Green Painting? Who is using no or low-VOC paints... - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

porkchop · 11-17-2007, 04:41 PM

I was curious to see who is incorporating eco friendly and sustainable paints into their jobs. I am launching a company that will use no-VOC paints, clean our brushes with "green" solvents etc. Is anyone's company environmentally friendly, if so why? Are customers requesting it? How much of your total sales are with low VOC paints in the residential market.

jakester · 11-17-2007, 05:15 PM

Hey Chris
We are just starting to get into it here in toronto canada, B&M make some good ones (echo spec) and SW. makes a good one to what brand are you using, I think the public will get into it but for now I think it's still to new here. I figure in a couple of years it will take off and I hope the price will come down, FYI did you hear about the line from B&M (aura) has it hit the U.S. yet. good luck with the bussiness.

regal · 11-17-2007, 06:34 PM

Aura, Aura, Aura

DeanV · 11-17-2007, 06:41 PM

I do not think you will find any true NO-VOC products worth using. I think there are a couple funky organic paints out there made of seaweed or some other goofy organic material.

Eco-Spec will have some glycol in it, so will Aura (although in Aura, it is not in the tints).

As long as you stay with waterbase paints, eco-friendly clean up is easy. For oil primers, you will probably just want to use throw away brushes.

**slickshift** · 11-17-2007, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal

Aura, Aura, Aura

Am I the only one that gets it when you do that?

**slickshift** · 11-17-2007, 06:47 PM

I have my doubts about how "green" water-based clean-up is

Yes, I know there is less VOCs than oil/solvent-based coatings
But frankly, I contaminate gallons of water with latex paint washing out a brush
I only use a tiny percentage of that in solvents for oil-based clean-up, and I save it for re-use

I'd like to see the specs on the big picture

DeanV · 11-17-2007, 07:39 PM

Good point, Slickshift. I would hate to have to capture all rinse water from brushes, rollers, and sprayer clean out to be "green."

George Z · 11-17-2007, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakester

Hey Chris
We are just starting to get into it here in toronto canada, B&M make some good ones (echo spec) and SW. makes a good one to what brand are you using, I think the public will get into it but for now I think it's still to new here. I figure in a couple of years it will take off and I hope the price will come down, FYI did you hear about the line from B&M (aura) has it hit the U.S. yet. good luck with the bussiness.

We are just starting now?
We have been "eco" for over 10 years here.
http://ecopainting.ca/environmental_standards.html
There is a market, there are choices too.
But it is not only about using low VOC paint.

http://ecopainting.ca/dispose.art.html

http://ecopainting.ca/painting_child...ronto.art.html

What about the waste mentioned above? the plastic we use,
spraying, junk mail etc.

We hug trees during smoke breaks...

porkchop · 11-18-2007, 10:26 AM

For the paints we are using, I am actually trying out a few brands next week. A good friend of mine flips houses and he is letting me use one of his houses as a demo to try out different low/no voc paints.

We do have Aura in the states. It is about $60 a gallon, compared to other green paints at $25-30 a gallon. I still have to do more research to find the true benefits and see what the difference is in the paint.

As for the guys in Canada, the US is behind the times. We are slow at adopting environmental standards. I have been on the green bandwagon for about 3 years now, and it finally starting to catch on locally. Green this, Green that etc.

George I like your website. Very extensive and well organized. You say you have been doing this for 10 years. Out of the painters in Chicago, I interviewed about 15 thus far, about half had no idea what it was, 30% had heard of it, and the remaining 20% have started using it. Out of the 20% no one started using it before 2006.

Tmrrptr · 11-18-2007, 06:58 PM

We like the SW Harmony line of interior product.
r

Thewallfixer · 11-19-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmrrptr

We like the SW Harmony line of interior product.
r

I used the Harmony paint last week at a home with a 3 day old baby. It works just as well as Super paint and for me it is $3 a gallon cheaper. I plan to use it in all future paint jobs.

As per being green, it's kind of hard to be green as a painter, simply the amount of water one uses to clean paint of brushes, paint tins and the like are enough to make us non green people. Though I try as much as I can.