Whether it's the delicate luster of a high-end wardrobe or the metallic texture of antique furniture, behind it all lies a magical material—pearl pigment.

Pearl pigment, as a functional pigment with unique optical effects, is increasingly widely used in the field of wood coatings. It not only brings a charming pearl-like luster and metallic effects to wood surfaces but also significantly enhances the added value and market competitiveness of products.

By precisely controlling the thickness of metal oxides (such as titanium dioxide, iron oxide) coated on mica flakes, pearl pigments can produce various effects with strong metallic luster and high color saturation, offering excellent hue and a complete color spectrum.

01 Basic Characteristics and Classification of Pearl Pigments

Pearl pigments produce color through optical interference effects. Their core structure consists of multiple layers formed by coating mica flakes with different thicknesses of metal oxides. This structure causes light to reflect, refract, and transmit through different layers, thereby producing dazzling pearl luster and metallic effects.

Compared with traditional pigments, pearl pigments have characteristics such as high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, chemical resistance, and light fastness. They can completely replace metal pigments (such as copper gold powder, etc.), overcoming the latter's disadvantages of easy oxidation, discoloration, and flammability.

According to visual effects and compositional differences, pearl pigments are mainly divided into the following categories:

• Silver White Series: Provides pure pearl white effects, with particle size affecting the softness or shimmer of the luster.

• Iridescent Series: Displays different colors as the viewing angle changes, such as red, yellow, green, blue, and purple tones.

• Golden Series: In addition to coating the mica surface with titanium dioxide, an additional layer of iron oxide coating is added. By precisely controlling the different coating thicknesses of titanium dioxide and iron oxide, various golden colors with strong metallic luster and high saturation are produced.

• Colored Series: Overlays color effects on the basis of pearl effects, presenting a dual visual experience.

• Mica Iron Series: Has metallic tones such as bronze and copper red, presenting a low-key luxury feel.

  
  

02 Advantages of Pearl Pigments in Wood Coatings

Pearl pigments bring multiple advantages to wood coatings, making them the preferred material for high-end wood finishing.

Excellent Decorative Effect: Pearl pigments provide a variety of visual effects from soft satin light to strong metallic feel, enhancing the three-dimensional sense and depth of wood surfaces. Pearl pigments of different particle sizes can produce different effects. The larger the flake diameter, the greater the distance between light sources, the more dispersed the shimmer effect, and the stronger the luster.

Environmental Safety: Modern pearl pigments are mostly lead-free environmentally friendly products. For example, GZ-2700A pearl paste is an environmentally friendly lead-free product, complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This makes pearl wood coatings align with the current trend of green environmental protection.

Wide Application: Suitable for various coating systems (solvent-based, water-based, UV-curable) and wood types (furniture, kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, display cabinets, etc.). Pearl pigments can be mixed with other pigments to obtain colored pearl effects.

03 Formulation Design and Key Technologies of Pearl Wood Coatings

Basic Formulation Composition

A high-performance pearl wood coating typically consists of a main agent, curing agent, and diluent in a mass ratio of 100: (40-60): (10-20).

The main agent includes: aldehyde ketone resin 40%-50%, defoamer 0.1%-0.5%, liquid metal pearl pigment 5%-10%, UV absorber 1%-2%, diluent solvent 40%-50%.

The curing agent includes: HDI trimer isocyanate 20%-30%, isocyanate adduct 25%-35%, n-butyl acetate 30%-50%, ethyl acetate and/or propylene glycol methyl ether acetate 0-15%, dehydrating agent 0.1%-0.5%.

Selection Principles for Pearl Pigments

Selecting the appropriate pearl pigment is key to successfully designing pearl wood coatings:

Particle Size Selection: The flake diameter of pearl pigment is directly related to the shimmer effect. The larger the flake diameter, the greater the distance between light sources, the more dispersed the shimmer effect, and the stronger the luster; the smaller the flake diameter, the smaller the distance between light sources, and the more concentrated the shimmer effect, with relatively weaker intensity.

Color Matching: Choose the appropriate color of pearl pigment according to the final effect requirement. If colored effects are needed, transparent pigments should be used in combination with pearl pigments, because opaque pigments will reduce the pearl luster. Transparent pigments are required for color matching to achieve good colored pearl effects.

System Compatibility: Ensure that the pearl pigment is compatible with the selected coating system (water-based, solvent-based, UV). For example, water-based systems require water-based specialized pearl pigments with good dispersibility.

Dosage and Dispersion Process

The dosage and dispersion method of pearl pigment directly affect the final effect and cost:

Dosage Control: The amount of pearl pigment needs to be carefully adjusted according to the desired effect. The recommended addition ratio for environmental pearl paste-2700A is 1%-10% (according to formula needs).

