Molto Bene Painting Tips - Eco Friendly Paints
New green paints -- Smart choice or a marketing gimmick?
In the last few years just about every major paint manufacturer has begun to sell no or lowVOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, whether they are manufacturing their own or distributing other people's products. Along with this has come lots of marketing material, new color displays, videos, and color decks.
My first thought was that just like a number of years back when we had a marketing explosion of designer paints (Martha Stewart types, regional designers coming up with color palettes, all the way to European paints hitting the US market) this was just another marketing ploy exploiting an area of interest of the general public while glorifying a can of paint.
And while we love color, when it comes to paint there's one bottom line question for us: Is this stuff any good?
The whole concept of no VOC is that these volatile compounds in paint pollute the air you breathe and also contribute to that paint smell that no one is in love with. So you may ask without these compounds, sticking to a paint product where both the paint itself and the colorants used in it are completely organic, can you still get a paint that covers well, stands up well to day to day living and comes in a nice color palette without costing a bar of gold per gallon?
So it was time to try some out. The wife wanted to paint the bedroom, so we decided to try FreshAire Paint sold by Home Depot. First thing is most of the displays we've seen for these paints have very nice organic color chips, so you should be able to find a color you like. But at this stage in particular for the ones with organic tints I wouldn'tt plan on trying to get color matches or any different color than what is being offered in their deck or paint chips. The tints are in a dry package they pour into the cans and shake, so the usual means of custom tinting aren't available.
We chose a medium tone color. First thing I noticed opening the can was the smell. Not much of one, and what there was was not offensive or lingering . The paint was creamy, and to my surprise actually covered pretty well. It still required 2 coats just like the usual brands we use. Dry time was about the same and the color retention was also about the same.We've had it up a few months now, and it seems to be holding up well. So as a wall paint it seems to be doing the job (we haven't tried any trim paint yet). The price per gallon was definitely more than a regular gallon of paint, so you would have to take that into consideration. Hopefully the longer these products are around, the more that price will come down. Also we found that the store personnel seemed a bit limited in their knowledge of these products, you might want to go to a manufacturer website if you have any specific questions.
So our assessment is that yes, these no VOC paints are a valid alternative for interior painting. This is particularly true if there are any concerns about air quality or sensitivity to paint products, specifically in a bedroom or eating area. Downsides? Might be a bit price prohibitive for a complete interior if you are working within a budget. Also color limitations. But all in all, for our first testing of these new green paints we give it 2 brushes up.
Paint a room... or two
In a tough economy or on a tight budget, maybe you can't do a complete makeover on your house. But picking out one or two rooms that you spend a lot of time in to repaint, change or add color to can make all the difference in the world. It's a cost effective way to upgrade your home and cheer things up during the winter season. If you'd like an estimate you can call or email us.
-- Kevin
In the last few years just about every major paint manufacturer has begun to sell no or lowVOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, whether they are manufacturing their own or distributing other people's products. Along with this has come lots of marketing material, new color displays, videos, and color decks.
My first thought was that just like a number of years back when we had a marketing explosion of designer paints (Martha Stewart types, regional designers coming up with color palettes, all the way to European paints hitting the US market) this was just another marketing ploy exploiting an area of interest of the general public while glorifying a can of paint.
And while we love color, when it comes to paint there's one bottom line question for us: Is this stuff any good?
The whole concept of no VOC is that these volatile compounds in paint pollute the air you breathe and also contribute to that paint smell that no one is in love with. So you may ask without these compounds, sticking to a paint product where both the paint itself and the colorants used in it are completely organic, can you still get a paint that covers well, stands up well to day to day living and comes in a nice color palette without costing a bar of gold per gallon?
So it was time to try some out. The wife wanted to paint the bedroom, so we decided to try FreshAire Paint sold by Home Depot. First thing is most of the displays we've seen for these paints have very nice organic color chips, so you should be able to find a color you like. But at this stage in particular for the ones with organic tints I wouldn'tt plan on trying to get color matches or any different color than what is being offered in their deck or paint chips. The tints are in a dry package they pour into the cans and shake, so the usual means of custom tinting aren't available.
We chose a medium tone color. First thing I noticed opening the can was the smell. Not much of one, and what there was was not offensive or lingering . The paint was creamy, and to my surprise actually covered pretty well. It still required 2 coats just like the usual brands we use. Dry time was about the same and the color retention was also about the same.We've had it up a few months now, and it seems to be holding up well. So as a wall paint it seems to be doing the job (we haven't tried any trim paint yet). The price per gallon was definitely more than a regular gallon of paint, so you would have to take that into consideration. Hopefully the longer these products are around, the more that price will come down. Also we found that the store personnel seemed a bit limited in their knowledge of these products, you might want to go to a manufacturer website if you have any specific questions.
So our assessment is that yes, these no VOC paints are a valid alternative for interior painting. This is particularly true if there are any concerns about air quality or sensitivity to paint products, specifically in a bedroom or eating area. Downsides? Might be a bit price prohibitive for a complete interior if you are working within a budget. Also color limitations. But all in all, for our first testing of these new green paints we give it 2 brushes up.
Paint a room... or two
In a tough economy or on a tight budget, maybe you can't do a complete makeover on your house. But picking out one or two rooms that you spend a lot of time in to repaint, change or add color to can make all the difference in the world. It's a cost effective way to upgrade your home and cheer things up during the winter season. If you'd like an estimate you can call or email us.
-- Kevin
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