Description
Valchromat is a wood fibre panel which is coloured throughout and engineered for high physical performance. The fibres are individually impregnated with organic dyes and chemically bonded by specifically developed resins that give the panels their special properties. Manufactured in different colours, dimensions and thicknesses. Also accepts different type of finishing – varnish, oil or wax.
Applications:
Interior Design
Furniture
Wall Cladding
Partitioning
Flooring
Doors
Bathrooms
Kitchens
Restaurants, Bars & Hotels
Exhibtion Stands
Shopfitting
Decorative Panels
Acoustic Panels
Whenever the panels are used in moist zones, such as bathrooms or kitchens, it should be protected with a varnish
and the edges must be properly sealed.
The Valchromat panels should not be applied in places where they will come into direct contact with water, such
as kitchen worktops and bathroom showers.
Valchromat®
A Forest of Colour
Valchromat is a panel made of wood fibres coloured in the production process. The fibres are impregnated with
organic colouring agents and chemically bound to one another by a special resin which lends Valchromat unique
physicochemical features.
Valchromat is an MDF.HLS, in compliance with the EN 622-5 standard.
Valchromat panels, thanks to the use of organic colouring agents and the natural variation of the wood colour, come
in different shades. This variation may be seen on the same surface, between the two faces of the same panel, or
between the different production batches or thicknesses. To minimize this effect, the supply must be from a single
production.
Valchromat is a moisture resistant panel, supplied with no finish, and therefore a layer of varnish, wax or oil is
recommended.
Fire Reaction: B-s2,d0. Minimum order: 10 m3 per colour and thickness
Valbopan S.A. complies with the requirements of the EN ISO 9001 Standard.
Valchromat is certified through CE 1328-CPR-0062, complying with the requirements of the EN 13986 standard.
Valbopan S.A. has Responsible Supply Chain Certification, in accordance with the FSC® and PEFCTM certification
(FSC® FSC-C101993 and PEFCTM PEFC/13-31-027). Upon request Valchromat can be supplied with one of these
certifications.
Upon request Valchromat can be supplied with CARB Phase 2 or US EPA-TSCS Title VI certification.
A finish should be applied to the Valchromat panel to protect its surface and maintain its appearance. The finish can
be varnish, wax or oil.
Varnish
Of the three kinds of finishes described, the varnishes are the most complex and at times the most difficult to choose
given the broad range available on the market. Any wood varnish can be applied to Valchromat.
Varnishes manufactured with acrylic resins and aliphatic polyurethane are widely used, since they do not yellow
over time. The water-based varnishes change the natural colour of the panel less.
When a varnish finish is applied, the first coat applied is a primer. After the primer has dried, the panel should be
sanded with fine sandpaper with grit size 320-360, to remove the granules that may result from peeling.
Next, a varnish finish is applied in one or two coats, in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. Between each layer
the panel should be sanded using fine sandpaper with grit size 320-360.
There are different varnishes with different appearances, from matt to gloss.
Primer and the varnish from the same manufacturer should be used to avoid incompatibility between them.
Wax or Oil Finish
The waxes or oils are usually applied with a single coat on the pre-prepared surfaces.
These kinds of finishes should not be applied on panels for installation in moist environments, such as kitchens and
bathrooms.
Surface preparation
Given that there will be a difference in shades of the panels from the same batch, before installing them, the panels
should be laid out side by side and ordered so as to minimise these differences in adjacent panels.
In general, any finish, be it varnish, wax or oil, needs the surface to be prepared beforehand. This preparation
involves sanding the surfaces before applying the finish.
The surfaces should be sanded gradually, increasing the sandpaper grit size 50% with each new step. At least 2
phases with 2 different sandpaper grit sizes are recommended.
Valchromat panels are sanded at the factory with 150 or 180 grit depending on the thickness, so the surface
preparation recommendation is to start with 220-240 grit sandpaper and finish with 320-360 grit sandpaper, to
obtain a smooth surface with no scratches. The edges should also be treated.
Before applying the finish, the panels must be cleaned with a dry cloth, air blowing or, preferably with a vacuum
cleaner in order to be free of any type of dust, which will damage the finish.
