When you are house painting in Concord, you may be using different kinds of paints for a variety of applications. Nowadays, as people are becoming more environmentally aware, more and more are purchasing “green” paint. No, not exactly the color green (though you may see some), but environmentally-friendly paint. There are several brands that are selling such “green” paint, as awareness of the paint’s impact on the environment has become more noticeable.
What makes paint gentle to the environment? Most people use paints with VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) like formaldehyde and benzene. Although these are the major factors, there are other components found in paints that are equally harmful to the environment: biocides (which kill bacteria, and this is a basic ingredient in most paints), vinyl chloride and phthalates. You must also consider how biodegradable paints are, and that would make a big impact on the environment. Even packaging isn’t spared, as it may be a harmful factor.
Fortunately, most major paint brands sell “green” paints, or at least, paints being advertised as such: Yolo Colorhouse No VOC Paint, Delta Soy Paint, Benjamin Moore Green Promise, Center*Star Thermopel, Real Milk Paint, Sherwin-Williams GreenSure, Behr Premium Plus, and Glidden Brilliance. All paints mentioned contain low levels of VOCs or contain no VOCs at all, and are have a low odor.
You can find more information about these paint brands at the brand’s official web sites. These will tell you whether their paint (either all or just one variety) is eco-friendly. VOC content is the most apparent factor in most of the environmentally safe paint varieties, but you can also find other components being mentioned as well.
In accordance with federal regulations, the allowable limit of VOCs is up to 250 grams per liter (g/l) for flat paints and 380 g/l for other paints. Paints must be labeled “low VOC” if they have 50 g/l. Paints that are labeled “no VOC” must be 5 g/l or less. You may find that every brand of paint mentioned above has a variety of paint that falls under one of these two categories.
Most paints that are being advertised as environmentally safe are devoid of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury — components that are found in some paint varieties. Some paints use natural ingredients such as Real Milk Paint. It uses pharmaceutical grade lime that kills bacteria and acts as a curing agent through carbonization. That means it draws carbon dioxide from the air as it hardens. The pharmaceutical grade lime also acts as a fireproofing agent. You may want to consider these good qualities and benefits when you compare environmentally-friendly paints.
The rule also applies to tints if you want to add them to your paints. Some tints possess VOC levels so it is important to check out their content. Sometimes, when you add tints to your paint, they may stand a good chance of increasing VOC levels.
You can seek the advice of the professional painting experts who will always welcome your questions regarding the options, the pros and cons, and other concerns you have about paints. These experts will be able to provide you with their recommendation for environmentally-safe paint varieties when house painting in Concord.