As new hardwood flooring products are unveiled in preparation for the fall selling season, so are new finishes. And with new technology in this area soaring to the highest levels ever, mills are realizing the importance of getting the word out to consumers about just how well their products are protected.

Preverco’s new Sigma advanced protection finishing creates a high-quality product that is both durable and smooth, noted Jean- Sebastien Roy, marketing manager. “With its extra wear resistance, it protects wood floors in busy households or light commercial installations.

“The Sigma finishing process layers perfectly cured and micro-sanded multiple coats of polymer to give wood floors an incredibly smooth finish,” he explained. “The addition of aluminum oxide to the polymer coating provides virtually unmatched hardness in the wood flooring category.”

The Sigma finish protects floors from damage caused by their surrounding environments by using the latest UV resin technology, Roy added. “Sigma offers a UV resistance that is incomparable to conventional coatings, greatly decreasing photochemical damages and yellowing. Sigma also provides anti-bacterial protection by utilizing the Ultra-Fresh treatment, ensuring that floors stay fresh by resisting mildew and eliminating bacterial odors.”

Preverco’s Sigma finish is available for its entire line of flooring, 10 species and six grades, and is the most advanced system of finishing technology currently on the market, he noted.

Also new for autumn, Mirage Prefinished Hardwood Floors has added to its finish product portfolio. “For the fall we have expanded our line of Cashmere finishes that makes our overall collection even more appealing,” noted Luc Robitaille, vice president of marketing for Boa Franc/Mirage. “This popular finish is now available in all Mirage Lock technology products, a glueless engineered board with an authentic hardwood top layer, that has been a resounding success since its launch last year.

“In addition, given its ever-growing popularity, the Cashmere matte finish can also be found on all Idaho, Java and Vienna products which provides even more choices of colors to those consumers that want a low-gloss finish.”

Environmental responsibility continues to be a major factor in the development of new finishes. “Our bamboo products qualify for two LEED credits,” said Gary Keeble, Jr., marketing manager for U.S. Floors. “The determining factor for indoor air quality is the quantity of noxious emanations from volatile organic components in adhesives and finishes.

“Our floors are produced with adhesives and finishes from quality European manufacturers,” he concluded, “and they meet the E1 standard, a European test method to measure formaldehyde emissions.”