Mechanical properties such as hardness, scratch resistance and mar resistance of the coating surface as well as the surface slip are mainly defined by the binder of the system; use of additives makes it possible to control such surface characteristics independently from the coating binder.
The gloss of the coating is one of the important optical surface properties that is dependent on the resin system, pigment particles and extenders. Apart from these parameters, gloss can also be controlled by additives called matting agents.