NUVACOR INC. IS AN ECO-CONSCIOUS COMPANY

IT IS OUR MISSION TO ADDRESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OF THE TIMES.  OUR PRODUCT IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY COMBINATION OF BEAUTY, DURABILITY AND TECHNICAL FUNCTIONALITY

NUVACOR® Decorative Laminate was originally developed 25 years ago to address the issues of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) used in the furniture industry, primarily and specifically in 95% of finishing systems.

The vast majority of wood furniture has to be sprayed with a synthetic finish. Typically comprised of a 2-part system using a polyurethane base and a Hexamethylene Diisocyanate Polymer as a catalyst (a known carcinogen), these are highly environmentally unfriendly preparations. Regardless of whether the surface is a gloss, satin or matte it is almost certain that some form of synthetic finish has been used to seal and protect the wooden finish from the wear and tear of daily usage. Furthermore, due to increased VOC regulations in the United States and Europe, much of the elaborately finished furniture now being made comes from countries with little or no VOC regulations.

The original Nuvacor Surfacing collection of both solid and metallic colors was offered in high gloss and matte finishes that were (and are) environmentally friendly alternatives for use in the furniture industry to achieve the look of High Gloss or ‘hand rubbed’ lacquered surfaces that could also stand up to the rigors of daily life without the need to spray VOC rich finishes. We have examples of product that are 25 years old and look as good today as the day they were originally manufactured.

In 1990, we turned our attention to wood patterns, stone patterns and other natural finishes in order to help address the problems of ever diminishing forests in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America. These forests are being assaulted on a daily basis to harvest wood that is used worldwide in the furniture industry. Especially in the case of highly desirable precious and semi-precious woods, our product replaces the need to further harvest these shrinking resources.

Whilst companies like Formica had already developed High Pressure Laminate (HPL) facsimiles of wood and stone finishes, they were unfortunately unable to replicate those finishes with any degree of fidelity. High Pressure Laminate wood patterns therefore were unacceptable as substitutes for the ‘real’ thing and so the environmental impact on the logging industry that caters to the worldwide furniture industry went unabated.

Through our proprietary technology we have been able to develop an unlimited number of wood and other natural finishes which are man made and do not depend on the destruction of forests and other natural resources. Our surfacing product arrives ready to
use “as is” and does not have to depend on heavy VOC finishes to become functional in day-to-day use. The gloss finish we are able to achieve on our wood patterns is unlike any other and at no expense to the environment.

In addition, Nuvacor can be ground back into pellet form and can be reused to produce new sheets of Nuvacor Surfacing, effectively forming a closed production circle that is minimally invasive to the environment.

Unlike most other surfacing products, Nuvacor boasts a completely inert surface, one which is ultra hygienic and one which does not promote bacterial or viral pathogens through surface transmission.

It is therefore very well suited to applications where hygiene is a major factor, such as in food service areas, hospitality, doctor’s and dentist’s offices, hospitals, kitchens and bathrooms, particularly shower enclosures or surrounds. Thus our product is an environmentally friendly combination of aesthetic beauty, durability, and technical functionality.

We are proud to have developed proprietary technology that allows us to manufacture a surfacing product that offers a conscientious substitute to natural resources, thereby diminishing the environmental impact on extracting these resources as well as preserving their overall level.

Last but Not Least we addressed the issue of adhesives in the fabrication process that the cabinet maker, millworker or general contractor needs to go through in order to fabricate most surfacing materials. Contact Cement is probably the most commonly used adhesive in the fabrication industry in applications where you are adhering surfacing materials to sub-surfaces, cabinets, doors or walls. The preferred Contact Cements are Solvent Based, VOC rich formulations which are applied to both surfaces being laminated together; the decorative surfacing and the subsurface.

In 2004 we developed a proprietary high performance self adhesive back called NU100 which is applied in our manufacturing process to every sheet that we manufacture. By so doing we have been able to reduce the use of adhesives in the fabrication process by at least 50%. With Nuvacor, only the sub-surface needs a LIGHT coating of adhesive. Our self adhesive backed sheets will work with any adhesives in the market today, the preferred most environmentally friendly system is to use our self adhesives backed sheets with any high quality water borne or solvent base contact cement commercially available.

The additional benefit of being able to work and fabricate Nuvacor without having to re-define the ‘wheel’, by being able to use tools and adhesives commonly used in the High Pressure Laminate and Woodworking Industries makes it a very User Friendly surface to work with for both the Architect, Designer and Fabricator.

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