In this day and age, most people consider the role they play in taking care of the environment. Recycling is a common practice in most homes and we consider carefully the way we use and dispose of many items. We scrutinize chemicals and how they affect our personal home environments but also consider what they will do to the atmosphere. Many paint manufacturers have also been considering what it means to be “green” and both the paint professional and homeowner find the new “natural” paint choices to be a valid option when selecting paint color.
According to the EPA, pollutants are higher within the home than on the outside, mostly due to ventilation issues. Airborne chemicals from various sources collect in the home and can eventually cause our bodies to react in common conditions such as allergies, headaches, asthma and dizziness. The “volatile organic compounds” (VOC’s) in paints can contribute to such conditions, especially as the paint dries after application.
In the past, natural paints have been criticized because colors would fade and the walls would often need touch-up painting. However, today natural paints are more durable and washable and they tend to last longer than their predecessors. Two natural paint options are clay base and milk paints. Clay paints use earth-based minerals, have little odor and actually smell earthy and clean. These paints are ideal for people who have severe allergies. They also make excellent choices for faux and texture finishes. A disadvantage to this paint is that it must be sealed to protect from stains and liquids. The second option is a milk-based paint that uses a protein found in milk. That protein is then mixed with water, clay and earth pigments to form the paint. This paint choice is 100 percent natural and has little odor. It is highly durable if applied correctly. Some disadvantages are that it is in powder form and needs to be mixed with water. Once mixed, it must be used within 12 hours. It, too, needs to be sealed to protect from stains and liquids.
In addition to the above natural paint choices, low VOC paints are readily available in hundreds of colors from most paint manufacturers. While these paints may still contain minimal amounts of chemicals, the paints of today are environmentally friendly and help all of us to be a little more “green.”
Additional information may be obtained by visiting our website www.aallbright.com , contacting Joshua Abramson via email at josh@aallbright.com or by calling 661-294-1159.