Sunday, February 28, 2010

Paint it Green


In my last post I told you where to score some great recycled goods. But what are you to do if your new old stuff is looking a bit too dated? Update it – the green way.

One of the best ways to make something old look new again is a fresh coat of paint. Yet according to the EPA, the air indoors can be many times more polluted than the outside air, and paint can be one of the biggest offenders of indoor air pollution.


Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are the greatest offenders. They are potentially carcinogenic carbon-based chemicals that are extremely harmful in the home. This article outlines the potential hazards of paint. It also describes different types of environmentally-friendly paint (including low VOC paints, natural interior paints, and exterior paints), tells how to remove paint, and gives great additional tips.


Many companies have caught on and have released lines of low- or zero-VOC paints. Yet consumers must be careful about the assertions of these companies. According to this post on environmental blog Inhabitat, “there is no third party verification of the claims” of Sherwin-Williams that the whole company has become green. They go so far as to say “these types of claims [would be classified] as greenwashing."


The safest option for both your health and the environment is natural paint. While in the past they have been criticized as lacking quality, today the quality is much improved and natural paint is a great option. If you want to explore the various types of natural paints, this website provides a list of multiple natural paints and finishes.


Happy painting!

1 comment:

  1. The VOC levels are generally printed on the can. Consumer Reports also have good listings. We used Behr paint (from Home Depot) because it was the highest quality paint with the lowest VOCs (for a decent price). Hopefully the standards will improve even more, so that the worst offenders start improving.

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