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Silicate coatings are environmentally friendly inorganic-based products that have long been used for mineral substrates and protection of steel against corrosion. The development and acceptance of these coatings in the wood sector require some adjustments in formulations or special preparation of the surface to be coated to obtain durable finishes. In this work, the adhesion of various silicate-based formulations to a beech wood substrate (Fagus sylvatica L.), was assessed with the main objective to study relevant parameters and potential improvements. Adhesion strength was determined by pull-off and cross-cut tests. Other coating properties such as scratch, impact, and water resistance were also determined. Surface roughness and interface were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and coating curing was studied by attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy (ATR FTIR). The results showed that adhesion was highly dependent on formulation, penetration of the coatings into wood, and mechanical anchoring. Increasing the content of solid particles in the coating formulations or adding a polyol (glycerol, xylose), which probably acted as a coalescent, considerably decreased the adhesion strength, probably by blocking penetration into the wood by forming aggregates. Adhesion was improved by pre-mineralization of the surface, and substitution of a part of the potassium silicate binder with potassium methyl siliconate reduced the formation of cracks caused by dimensional instability of the wood.

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