UV curable polish and method of use

Method for improving mar resistance and chemical resistance of a nitrocellulose lacquer finish on a wood surface, said method comprising the steps of

• wetting the lacquer finished surface with an electron beam curable polish composition comprising, as an aqueous emulsion,
• an olefin functional polymer having a glass transition temperature of less than 30.degree. C. or an olefin functional prepolymer,
• a water-dispersible silicone or silicone copolymer,
• a water miscible organic solvent,
• a water immiscible organic solvent, water, and
• an emulsifier in an amount effective to stabilize the emulsion,
• wiping the polish-wet surface to remove excess polish composition from the surface and provide a substantially uniform polish coating on the surface, and
• exposing the coated surface to electron beam radiation to initiate free-radical propagated polymerization of the polish coating.

A method for preparing a free-radical curable polish composition (100 parts by weight) comprising the steps of selecting or forming an aqueous emulsion of about 2 to about 20 parts by weight of an olefin-functional polymer or prepolymer;

• adding with agitation a solution of about 0.1 to about 3 parts by weight of a free-radical initiator in a water miscible organic solvent,
• adding with agitation about 5 to about 35 parts by weight of a silicone polymer or copolymer optionally as a preformed aqueous emulsion,
• adding with agitation about 0.05 to about 1 part by weight of a wetting agent and about 2 to about 10 parts by weight of water immiscible organic solvent, optionally as a preformed aqueous emulsion,
• adding additional emulsifier, if necessary, to stabilize the emulsion,
• and adding with agitation additional water miscible solvent, water, and water immiscible solvent to adjust the water content of the emulsion to about 30 to about 60 parts by weight, to adjust the weight ratio of water to water miscible solvent in the range of about 6:1 to about 1:4 and to adjust the weight ratio of water miscible solvent to water immiscible solvent in the range of about 8:1 to about 1:2.