Eco-Friendly Materials And Procedures For Painting Your Home
The use of eco-friendly practices and materials has recently become a marketing and education focus in the house painting industry. New to most homeowners, many of these products and techniques have been gaining acceptance in the paint industry. While many painting contractors are happy to add these techniques to their businesses, others are reluctant. It is important for eco-friendly consumers to educate themselves about these techniques and procedures prior to hiring their painting contractor.
The recent emphasis on environmental consciousness and socially responsible actions is aimed at individual citizens, consumers and businesses. These developments have made it more important for house painting companies to discuss eco-friendly options with consumers.
Increase in consumer awareness and demand for eco-friendly paint and paint techniques have brought the prices of eco-friendlier materials to a level roughly equal to conventional paint prices. Many painting companies today can now make green methods and techniques part of their standard business practices and offerings.
Similarly, painting companies that have long included sustainable practices can now make their regular business more ecologically sound. New and gentler paint products regularly arrive at stores. There have also been advancements in the methods used for stripping paint, recycling waste and minimizing chemicals in the painting projects themselves.
House painting consumers need to be informed and ask their painting contractor about their eco-friendly painting practices. Some painting contractors say they are green friendly, but may still use conventional paints and skip using the low or non VOC paints. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are chemicals that paint releases until it drys. These VOC’s contribute to air pollution when released from exterior house paints and stains.
Many paint manufacturers now produce at least one line of low VOC or zero VOC finishes and paints. Some companies also produce entirely natural paints and finishes created from natural, raw source materials including plant dyes, resins and oils. The vast majority of these products are water-based. Very few new paint products are made in oil bases, though there are a few stains and sealers derived from orange peel oil.
Low and zero VOC paints and finishes are a happy improvement over the older interior and exterior paints that are still manufactured. Natural paints, created from readily available earth ingredients, are the most eco-friendly paints available today. These natural paints are good alternatives to the conventional style paints. They are all cost effective methods for adding color and vibrancy to the inside or outside of your home while being gentler for humans and the environment.
Not only should an eco-friendly painting company be knowledgeable about low or zero VOC paints, they should also offer those products across the paint product spectrum. Stains, varnishes, primers, plasters, special finish coatings and even chemicals used to strip old paint from the walls should be ecologically friendly. Additionally, a truly ecologically conscious paint company will also have ecologically sound practices in place for disposing of unused paint and paint containers.
Additionally, there are many small efforts painting companies can make to limit the negative consequences any paint activity can have on the environment. Among these are the standard practices they use to clean their own equipment. Companies on jobs lasting several days or more can get by without cleaning equipment on a daily basis. Waiting until the job is done to clean equipment results in less water consumption. It also saves the consumer money as the company is not transferring the cost to the homeowner on a daily basis.
Reusable cloth drop cloths can be used in place of plastic sheets to protect floors and furnishings from paint splatter or spills. High quality paint brushes and rollers are also an ecological business practice for painting companies, as the longer the equipment holds up, the fewer brushes and rollers they buy thereby keeping waste out of already overburdened landfills.
The methods used by your painting contractor to clean up the waste left after the job should be ecologically sound. This includes recycling materials that can be recycled, donating unused or extra paint to charities and being careful not to generate more trash than is necessary.
By staying informed and making the right green decisions, homeowners and house painters can share in behaving responsibly while making their personal environment a more beautiful place.
Alan Silverstein is vice president of All Los Angeles Painting Company, Inc. in Los Angeles California. Alan has been a los angeles painting contractor for over 26 years. Alan can be reached at alllosangelespainting.com
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