Environmentally-Friendly Wood Finishes

Vermont Natural Coatings is committed to investing in sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. It's proprietary product, PolyWhey® Wood Finish, has become a new coating technology that's durable and safe for interior and exterior finishes. It's set the highest performance and environmental standards among natural wood finishes.

PolyWhey uses whey proteins, a byproduct of cheese making, as its changing ingredient. Made through collaboration with scientists at the University of Vermont and local woodworkers, PolyWhey replaces toxic ingredients usually found in high performance wood finishes. Vermont Natural Coatings innovates, formulates, and manufactures from its plant in based in Hardwick, Vermont, where a family-run organic dairy farm supplies the product's ingredients.

PolyWhey began as a joint effort between Vermont Natural Coatings and local farmers, woodworkers, and researchers from the University of Vermont. The goal was to enhance the value of Vermont’s agriculture and forestry sectors. PolyWhey has revolutionized the coatings science, creating a new kind of wood finish that combines the durability of oil-based finishes with the benefits of waterborne finishes, without any of their drawbacks.

The durability of a wood finish depends on the strength of its cross linkers. Polymerized whey proteins offer much stronger cross linking than other wood finishes. PolyWhey uses these proteins instead of toxic ingredients that are common in conventional wood finish. The outcome is a long-lasting, beautiful finish that is safe for people, pets, and the environment.