There is a need to develop more sustainable packaging products in the food packaging industry. An alternative to the common petroleum-based and synthetic barriers in paperboard are biopolymers such as starch, polylactic acid and wax with different modifications. The aim of this study was to study different types of biobased barriers against water and vapor on paperboard for future food packaging. All barriers were rod coated and their water and vapor barrier properties were tested by pinholes, coating weight, Cobb600, drop shape analysis (DSA), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, PLA were heat treated. The heat treatment method was calibrated using air permeance as a guidance of the barriers performance before further testing. Starch had an even coating but were very hydrophilic, resulting in a bad water and vapor barrier. PLA had a high contact angle during drop shape analysis, supposedly caused by the chemically hydrophobic surface of the untreated PLA structure combined with the surface topography shown in SEM. Despite the high contact angle, PLA had high Cobb600 and WVTR values. Heat treatment of PLA changed the structure of the barrier as shown during SEM and the barriers performance against water and vapor was improved. Wax had an uneven coating and therefore air drying in room temperature was tested. The result was a more even coating with lower Cobb600 and WVTR values. Future studies need to be done regarding the heat treatment of PLA. The dispersion technique needs scaling up and further testing before application on an industrial level.