Coloration of Lacquered Coatings for Furniture Production with Herbal Dyes and Determining Weathering Resistance

Abstract

The main goal of the study is to produce eco-friendly furniture dyes by using bio-colorants and to determine the color stability of these dyes in outdoor conditions. In this regard, dye extracts obtained from red beet (Beta vulgaris), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), and purple cabbage (Brassica oleracea), as a bio-colorant source, were applied to MDF test panels by mixing with water-based synthetic lacquer coatings. Also, three different synthetic dyes were applied to MDF test panels in order to compare the results with eco-friendly natural dyes. Natural dyes were mixed with metal and natural mordants such as iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate and vinegar. Lacquer coated test panels, coated with natural and synthetic dyes, were exposed to outdoor conditions for 50 days in Denizli/Turkey in order to assess the change in color. As a result, the maximum color stability occurred in the test panels lacquer coated with synthetic black dye, while the minimum color stability occurred in the test panels lacquer coated with synthetic light blue dye. It was determined that the thickness of the color coating layer applied to test panels increases color stability. It was also observed that the color stability performance of natural dyes is as good as that of synthetic dyes.