Waterborne coating compositions

The present invention provides a waterborne coating composition which includes a polymeric film-forming resin. The polymeric film-forming resin includes a dispersion of polymeric microparticles prepared by forming, in aqueous medium, a mixture of: (a) an unsaturated, substantially hydrophobic polyester component, and (b) an ethylenically unsaturated monomer component. With various hydrophobic polyesters, the ethylenically unsaturated monomer component of the polymeric film-forming resin includes: (a) an acrylamide or methacrylamide with N-methylol or N-alkoxymethyl functionality, (b) an alpha-beta ethylenically unsaturated compound with carboxyl functionality, and (c) an alpha-beta ethylenically unsaturated compound with no additional reactive functionality. Such a waterborne coating composition has a low V.O.C., provides added stiffness, does not block, and can be applied in such a manner that it does not substantially mask the texture of the nonwoven fabrics and/or textiles over which it is applied. When the hydrophobic polyester is prepared with polycarboxylic acid and about 45 to 75 percent by weight 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, and about 0 to 23 percent by weight 2-ethyl-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol, various mixtures of ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s) can be used. The percents by weight are based on total weight of the substantially hydrophobic polyester mixtures of ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s). These are particularized into microparticles by high-stress techniques followed by polymerizing the polymerizable species to form the polymeric microparticles which are stably dispersed in the aqueous medium.