Custom Water-Based Industrial Coatings & Stains
Low-VOC stains, sealers, primers, and varnishes engineered for high-speed manufacturing.
Collaborate with RDC Coatings for all your wood finishing needs.
Combine environmental sustainability with premium finishing performance using custom water-based (WB) coatings, stains, primers, fillers, sealers, top coats and varnishes from RDC Coatings. Designed for solid, engineered, and composite wood substrates, our low-VOC water-based formulations deliver exceptional clarity, precise color matching, and chemical resistance without compromising production line speeds. Whether used as standalone finishes or in tandem with our ultraviolet (UV) curable coatings, electron beam (EB) curable coatings, or Excimer energy-curing systems, RDC develops custom water-based coatings that optimize your workflow and elevate product quality.
Through our consultative Audit, Formulate, Test, and Validate process, RDC works directly with your technical team to match your specific drying methods, application equipment, and substrate characteristics. From spray stains and self-crosslinking primers to conversion varnishes and antimicrobial topcoats, we engineer reliable finishes that meet strict environmental standards while withstanding daily wear and tear.
Non-Wiping Spray Stains
RDC’s water-based non-wiping spray stains are formulated with the optimal rheology for your application equipment and process. These stains ensure an even coat, minimizing blotches and providing a rich color profile. Your custom stain will precisely match your desired shade while accentuating the wood grain.
Self-Crosslinking Primers
Ideal for solid, composite, and engineered wood applications, RDC’s water-based self-crosslinking resin and acrylic primers create a solid, durable barrier that resists stains and chemicals.
Wiping Stains
Applied and wiped off by hand or brush, RDC’s water-based wiping stains offer even color calibrated to match your product specifications.
Non-Wiping Spray Stains
Applying RDC’s water-based size coatings to a wood surface prior to painting improves the dimensional stability of the substrate. It also fills in pores or low spots, creating a more even surface for better adhesion from the next coating application.
Primers for Exotic Woods
Engineered specifically for exotic woods — such as ebony, ipe, and teak — RDC’s water-based primers ensure the adhesion of subsequent coatings. These primers seal in the oils commonly found in exotic woods, preventing them from delaminating the final surface coating.
Cost Effective Primers
RDC’s cost effective water-based primers offer a balance of durability and protection in a formulation that fits into any budget.
Conversion Varnishes
Available in both pre- and post-catalyzed formulations, RDC’s water-based conversion varnishes are ideal for wood products used in high-traffic, high-wear applications, including cabinets, flooring, and millwork.
Clear Stain Vehicles
RDC’s water-based clear stain vehicles can be tinted with an array of pigments to create the precise tone required to enhance your wood product.
Water-Based Tints
Available in a range of shades, RDC’s water-based tints are custom formulated to match your product’s unique specifications.
Antimicrobial Coatings
To prevent the growth of mold, bacteria, algae, or mildew, RDC’s water-based antimicrobial coatings can be applied to any solid, composite, or engineered wood product.
What is a water-based coating?
A water-based coating is an environmentally friendly industrial finish that uses water as its primary carrier solvent rather than volatile organic compounds (VOCs). As the water evaporates during air or oven drying, the synthetic resins and polymers cross-link to form a smooth, highly durable protective barrier. Water-based industrial coatings provide excellent stain resistance, low odor, and precise color consistency across solid wood, composite materials, and engineered substrates.
Benefits of your RDC Coatings’ water-based formulation.
Partnering with RDC Coatings ensures that your water-based coating solution meets your unique specifications and requirements. Your custom engineered coating will match your production process, application and curing equipment, environment, and the physical properties of your product.
Customized for Your Production Line
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your current water-based coating formula or designing a new manufacturing line, your finish is backed by RDC’s comprehensive, customer-focused expertise. These include initial, on-site process audits to gain a complete understanding of your production line and product. Based on audit findings, RDC’s engineers develop a custom water-based formulation that is subject to proof-of-concept validation in state-of-the-art testing labs. Additionally, RDC provides ongoing process management and technical support.
Formulated for Your Application Equipment
RDC Coatings’ water-based finishes are custom created to optimize your application equipment’s performance. Each coating’s viscosity is engineered specifically to flow smoothly and evenly through your roll, spray, curtain, vacuum, or other coating equipment. Your solution is also supplied pre-mixed in your choice of container sizes, improving process efficiency.
Engineered for Your Drying & Ovens
RDC Coatings’ water-based coatings are formulated for your drying method and equipment. Whether your products air dry via evaporation or dry by passing through a drying oven, your water-based finish will cure consistently.
Consistent Performance in Variable Environments
RDC Coatings understands that not every manufacturing facility is climate controlled. Therefore, your water-based coating’s chemistry is engineered to perform consistently across a broad range of temperatures and humidities — from high to low.
Matched to Your Exact Product Specifications
Whether your product is flat or three-dimensional, continuous or discrete, every water-based finish RDC creates will meet your requirements for the desired final appearance. This includes — but is not limited to — the degree of gloss, superior adhesion, and continuous coating, as well as high durability and resistance to abrasions, scuffs, and scratches.
For an overview of RDC Coatings’ history, capabilities, and formulation processes across energy-cured and water-based technologies, watch this RDC Coatings Company Overview Video.
Your partner for sustainable, compliant energy-cured finishes
All RDC UV curable finishes are environmentally friendly and comply with globally accepted safety and sustainability standards, including…
- Low or No Volatile Organic Compounds (Low-VOC/Zero-VOC)
- California Air Resources Board (CARB) Compliant
- American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act Compliant
- Meets or exceeds American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA), and Scientific Equipment and Furniture Association (SEFA) Testing Requirements
Industries Using UV Curable Coatings
RDC Coatings formulates custom water-based stains, sealers, and protective topcoats designed to meet the aesthetic, durability, and environmental compliance demands of manufacturers across various industries.
Typical industries include:
- Flooring Manufacturers: Rapid-drying sealers and low-VOC tie coats formulated for solid wood, engineered hardwood, and bamboo flooring lines operating standalone or with UV topcoats.
- Wood & Furniture Manufacturers: Precision-tinted wiping stains, spray stains, and high-durability conversion varnishes that highlight natural grain patterns while protecting surfaces from household chemicals and daily abrasion.
- Cabinet Manufacturers: Self-crosslinking primers and stain-resistant sealers custom-engineered to meet KCMA testing requirements for high-humidity kitchen and bathroom environments.
- Architectural Millwork & Trim: Dimensional stability size coatings, exotic wood primers, and clear stain vehicles engineered for continuous, consistent batch-to-batch color matching.
- Packaging & Specialty Paper: Low-odor, eco-friendly water-based coatings and overprint varnishes for paperboard, corrugated packaging, and specialty paper products.
- Industrial Components & Specialty Goods: Custom antimicrobial and protective water-based coatings engineered to inhibit bacterial growth on composite panels, commercial fixtures, and wood products.
How can RDC Coatings help you?
Manufacturers in multiple industries apply RDC Coatings’ custom formulations to a wide variety of materials and products. Leverage RDC Coatings’ 35-plus years of experience in engineering, developing, and manufacturing custom, energy-cured coatings to address your unique needs.