 Go Green:
Greener Paint
Paint easily puts a finishing touch on your favourite hideaway. But there are
products that – no matter what the colour– come in a better shade of green. Here are some tips for more
environmentally friendly coatings.
Low-VOC paints For weeks or months after the last coat has dried,
standard paints release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, potentially causing nausea, eye and
skin irritations, and even contributing to smog. Fortunately, most major paint brands now mix eco-friendlier
alternatives, using water and latex as base and binder, and minimizing the use of synthetic solvents and
petroleum-derived products. Look for “Low VOC” or “Zero VOC” on the label.
Natural ingredients Some finishes shun formaldehyde, ammonia, and
solvents in favour of natural, less-toxic ingredients:
• Linseed oil is a biodegradable, renewable resource.
• Milk paint employs casein, a non-toxic milk protein, as a binder.
• Minerals can be used as pigments.
• Beeswax is a binder that’s been around for ages.
• You can even find biodegradable interior and exterior stains made with soy
or citrus oils.
Recycled paints Some companies now recycle unused paints, mixed
with a small quantity of new ingredients. As durable as mid-range new paint, the recycled product sucks up
less energy and fewer natural resources in its production, with fewer leftovers wasted.
For more information about alternative paints, check Green Seal, a
Washington, DC, non-profit that ranks different products for their eco-friendliness, and TreeHugger, a blog
dedicated to making all things green mainstream.
www.greenseal.org
www.treehugger.com
For product information:
www.sico.ca
www.benjaminmoore.com
www.sherwinwilliams.com
www.dulux.com
www.solventfreepaint.com
www.milkpaint.com
www.farrow-ball.com
www.timbertools.com
www.boomerangpaint.com
www.calibrecoatings.ab.ca
- Susan Nerberg
Published in the April 2008
issue of Cottage Life magazine.
Copyright © 2008 by Cottage Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any
article, photograph, or artwork, for other than personal use, in whole or in part, without the written
permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden
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