Eco Painting
Coming up in my column in Better Homes and Gardens magazine are some product finds that have come to market recently making home painting a little bit greener.
Now, we all know that it's easier than ever before to find low and even zero VOC paints in the marketplace. One good paint I like is from Benjamin Moore and it's called Natura; it comes out this Spring and it's totally zero VOC and you can tint it a million different colors.
But what about the actual painting supplies? Tarps, rollers, trays, etc? On a little trip to Lowe's last week, I found these items that I am recommending in my BHG column.
First up, this eco paint tarp called Eco Drop. It's designed to truly protect your floors and surfaces from drips and splatters, but it is totally biodegradable when you're done. And it's just about $3 to purchase.
These paint trays are made from recycled cardboard with a very thin layer of plastic on top. The plastic is there so the paint doesn't soak into the cardboard (which would make the tray useless). One thing I do is that I also line the tray with aluminum foil to make it extra strong and to make cleanup easier. Just lift the aluminum foil, rinse it off, and recycle. Your tray should actually be in almost new shape and can be reused over and over.
These rollers are also at Lowe's and they made from recycled materials. Rollers are really hard to reuse over and over. You can scrape the paint off with a putty knife, rinse the roller and let it dry. But if it's definitely past its prime, go for the recycled and toss if you need to.
How great!! I am so excited – I am painting my bathroom this weekend – I am going to try and find those items here locally!
can you talk about proper disposal of paint? can you really rinse off painting supplies in a household drain? it makes me nervous to think about doing that! lol
great post though! it’s good to know that stuff is out there
Woo hoo! I think you must have selected my question then! I’m so happy! I REALLY wanted to know what to buy that was eco-friendly! Now I’m a happy girl! I’ve got this saved for later, after escrow closes! My first house, and eco-friendly! How exciting!
Thanks for this blog Danny I love it!
You mention a lot of disposable painting supplies in the post. However, there is excellent value in purchasing reusable supplies:
A heavy duty canvas drop cloth can be used for years and is less slippery underfoot than plastic, and the paint, when spilled doesn’t track.
The new metal paint trays coated with teflon (also sold at Lowe’s) allow you to peel the paint off when it’s dry making it easy to use and clean. These paint trays are also very sturdy and eliminate the need to foil line for strength.
If someone could come up with reusable ‘blue tape’ that would be helpful.
This is a great post! I really like what the previous poster said about reusing supplies. We recently repainted our entire house and we reused the supplies in each room.
We went with Yolo Colorhouse non-VOC paint and I loved it! The don’t have many colors yet but what they do have goes together so well. Our house is so bright and cheerful now!
Thanks for these tips! I’ll have to go check out Lowe’s. We used zero voc paint with a clay based tint to paint our son’s nursery. And, we bought canvass drop cloths and a metal tray because we plan to do more painting in the future. The roller we used though didn’t hold up, so the recycled fibers one sounds like a great option.
I am gradually becoming more and more environmentally aware and this blog is giving me some great ideas to help with this thanks!
Only problem is I’m from the UK and not sure if I’ll find these products here. If anyone knows please let me know!
i have a question and it has nothing to do with today’s post. are silicone bakewares safe? are they eco-friendly?
thanks and i appreciate your work!
Thanks for the heads-up. I too am getting ready to paint (several rooms), and though I’ve found the no VOC paint that I want from a local company (Yolo Colorhouse will be in at least one room), to be honest, I hadn’t thought ahead to the rest of the supplies. It’s nice to know we have choices!
Luckily we have two Lowes stores in the state, and both are relatively convenient. Hopefully I’ll be able to find these items are ours. If not, I’ll ask about them.
This is great! We are getting ready to paint and are going to stock up on supplies at Lowes. Thanks for the tips!! Now I’m going to go read your column so I can educate myself on eco-paints. Always appreciate your thoughtful posts!!
This is great info! Thanks!
Eileen http://ruralwisconsin.blogspot.com/
I agree with Renate, use canvas drops. Or better yet double up old sheets to reuse them. I paint barefooted, if you feel the wet then you clean it off immediately. The plastic lets spilled paint sit on top & get tracked around.
For Katie F, Latex paint needs to be a solid before disposal. So you can mix in kitty litter & stir until solid or leave the lid off until solid(takes forever)or use it as primer(thinned down) for a different project. Oil based products I take to solid waste management for proper disposal.