"To Do" Tuesday-Go Green with eco friendly paint

Our first "to do" post is about paint. The next time you decide to paint or repaint(in many cases), think about the type of paint before you agonize over color. Most household finishes off gas(this includes paint, carpet, the mastics/grouts/sealants used in tiles, wood,etc.) these can affect even those without allergens to these things and they are harmful for our health via the air quality.

There are several large paint companies and these days each will have their own "green" paints. Today I want to give you some information on two in particular, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore(this is not an advertisement, most all paint companies including those sold at home improvement stores have more "green" paints). First, 3 letters-VOCs,Volatile Organic Compounds, are the toxic emissions(or off gasses) that release into the indoor air via paints and finishes, these can last for years after application. These compounds are what you want to minimize, so look for these when you look at the products you are interested in. Most paints are water based, so this helps with easy clean up and disposal is easier, since they will not be considered hazardous waste, which will help reduce landfill, groundwater and ozone contaminants. 

Benjamin Moore-They are have their "Green Promise" paints, they are designated as such due to be low odor, are quick drying and available in all their available colors. They state that you can use the rooms again within the same day as painting, this is usually unheard of with typical paints. 

They have the Natura© which is their completely zero VOC's paint, considered their greenest paint. They believe this is the lowest VOC paint on the market and includes zero VOC colorants, and is available in primer, flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes.

 Aura© is their next best paint, low VOC, low odor, this to has zero VOC waterborne colorants, available in the above finishes and is considered better than Natura©  for deeper colors.

Sherwin Williams-Under their "GreenSure Initiative"  they use natural materials, such as soy and sunflower oil, reducing the amount of solvents they use, so that there are less VOC's. Their paints will have the GreenSure seal and they even carry the "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval(who does not feel better with that!!).In addition to paint, they carry caulks and sealants that are GreenSure,also.  

Duration Home© and Harmony© carry this seal.They too, have low odor and zero-VOC formulas(Duration Home© is low-VOC), in addition they are anti-microbial, and are available in primer, flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes. 

I have not compared pricing for these, with your "normal" everyday paints, but I believe that the payoff will be in the better air quality for yourselves, your children and our pets(we cannot forget them, they spend more time indoors generally than we do!) There are many websites with smaller, lesser known brands(Real Milk Paint, LIvos, Greenplanetpaints,etc.) Kelly Moore, PPG, ICI, Devoe, Dunedwards(ecoshield) are some larger companies with zero or low VOC paints also.

Happy Painting!