Dispersion Process: Low-speed stirring should be used to disperse pearl pigments. Avoid using equipment such as three-roll mills, high-speed mixers, or ball mills to prevent pearl pigment particles from breaking and losing their luster. It is recommended to pre-wet the pearl pigment with an appropriate amount of solvent before adding it to the paint material to improve dispersion uniformity.

04 Construction Technology and Application Techniques

The construction of pearl wood coatings requires special techniques and precautions. Here are some key processes:

Basic Construction Methods

White Base Process: To achieve the best pearl effect, a white base layer should be made first, and then a topcoat of transparent colored paint with pearl powder should be sprayed. Directly adding pearl powder to white topcoat will greatly reduce the pearl effect.

Mixing Method: Directly add pearl pigment to transparent paint, stir evenly and then construct. This method is simple but not suitable for effects requiring uniform distribution.

Surface Sprinkling Method: Sprinkle pearl powder on the undried paint film surface, then dry and cure. This method can obtain strong and three-dimensional pearl effects but the process is complex.

Antique Finishing Process

For antique wood, a multi-step finishing process can be used to create special wiping gold or silver effects:

First spraying step: Spray water-based transparent primer on the wood surface, dry to form a transparent primer layer;

Wiping step: Wipe Glasse onto the transparent primer layer surface, dry to form a Glasse layer;

Repeat spraying: Spray water-based transparent primer again, dry;

Topcoat step: Spray topcoat containing pearl pigment;

Glazing step: Finally spray water-based transparent topcoat to protect the pearl effect and provide high gloss.

Another antique finishing method is to mix pearl powder with metal powder (silver powder and/or gold powder), then mix with water-based transparent primer in a preset ratio to form a coloring agent, which is wiped onto the undried topcoat layer to color the wood grain. This method has special wiping gold or silver effects, different from current antique effects, and can improve the grade of furniture.

05 Performance Requirements for Pearl Wood Coatings

High-quality pearl wood coatings should meet a series of performance requirements:

Yellowing Resistance: Especially for light-colored furniture, high yellowing resistance is essential. A kind of mother-of-pearl paint with high yellowing resistance and high flash transparency for wood has excellent yellowing resistance.

Adhesion: Good adhesion ensures a firm combination between the paint film and the wood surface. Environmental pearl paste-2700A has strong adhesion.

Abrasion Resistance: For frequently used furniture surfaces, abrasion resistance is an important performance indicator. The paint film of lacquer art wood imprint blanks is hard, bright, and crystal clear. The pearl pigment in it gives off pearl-changing colors and metallic luster, noble and magnificent. At the same time, the paint film has good abrasion resistance, scratch resistance, and impact resistance.

06 Application Fields and Case Display

Pearl pigments are widely used in wood coatings, mainly including:

High-end Furniture: Wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, etc., enhance product grade and added value through pearl effects. A kind of mother-of-pearl paint with high yellowing resistance and high flash transparency can be widely used in surface coating of wood products such as wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, and display cabinets.

Art Decoration: Antique furniture, crafts, decorations, etc., create unique artistic effects. Pearl powder can be used in various industries such as crafts, sports goods, toys, leather, coatings, and inks.

Cultural and Creative Products: Lacquer art wood imprint blanks, stationery, etc., combine seal cutting art with traditional lacquer art. The preparation process of lacquer art wood imprint blanks uses pearl pigments, making the paint film emit pearl-changing colors and metallic luster, noble and magnificent.

07 Development Trends and Prospects

The application of pearl pigments in wood coatings is developing in the following directions:

Environmental Protection: Develop more environmentally friendly water-based pearl coatings and solvent-free products to meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements. Environmental lead-free pearl pastes such as GL-1100 and other products embody this trend.

Functionalization: Combine pearl effects with additional functions such as antibacterial, mildewproof, and air purification to enhance the comprehensive value of products.

Diversification: Develop more color effects and particle size distributions of pearl pigments to meet personalized customization needs. Pearl pigments have a complete color range and can be used in combination with each other. Mixing different models and proportions or mixing with silver white series will obtain the desired ideal golden pearl and metallic luster effects.

Process Innovation: Combine digital spraying technology to achieve precise control and personalized design of pearl effects.

Pearlescent effects appear not only on high-end furniture and artistic crafts but are also widely used in musical instrument manufacturing, cultural and creative products such as lacquer art wood imprint blanks, adding unique charm to these products.

With technological progress, today's water-based pearlescent paints can already achieve performance and effects comparable to traditional solvent-based paints, while being more environmentally friendly. In the future, we can expect the emergence of more innovative pearlescent products that will be more environmentally friendly, more functional, and better meet the needs of high-end wood decoration.

Looking back at the development of pearl pigments in wood coatings, from initial simple addition to current systematic and functional solutions, each step of progress reflects people's unremitting pursuit of beauty and continuous technological innovation.