By Dena Fritz
Do you have a hankering to paint your walls but want to be eco-responsible about it? Is your space needing a new look? Don’t fret; there are many green friendly paints on the market that can help you with your selection. Available in vibrant colors, many popular paint manufacturers are recognizing the importance of marketing household paint products that leave a low impact on our environment. What you want to look for when purchasing paint are low VOC’s or no VOC’s. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids, according to the EPA.*
Some painting tips: There are very few home improvement projects that produce the immediate sense of satisfaction like putting a fresh coat of paint on your walls. It is surprisingly easy to do and can give you a whole new outlook on your living space. Be sure to plan ahead, buy the right supplies for the job, there are new products on the market that make the trim painting easier than ever! Be sure to measure your desired space so that you get the right amount of paint. You don’t want to return to the store for more. Your wall conditions will have a lot to do with how they look when they are finished so be prepared to do some prep work with spackle and sand paper. When you are all finished, the clean-up is one of the least pleasant parts. Use disposable liners in your paint trays, drop cloths or old sheets and keep a lot of water handy, if you catch the paint while still wet, it is much easier to remove than if it dries.
Some companies that sell eco-friendly paint:
*Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.
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