Between work and home, we spend a large percent of our time indoors. Have you every applied a fresh coat of paint to a room and found the fumes overwhelming for days afterwards? Well eco friendly painting is about more than environmental sustainability, it’s about clean air that is free of toxic fumes. Here are three ways eco friendly paints help to make your home healthier, while saving you the headache.
1. Low VOCs
If you haven’t heard of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they are solvents in regular paints that evaporate and off-gas as the paint dries. VOCs are at the root of headaches, dizziness, respiratory issues and many other irritations that people can experience while painting.
Eco friendly paints are a great option when you want a product with low to no VOCs. They don’t off-gas as much as regular paints, ensuring the air quality in your home isn’t compromised. If you are painting exteriors, choose a latex or acrylic paint for their minimal VOC content. Recycled water-based paints are also an option, but avoid oil paints because they contain a high amount of VOCs.
At Premier Painters, whether we are painting residential or commercial spaces, we only use products that have low VOCs for guaranteed eco friendly painting.
2. Natural Pigments
Although the rainbow of paint colors is like eye candy in a paint store, the pigments used to tint at lot of conventional paints contain toxic substances. Eco friendly paints are made using pigments that are all-natural, eliminating another source of chemical fumes that can infiltrate your home.
3. Low Fungicides and Biocides
When it comes to interior paints, eco friendly paint is your best choice for eliminating the negative effects of toxic biocides and fungicides. Regular commercial paints contain fungicides to prevent the growth of mildew, and biocides to give the paints a longer shelf life. Biocides are especially pervasive and in some cases they can linger in the paint, slowly off-gassing for up to five years.
Unfortunately all exterior paints contain biocides and fungicides to combat the effects of damp weather. However, eco friendly painting products have a wider selection of choices that are free of fungicides, with low to no biocides.
Quality
After painting interiors and exteriors of residential and commercial spaces for over 30 years, we have tried a variety of paints at Premier Painters. When eco friendly painting was first introduced, the quality and durability of the products were poor and it was often harder to create a smooth, even finish with them. Nowadays, brands are creating eco friendly paint options that not only rival their conventional counterparts, but in some cases they even provide superior results. That means you no longer have to sacrifice quality results for cleaner air and a healthier home.
The next time you decide to paint, avoid the headache from off-gassing. If you have questions about eco friendly paints or would like a free quote for your next painting project, contact us today.
