NatureShield^®

Overview

NatureShield® is Michelman’s line of environmentally-friendly emulsions, dispersions, and natural oil blends designed to improve the weatherability of exterior surface coatings by providing water resistance and good water bead to wood and concrete. These products also enhance the natural pattern of wood, and are an effective additive for improving the durability and aesthetics of stone-based substrates.

All products in the NatureShield® family contain at least 10% naturally-derived content. Those with 50% or greater are designated as bio-based; those with 10-49% are designated as bio-containing.

Bio-based surface modifiers demonstrate comparable or enhanced abrasion resistance, improved scratch resistance, and superior matting when used as an alternative to synthetic surface modifiers in high-quality coatings.

How We Tested

NatureShield® products were evaluated with a series of acrylic, acrylic PUD, acrylic hybrid PUD, and PUD binders in clear coat systems for Taber abrasion (CS17/1000g/1000 U), fingernail scratch resistance, and matting/gloss. The binders used were selected based on their intended application usage. Emulsions were incorporated at 1.75% of solids, and dispersions were incorporated at 2.5% of solids. The data presented is intended as a guide to indicate performance. Final properties will vary by resin and final formulation.

Abrasion Resistance

• Performance is highly dependent on the choice of binder.
• Dispersions provide better abrasion resistance versus emulsions.
• NatureShield® 50 shows superior results to Synthetic Modifier 3 in all systems.

• NatureShield® 80 improves abrasion resistance and provides performance similar to Synthetic Modifier 1 with acrylic binders.
• Both NatureShield® 60 and 70 provide good abrasion resistance in some acrylic systems.

• NatureShield® 60 displays a similar abrasion resistance to Synthetic Modifier 1 in the Acrylic PUD system.
• All modifiers provide good abrasion resistance in the Hybrid Acrylic PUD system, with NatureShield® 80 providing the best overall performance.

Scratch Resistance

• All bio-based modifiers demonstrate similar or better performance in all systems compared to synthetic modifiers.
• NatureShield® 50 shows superior scratch resistance compared to Synthetic Modifier 3 in all systems.

• All three NatureShield® products showcase similar scratch resistance performance in the Acrylic 1 binder system.
• NatureShield® 60 and 70 provide the best scratch resistance in the Acrylic 2 binder system.
• NatureShield® 80 improves scratch resistance vs. the synthetic modifiers in the Acrylic 2 binder system.

• NatureShield® 70 performs best in the Hybrid Acrylic PUD system.
• NatureShield® 70 and 80 provide the best scratch resistance in the Acrylic PUD system.

Matting/Gloss

• The larger particle size of dispersions provides better matting performance than emulsions.
• NatureShield® 50 illustrates similarly efficient matting compared to Synthetic Modifier 3 at Gloss 60°.
• NatureShield® 50 demonstrates superior matting compared to Synthetic Modifier 3 at Gloss 85°.

NatureShield® Grades

NatureShield® surface modifiers allow formulators to develop coatings with an increased amount of bio-sourced materials without jeopardizing the quality of their coatings. Our technology comprises significant levels of sustainable materials providing performance properties that meet or exceed the standard set by synthetic products in the marketplace.