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If 10,000 Biters choose an eco-paint next time their bedroom needs sprucing up, we'll keep over 32,000 gal of nasty chems outta circulation.

COCKTAIL FACT

It takes 570 gal of paint to cover the White House versus around 30 for the average American home's exterior.

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home ›   tip library ›   Eco-friendly Paint

Need a gas mask to go with your newly painted walls?

The Bite

No kidding. No Biter's above getting woozy from fumes caused by conventional paint, and even when you can't smell it anymore, chems continue to offgas. Avoid seeing spots by opting for naturally vibrant paints for your next home makeover.

The Benefits

  • The shade you're into. Eco-paint's available in every color under the sun - you can even bring a standard paint swatch, and most hardware stores will create a color-mix based on the swatch number.
  • Avoiding volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are linked to headaches and nervous-system damage, and offgas even after paint dries; harsh ingredients in regular paints (such as benzene and formaldehyde) can trigger asthma and allergies.
  • The eco-friendliness. One gal of conventional paint that's not properly disposed of can seep into the earth and pollute 250,000 gal of drinking water.

Personally Speaking

Our Bozeman and SF offices recently got new coats using American Pride and Safecoat paint, from local sustainable building stores - and we didn't have to air out the offices for a week before coming back in.

Wanna Try?

  • AFM Safecoat - offers one of the widest-ranging lines of eco-paints, stains, and sealers ($36/gal).
  • American Pride Paint - indoor and outdoor paints and primers developed for use by the Department of Defense ($22/gal).
  • YOLO Colorhouse - simple, nature-influenced palette with shades that work together well (simplifying the color-selection process); new exterior line too ($40-$42/gal).
  • Earth911 - find out where to recycle paint. Also: links to paint calculators so that you can get just the amount you need.
  • DIY Bite: Look for the Green Seal, which means the paint's certified eco. Bad = EPA, OSHA, or DOT seals, which mean the paint contains hazardous chems that the government has to monitor.

Apr 03,2008


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Painted into a Slow, Dumb Corner

Living on a ranch as a kid meant lots of space to run and lots of pets...and lots of chores. Among the most tedious for me was painting seeming miles of wooden fences with no doubt VOC-rich, toxic white paint. And while my brother probably didn't breathe in an ounce, always conniving friends to do the work while he "supervised" Tom Sawyer-like or penning "IOU three lengths of fence-painting" to his gullible little sister (that, ahem, were never redeemed), I'm pretty sure some cells or other suffered a bit of damage. It explains a lot actually.

In any case, we recently painted the IB office with low-VOC paints from local SF store Spring. We definitely needed to keep the door open, but after about a day and a half, we were enjoying new color and clean-smelling air. Too bad the conventionally painted office next door emanated fumes into the hallway for more than a month. There went another ounce of smarts and/or agility...

-Jenifer Morgan...off to walk in circles mumbling or maybe run into a wall...


Biter Comments...
Recycled paint is also a great, and affordable, way to paint your house. Here in Vermont we have Local Color paint (sold by Chittenden Solid Waste District (check out: http://www.cswd.net/hazardous_waste/localcolor.shtml). I've painted four rooms and an hallway in my house for less than $75.

Posted by: Hannah | April 03, 2008 at 07:22 AM

We recently painted with the NO VOC paint from Dunn Edwards. It looks great, smelled nothing, felt good about it...until, it was time to wipe off the first handprint. The paint wiped right off with the print. We used a flat paint (vs eggshell) which may have been the problem. Would we get the same result with a regular-low VOC flat paint or is this due to the lack of VOC in the paint? Not going to switch to the higher VOC stuff but I can't seem to get an answer. (Dunn Edwards store ays this shouldn't happen. Haven't contacted corporate.)

Posted by: Jill | April 03, 2008 at 12:00 PM

In todays' tip you state: "One gal of conventional paint that's not properly disposed of can seep into the earth and pollute 250,000 gal of drinking water." However, I don't think you gave out info about how to properly dispose of paint and, if it is properly dispose if it still pollutes. Landfills will take paint, if it is dried out in a can, etc. If that is done, is it environmentally safe?

Posted by: Jerry | April 03, 2008 at 12:01 PM

I've used NO VOC paints by a local woman in Charlottesville, VA. With just a small window in my sitting room, the smell was barely noticeable. The paint went on smooth and looks great. She recently opened a store in Richmond, VA and the colors are just amazing. Her name is Sally Fretwell and her website is www.sallyfretwell.com. She also has some great books out to help with color choice and design.

Posted by: Meredeth | April 03, 2008 at 12:09 PM

jill -- I think it depends on the paint. At least that's what I remember, but I checked with Earth911.org and searched articles. It doesn't list that option citing that some paints contain lead and mercury. (http://earth911.org/recycling/paint-recycling/disposal-of-paint-the-last-resort/) I though it was water-based paint that could be put in the trash after drying out. You'll need to do your own research tho. Just remember that all those VOCs release air pollution. I recommend No-VOC to all my friends... if only I could get my work to listen!!! That awful smell really lingers!

Posted by: chatmal | April 03, 2008 at 03:31 PM

Just a word of warning, if you have a thyroid condition, and/or hypo-glycemic, and/or diabetic, mystic tan and other self tanners that work using any form of sugar can wreck havoc on your blood sugar levels.

Posted by: maxmara99 | May 29, 2008 at 12:47 PM

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