Eco-Friendly Paint
by Ronnie Citron-Fink

Color equals power: the power to transform a home. Color is as close as you can get to an instant personality makeover or wardrobe change for your surroundings. It is an inexpensive design tool that can elevate a mood, make a workspace more productive, energize a cooking area, add sexiness to a bedroom, be a dramatic backdrop for art, or just set a calm tone for living. Most color power today comes from a can of paint. In the past, this elemental homeowner’s toolbox essential has failed only in one major area—its healthfulness and ecological sustainability.

Imagine for a moment that you are perched at the paint counter at Williams Home Center or Red Hook Paint and Wallpaper at the Old Soap Factory. While contemplating the overwhelming array of color selections, you spy a paint chip fan for eco-friendly paint. Why not add eco-friendly paint to your next project, you ask yourself.

There are significant benefits to using eco-friendly paint. The EPA has found indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air. In fact, it is considered one of the top five hazards to human health. Among the leading causes of this pollution are paints and finishes, which release low-level toxic emissions for years after application. The main source of these toxins: volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Until recently, VOCs were considered essential to how paint performed during application. Toxic substances such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, which are deemed hazardous VOCs, are also mixed in. Ethylene glycol is a clear, colorless, odorless solvent used in latex paints; it is also listed as a toxic air contaminant under many federal and state regulations. Traditional paint also includes for-maldehyde and heavy metals.

Eco-friendly paints are defined by their lack or low level of VOCs. With low or no VOCs, paint doesn’t smell. An added benefit: less mold and mildew. Finding a healthy alternative to a high-VOC paint may be the difference between irritation to your eyes, nose or throat and long-range health problems. With few or no hazardous fumes or off-gassing, eco-friendly painted areas can be inhabited sooner. Many eco-friendly paints and finishes are water-based for easy cleaning, and disposal is greatly simplified, since there is no hazardous waste.

There are three basic varieties of eco-friendly paints and finishes. I’ve given them a Green Hue spectrum as follows:

Bright Green, Natural—Paints made from raw natural ingredients such as clay, chalk, lime, water, plant oils, milk, beeswax, and earth and mineral dyes are truly the safest paints and harbor the greatest health benefits.

Green, Zero VOC—Any paint with less than 5 grams of VOCs are considered to be “Zero VOC.” These paints generally use natural mineral dyes, since adding a chemical colorant increases the VOC level.

Light Green, Low-VOC—These paints use water-based as opposed to petroleum-based solvents. To become certified low VOC, the paint must have very low levels of heavy metals and formaldehyde. Low VOC paints still emit an odor until they dry.

In my home, we’ve greened up our painting projects. The health benefits for my family and the environment were enough reason for us to choose eco-friendly paints in the two bathrooms we recently renovated. Since bathrooms are small spaces and particularly prone to mold and mildew, they are perfect places to test out eco-friendly wall finishes. We tried the popular eco-friendly paint, Aura, from Benjamin Moore, along with an earth-based natural wall finish, American Clay. Aura was purchased at Williams Lumber in Rhinebeck and American Clay was bought at Green Courage in New Paltz.

My do-it-yourself husband Ted applied both finishes to the bathroom walls. I asked him how the eco-friendly ones stacked up against their traditional counterparts.

Coverage and application— “Aura covered beautifully and went on like any traditional paint. Since the new light color paint went over the old light color paint, we only needed one coat. The American Clay is an earth-based material and it creates texture, since it is applied with a trowel. The application is time consuming and much heavier work than painting. Our small 5ft.x 5ft. bathroom required almost 150 lbs. of clay.”

Odor—“Aura paint had extremely low odor that dissipated quickly. American Clay smelled earthy, like wet earth on a rainy day. The smell went away as it dried.”

Cost—“Aura was slightly more expensive than other basic paints, although it cost about the same as other high quality paints I’ve used. American Clay was more expensive, but can be considered a permanent wall covering.”

Look—“Aura looked exactly like we planned it to look, like a painted wall. The American Clay is beautiful, calming and interesting to look at. Because the clay is mixed with tiny ground oyster shells, it has an ever so slight sheen to the matt earthiness. I love it and would use it again, despite the extra work involved.”

Do It-Yourself Eco-Painting Tips
Paint economically—“Measure twice, paint once.” With a calculator or some mathematical brainpower, you can easily calculate how much paint to purchase for your space: Calculate the wall area of the room; you’ll need one gallon for 450 square feet. Don’t subtract for door and windows unless they take up more than half the wall. Add 10 percent for future touch-ups. For two coats, double the number.

Choose colors wisely—With such a dizzying multiplicity of paint chips, how do you avoid making a mistake? If you’ve got an iPhone, you can get color apps. Whether you’re walking through the Poet’s Walk on a perfect fall day, or admiring all of the colorful windows along East Market Street, just snap a picture and it can be instantly matched to one of the hues of these color system applications. No iPhone? No problem. Take a cue from these apps and bring a photo with you to the paint counter. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams offer free color apps online and for a small fee, Colorchange and Colortilt will match thousands of colors.

Buy local—Right here in Red Hook, you can buy Hudson Paint’s 24 lively chalkboard colors at the Tivoli Mercantile. This low-VOC paint makes a whimsical (and functional) design statement. From kitchen walls to kid’s rooms to classrooms, here is a small, local business doing the right thing.

How low can VOC go? Here’s a rundown of some other eco-friendly paints: Benjamin Moore Natura, Bioshield Clay and Casein Paints; Yolo Colorhouse Paint; Sherwin-Williams’ Harmony; Green Planet Paints; Dunn-Edwards EcoShield; Devoe Wonder-Pure; Anna Sova Wall Paint; AFM Safecoat; Mythic Paint.

We all want the best for our home and families, and cleaning up the environment is on everyone’s mind. Now, with so many eco-friendly paint choices, it is satisfying to have the power to do just that.