent
From the gloss factor
From the pigments
From the condenser

The two main categories of colours depending on the solvent

Organic: Conventionally, for example, oil paint
Pros: long open processing time (do not dry quickly), have high brightness and have reduced vein growth
Cons: high VOC (high emissions), fire hazard, hazardous to health, non-elastic fragile

Water-soluble: Acrylic paint, dye-PU
Pros: Fast drying time, no risk of explosion, permanent elasticity, good weather resistance, easy application, easy cleaning
Cons: increased veining, more grinding effort, fast drying.

Color and application is an important factor in producing a quality wooden window with great durability, BUT NOT THE ONLY factor.

What are the determining factors for the construction of a quality window?

Timber Selection
Wood preparation
Manufacture
Painting and application of paint
Glass panels
Transportation & Protection
Placement
Acceptance Protocol from the customer
Care and maintenance

Choice of paint system: What is the purpose of a paint system in the construction of a window?

The paint system:
Protects the surface of the wood from moisture
Protects the surface of the wood from UV rays
Regulates the permeability of moisture in wood
Upgrades the surface of the wood

The paint system cannot:
Dry a wet wood
Provide protection to a poorly designed structure
Not forever stable without maintenance

You should keep in mind that depending on the wooden construction you should choose the appropriate product and the corresponding paint system.

What are these categories of wooden structures?
Stable construction (windows, doors)
Semi-stable construction (wooden houses, wooden cladding, etc.)
Non-stable construction (fences, pergolas, etc.)

We will consider the fixed structures that are windows and doors and initially make the choice of suitable timber, since not all types of wood make for the construction of windows. Different European directives define the suitability of the corresponding timber according to its stability (EN350-2016), resistance to moisture absorption and consequently to the appearance of fungi and rot.

The categories of timber are five
Classification according to DIN EN 350
class 1: very stable
class 2: stable
class 3: moderately stable
class 4: little stable
class 5: not stable

These categories refer only to those parts of the wood that come from the “heart wood” of the trunk and not from the outer parts (sap wood).

Categories 1 and 2 are suitable for the construction of windows, while categories 3-5 should be subjected to appropriate chemical treatment according to EN599 and DIN 68800 part 3.

Correct design of profiles

The sharp corners remove the paint. There the thickness of the paint is less than 10% of the desired layer. Good paint coverage is only possible on rounded corners.

Edge protection
A vulnerable point of wooden windows is the edges. Based on statistics, the largest percentage of damaged windows are caused by ineffective protection of edges.

There are suitable products that can be applied after impregnation and priming. This way we protect the paint and the window.

Let us observe two pieces of wood placed in a basin of coloured water. In one of them the special insulator has been applied while in the other one it has not. You see the intense influx of water into what was not protected.

Choice of paint system: Coating or lacquer?
Many times we will have to choose between the two depending on the stress that the windows and doors will have where they will be placed. Lacquers always have a higher resistance to UV radiation, while coatings should have a high pigment content in order to better filter out radiation. Colorless and lightly colored ones have low protection.

While very dark colours protect better but have the disadvantage of retaining radiation resulting in an increase in temperature on the surface of the wood. Therefore the choice should be made very carefully.

Paint application

After choosing the colour, the correct application of the paint should be done. The use of the appropriate equipment – paint gun, paint sprayer, beaker, etc. (according to the technical instructions of the paint), but also the appropriate conditions in the paint shop guarantee the correct application of the paint:
Air humidity: 60 – 70 %
Air temperature: 15 – 25 °C
Material temperature: 15 – 25 °C
Room air change: 15 times per hour
Rest time: about 15 minutes, after application of the impregnation and final coat. This results in an even and homogeneous layer of paint without bubbles.

We see that many factors affect the quality of a modern high quality wooden window

Conclusion;
A good colour alone does not make a good window!

CE marking

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:57:23 +0000

The certification of a product is expressed by the CE mark, which is affixed to the product and constitutes the manufacturer’s declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European legislation concerning the protection of health, safety and the protection of the environment during its use. CE is an abbreviation of the French phrase Conformite Europeene which stands for European Conformity. The CE conformity marking is not a quality mark. It denotes safety, hygiene, environmental protection. Indirectly it denotes a standardized production process. It is mandatory for all construction products traded in the associated countries and in free trade countries with the EU, and is now required by other countries. CE marking is easier to install in companies that have ISO. In practice it acts as a sales support tool, as long as the application of certain Standards is not mandatory, or where there is no strict control of its application.

European Standard EN14351-1 refers to windows and front doors, while another Standard for internal doors is expected to be issued. This standard refers to the application of 76 standards in total and covers the following characteristics:
– Required handling force
– Mechanical strength
– Ventilation
– Bullet resistance
– Explosion resistance
– Resistance to repeated openings – closures
– Resistance to burglary
– Behaviour in climate differences (inside-outside)
– Special requirements

Both sliding doors and fixed elements fall under EN14351-1 and must be CE marked accordingly. For some of the properties listed above the specifications used are as follows:
– Wind pressure resistance (ELOT EN 12211)
– Waterproofing (ELOT EN 1027)
– Air permeability (ELOT EN 1026)
– Sound insulation capacity (ELOT EN 14351)
– Thermal capacity (ELOT EN 12412.02,ELOT EN ISO 10077.02)
– Optical and thermal properties of glass panes
– Bearing capacity of safety devices (EN14609/EN 948 or by calculation methods).

The new legislation
Until 2011 a declaration of conformity was required for fenestration, but as of 9 March 2011 Council Directive 89/106/EEC is repealed and REGULATION (EU) No. 305/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products. Perhaps the most important change is the introduction of the Performance Declaration, which replaces the Declaration of Conformity. So whereas the declaration of conformity was a single form for a set of constructions, the declaration of performance is different for each product in the construction sector, with the sole exception of multiple copies of a particular product. This in the field of fenestration translates into the fact that only several pieces of exactly the same construction can have the same performance declaration. Under the new Fenestration Regulation, a manufacturer of a product in the construction sector, including external fenestration, will have to draw up a declaration of performance. That is, it should accompany each of its products with the values it achieves in each test.

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