New regulations in New York State will reduce VOC limits for most wood coatings, including those used for wood flooring, from 350 grams per liter to 275 grams per liter.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation updated its Architectural and Industrial Maintenance (AIM) Coatings regulations to eliminate the Lacquers, Sanding Sealer and Varnishes categories, which included most wood flooring finishes. These types of coatings will now all be in the Wood Coatings category and must have a VOC limit under 275 grams per liter. The state also added language to its regulation to prevent bundling coatings sold in 1-liter (1.057 quart) containers and manufactured under the Small Container Exemption, according to NYSDEC.
Before the shift to a VOC limit of 275 grams per liter, wood floor finishes had a VOC limit of 350 grams per liter in the state, said Mike Brezina, senior VP of sales and marketing for North Brunswick, N.J.-based Absolute Coatings Group. The changes are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.
“It adds pressure to us as a manufacturer to develop and formulate new products with a focus on the future,” Brezina said. “I think it’s too early to tell what the impact will be from these changes, because we do not know where technology for the category will take us going forward.”
In April 2019 NYSDEC proposed eliminating the Small Container Exemption, otherwise known as the “quart exemption,” for all coatings in the state. However, after public feedback, it announced it will eliminate the exemption for only “floor coatings,” which are opaque coatings and won’t impact wood floor coatings, according to NYSDEC. The quart exemption allows for the sale of coating products that are unregulated by the state’s VOC rules if sold in containers 1 liter (1.057 quart) or smaller.
New language added to the regulations will prevent the packaging of coatings in 1-liter containers or smaller together for sale. This “anti-bundling” language will apply to all coatings sold under the quart exemption, including wood coatings, according to NYSDEC.
Bona Director of Product Management Todd Weyhmiller stated that the company is working to get clarity on the new regulations in New York and how it will impact them.
“Until we have a better grasp, it’s challenging to comment specifically on the regulations,” he said in a statement. “However, at Bona, we support any regulatory move to lessen VOCs in floor coatings.”
Brezina said that the regulations have been trending toward lower VOC limits over the years, and he also sees the regulations as an opportunity.
“We’re focused on developing new products, new technologies and trying to get there well in advance of the VOC changes, so we lead the category with innovative products,” Brezina said.
