Understand the Role of Coatings in Mass Timber Durability, Safety, and Performance

Session Type
Presentation
Date
August 22nd
Time
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
Location
Denver Art Museum
Room/Stage
Garden Room
Session info
Session Category
Cutting Edge Practices & Insights to Make Projects Successful
Continuing Education Credits
Yes
No
Continuing Education Type
Learn how to apply these lessons at the Mass Timber Group Summit in Denver, Colorado
What You'll Learn

Understand how different environmental stressors—from UV and moisture to thermal cycling and smoke—can weaken exposed mass timber elements over time.

Learn why coating selection is critical for structural longevity, occupant health, and embodied carbon performance.

Gain a practical framework for evaluating coating options that align with code compliance, aesthetics, and low-toxicity demands.

Discover how pre-finishing and smart maintenance strategies reduce lifecycle costs and preserve design intent.

Mass timber’s appeal lies in its exposure—and that exposure comes with risk. UV degradation, moisture cycling, pests, fire, and off-gassing from poorly chosen finishes can all compromise the structure, the indoor air quality, and the visual story of a project. In this session, the team from Timber Pro Coatings delivers a clear, field-tested guide to coating systems that protect what makes mass timber beautiful and high-performing in the first place.

Attendees will explore the difference between high performance, plant-based penetrating sealers and high maintenance, surface based finishes, compare performance trade-offs across common products, and learn what to look for in a coatings partner. With real project insights—like a 9-acre airport project in Portland—this session equips project teams to make confident, long-term choices for mass timber durability and safety.

Speakers

more sessions

Learn from experts with proven real-world experience
Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Attract Capital, Get It Built & Make Money - Recognizing Mass Timber as a Product w/Noel Johnson
Sharp Auditorium

Mass timber must deliver real value to scale. Learn how product/market fit and value propositions drive demand, capital, and successful adoption.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
09:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Cracking the Code on Mass Timber Supply: What It Will Take to Go Mainstream w/Hardy Wentzel
Sharp Auditorium

A candid look at mass timber’s path to scale—through the supply side lens of one of the industry’s most experienced executives.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Constructing Health II: Mass Timber’s Neurological Edge in Design with Tye Farrow
Sharp Auditorium

Architect Tye Farrow returns with new insights on how mass timber boosts human health—and why that creates real value for developers, investors, and end users.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
The Business Case for Embodied Carbon: Advantages and Opportunities of Mass Timber
Garden Room

Explore how reducing embodied carbon creates economic, competitive, and environmental advantages — and why mass timber is uniquely positioned to help you do it.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
From Forest to Factory: Unlocking Regional Sourcing for Mass Timber Projects
Congdon Room

Learn how to source regional timber for mass timber projects, navigate the supply chain from forest to factory, and make design and spec decisions for successful sourcing.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Mass Timber & Insurance: Bridging the Gap Between Risk and Resilience
Congdon Room

Learn how to tackle mass timber’s insurance hurdles and leave with actionable risk management strategies to move your projects forward with confidence.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
How Shaking a 10-story Building Shakes Up Your Proforma Assumptions
Garden Room

Learn seismic-tested design strategies and how to use real data to drive approvals, reduce risk, and make the mass timber case in high-seismic regions.

Day 2 - Thursday August, 21st
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Kindred Resort Case Study: Mass Timber Lessons from the Architect, GC, Engineer & Developer
Sharp Auditorium

Get inside the coordinated decisions that made a hybrid mass timber resort work—through the eyes of the architect, engineer, builder, and developer.

//Timer Code //Background video play code