Patent ID: 8252426

Claim:
A wood product-modifying composition comprising: A) a shelf-stable prepolymer formed by the reaction of: (i) a polyfunctional hydrophilic polymer, selected from a vinyl polymer, a polyamide, a polysaccharide, a lignin derivative, a cellulose derivative, a polyol, a polylactic acid, a polycaprolactone, and a mixture thereof, the polyfunctional hydrophilic polymer having a weight-average molecular weight of between 3,000 Da and 100,000 Da; and (ii) a crosslinking agent selected from an amino resin and a compound containing two or more functional groups selected from hydroxymethyl, alkoxymethyl, epoxide, vinyl, aldehyde, alcohol, carboxylic acid, ester, anhydride, acyl halide groups, and a mixture thereof; the composition being further characterized in that the ratio of said polyfunctional hydrophilic polymer to crosslinking agent is in the weight range of substantially 0.5:1 to 10:1; and (iii) optionally additionally comprising one or more components selected from a catalyst for promoting crosslinking, a water miscible solvent, a surfactant, a preservative and a dye, wherein the prepolymer stability ranges for a time period from 24 hours to 5 months.