PPG Industries has introduced Claritage Extra anti-scratch topcoat, a factory finish for wood floors. Claritage Extra anti-scratch topcoats are based on new PPG proprietary ultraviolet-curable resins and nanotechnology that make them resistant to scratches and stains, enabling them to help wood floors retain their original gloss longer.

“In standardized wear testing against 14 competing products, Claritage Extra topcoats remained scratch-resistant after 3,000 cycles of abrasive scrubbing, while the next-best competitor failed after 1,200 cycles,” said Randy Brown, PPG technology manager for UV flooring in North America. “The topcoat achieved similar results in testing for gloss retention and resistance to stains from common household materials such as shoe polish, nail polish, mustard, iodine, food color, dyes and colored markers.”

“For several years, our customers have told us that better scratch resistance is a top priority,” said Brian Knapp, PPG market manager for UV flooring in North America. “We worked closely with several of them to perfect the technology.”

In addition to scratch and stain resistance, Brown said Claritage Extra topcoats feature added clarity to highlight wood’s natural grain patterns. “To increase durability, coating manufacturers typically formulate finishes with additives that can make them look cloudy,” he said. “We eliminated that problem by basing Claritage Extra topcoats on PPG nanoparticle technology. In fact, these coatings are an extension of PPG nanotechnologies that already have achieved commercial success in anti-scratch automotive and colorful consumer electronics coatings.”