The finish is the last thing that happens on your production line, but it’s the first thing your customer notices. A kitchen cabinet, a dining table or a front door can be beautifully built, yet if the finish chips, yellows or looks uneven, that’s what people remember.

The tricky part is that every industry needs something different from its coating. A cabinet finish has to stand up to busy kitchens. A siding finish has to survive sun, rain and snow. A flooring finish has to handle years of foot traffic. One generic product can’t do all of that well.

At Van Technologies, we’ve spent more than 30 years developing environmentally compliant coatings through our GreenLight Coatings® brand. In this guide, we’ll walk through the industries we serve, what each one needs from a finish, and how custom industrial coatings can make a real difference to your product and your production line.

Why Off-the-Shelf Coatings Often Fall Short

Most coatings are made to work reasonably well for as many people as possible. That sounds fine until you look at what actually affects your finish: the wood or material you’re coating, how you apply it, how fast your line runs, how you cure it and which standards you need to meet.

That’s why we don’t sell “off the shelf” finishes. Using our Application Specific Advanced Coating® (ASAC®) Technology, we engineer each coating around your specifications. Every GreenLight Coatings® product is developed using statistical experimental design, so it’s built to perform on your product and in your factory. You can see how this works on our capabilities page.

The Industries We Serve

Here’s a closer look at the industries we work with every day, and the coatings that typically support them.

Cabinets & Casework

Cabinets get opened, closed, wiped down and splashed on every single day. They need a finish that looks great and stays that way.

Our cabinet and casework finishes are made to support the standards required for compliance with the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) and leading environmental organizations. We offer a wide choice of waterborne, UV curable and waterborne + UV finishes, including waterborne UV sealers and topcoats.

Furniture

With furniture, the finish sells the piece. It’s one of the last steps in manufacturing and the very first thing a shopper sees on the showroom floor.

For furniture manufacturers, we custom engineer coatings that deliver performance, durability and good looks all at once, so your pieces get noticed in the front office, on the factory floor and in the showroom. Depending on the look you’re after, that might mean rich stains, glazes that highlight detail, or a protective topcoat.

Flooring & Paneling

Wood floors and panels bring warmth to any interior, but they also take a lot of wear. The goal is to protect the wood while letting its natural character shine through.

Our flooring and paneling coatings are formulated for your specific application, which gives you manufacturing efficiencies as well as a finish that lasts. Depending on your line, options include UV fillers, UV sealers and UV topcoats.

Windows & Doors

Windows and doors face the outside world on one side and your living space on the other. Their finish has to hold up to the elements and still look sharp.

We work with major window, door and component manufacturers to supply coatings for windows and doors that offer durability, performance and a distinctive look, while supporting the standards required by leading environmental and industry organizations. Our exterior primers, exterior topcoats and exterior paints are a good place to start.

Architectural Molding & Millwork

In millwork, consistency is everything. If one batch of trim comes out a slightly different color or gloss from the last, your client will notice.

For architectural molding and millwork, we focus on consistent, predictable and reliable results, so the quality, color and gloss your client approved on day one is exactly what they get on every phase after that. Our primers and paints are backed by a color-matching process that tests every batch the same way you’ll apply and cure it.

Exterior Siding

Exterior wood takes a beating from moisture and sunlight. A finish that fights against the wood, instead of working with it, simply won’t last.

Our exterior siding coatings are designed to work with the natural characteristics of wood, protecting it from moisture and the sun. Options include exterior stains, exterior sealers and our Rustic System. Want to know more? Read about a quiet breakthrough in exterior wood siding technology.

Beyond Wood: Metal, Plastic and Composite

Wood is at the heart of what we do, but our chemistry goes further. We also develop metal coatings, including waterborne options, along with plastic and composite coatings and specialty coatings for less common projects. And if you want strong performance without paying a premium, take a look at our new Vantage™ Primer and Topcoat System.

What Every Customer Gets, Whatever the Industry

A great coating is only part of the story. Here’s the support that comes with every GreenLight Coatings® project:

•        Custom formulation. Coatings engineered to your exact specifications, not adapted from a generic product.

•        Help with any application method. Spray or mist, vacuum, roll, flow or curtain, on anything from manual setups to fully automated lines.

•        Curing and drying support. We use thermal profiling to fine-tune airflow, temperature and line speed, backed by more than 30 years of experience with UV products.

•        Reliable color matching. We’ve completed thousands of color matches, and we test every batch by applying and curing it the way you do. We also keep retains from each batch, so your color stays consistent over time.

•        Compliance. Finishes engineered to meet the specifications of recognized industry and environmental programs.

•        Cost reduction analysis. We look beyond the price per gallon at transfer efficiency, rework, downtime and line speed. We’ve helped many operations save as much as 20% on their overall finishing costs.

•        Training and safety. Our field service technicians come on site to train your team in safe handling and application.

•        Any volume. Coatings are made to order, typically in gallon, 5-gallon, drum and tote sizes.

Want to see what that looks like in practice? Meet the technical team behind every GreenLight coating, or learn more about our manufacturing process.

Better Chemistry, Greener Results

Offering environmentally responsible coatings has been one of our founding principles from the very start. Today, that means finishes designed to keep up with regulations while still delivering the performance manufacturers depend on. Learn more about our approach to going green and why better chemistry leads to a better finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you sell off-the-shelf coatings?

No. Every GreenLight Coatings® product is custom engineered to the customer’s specifications. That’s how we make sure it performs on your product and in your production environment.

Which application methods do you support?

We work with spray and mist, vacuum, roll, flow and curtain coating, and with every level of automation, from manual techniques to highly automated lines.

Can you match our current color?

Yes. We’ve performed thousands of color matches. We check each batch using electronic and visual color analysis, confirm the gloss and film appearance, and compare it against your master retain.

What sizes do your coatings come in?

Our coatings are made to order, typically in gallon, 5-gallon, drum and tote sizes. We ship through regional, national and international carriers.

Where are you based?

Our office, laboratory and manufacturing facilities are at 5791 Bergquist Road in Duluth, Minnesota. You’ll find more answers on our FAQ page.

Let’s Find the Right Finish for Your Industry

Whatever you make, the right coating can improve how your product looks, how long it lasts and how smoothly your line runs. Browse our full product range, or request information and tell us about your project. You can also call us on 888-826-9484 or email info@vantechnologies.com. We’d love to help.