VerMeister's Product Durability

Lets face it, when choosing a finish that’s right for you, durability is important. Though there are many other aspects to consider such as, environmental impact, color, compatibility, and maintenance; how a finish holds up over time is perhaps the most important. While no one finish type can be considered “better” than another, each will generally have certain characteristics and performance factors that can be measured. To measure these durability and performance factors, manufacturers use internationally regulated and extremely specific testing procedures and equipment. Two of the most important durability tests commonly done are the Taber Abrasion and Scratch Resistance tests.

Taber Abrasion Resistance refers to a finish’s resistance to what are known as “soft scratches” or scratches that are the result from shoes and dirt or other “soft” substances rubbing and wearing against the finish. For this test multiple sample boards are made and weighed individually by an extremely precise scale (measuring out to .0001 grams). Next an abrasive wheel is placed on the sample and goes around a set number of times (generally 1,000 revolutions). After the test is complete the sample is again weighed and the difference in weight denotes how much finish has “worn off.” An average is taken of the samples results and a number in milligrams is produced. For this test lower values indicate better performance while higher numbers show more finish was worn off due to abrasion.

Scratch resistance is a test of the finish’s resistance to non-conventional damage. This could be from rocks brought in by shoes, the moving of furniture, pet claws or a multitude of other things. The scratch resistance test is done by using a diamond tip instrument that is dragged across the finish sample. Weight is added to the instrument until the finish scratches and the weight is recorded in grams. For this test the higher the number, the better the performance or “scratch resistance” of the finish.