Green is the New Black:
Seven Environmentally Friendly Painting Tips for
If you plan to paint your home¹s interior this winter, make sure the
experience is a safe one. ²Many people forget or simply aren¹t aware of
important preparations or products when it comes to painting their homes,²
says Ed Waller, founder of CertaPro Painters. ³By taking extra measures to
ensure the process is done correctly you can ensure an environmentally safe
experience while painting.²
The best quality acrylic-latex paints these days are products that contain
low- or no-volatile organic compounds (VOC¹s). These new high-tech products
reduce the emissions of VOCs into the home, thereby improving indoor air
quality and reducing the formation of urban smog. Look for LEED
certification on the label to ensure you are getting a low-VOC product.
Products like Duration Home and Harmony paints from Sherwin Williams meet
LEED certification and are labeled as ³Green Smart².
Here are seven timely environmental tips from painting expert Ed Waller of
CertaPro Painters that you¹ll wish you had known before:
1) When at all possible, use all the paint that you buy -- an extra coat
will give more protection. Share your leftovers with a neighbor who has a
small area that needs painting. Most paints can be recoated after they are
dry to the touch and this is usually less than an hour or two. You can use
up leftover paint quickly by simply rolling-on an extra coat.
2) Leftover paint should not be poured down the drain -- in household sinks,
toilets or storm sewers. Store in tightly sealed paint cans and store upside
down (helps maintain the seal).
3) If you must dispose of leftover paints, convert them to solid waste first
and then dispose of them in the regular trash. To convert the paint to a
solid waste, simply remove the lid and allow the water or solvents to
evaporate. This should be done in an area away from children.
4) Solvent-based paints are ignitable and present additional hazards. These
products should not be disposed of down storm sewers, household drains or on
the ground. If you are going to leave them to dry out, do so in a well
ventilated area. Solvents used for cleaning tools can be treated the same
way.
5) If your project is going to take more than a day, don¹t clean your tools
out at the end of the day. Wrap them tightly in plastic grocery bags or
similar plastic sheeting and they will last overnight and often a few days
if you keep them out of the sun.
6) When you are cleaning out your latex rollers and brushes, before you
rinse them under the tap, scrape out all the paint that you can with a stir
stick or wall scraper or similar tool. By scraping or squeezing as much
paint as possible out of your tools before washing them you will make them
easier to clean and save the environment. When you are rinsing out
equipment, make sure you do it in a sink or similar drain so the waste gets
treated and does not go right into the ground and thus into a freshwater
stream.
7) Consider using quality water-based acrylic-latex paints. Pure acrylic
latex paints are increasingly used across a broad range of surfaces. They
are more environmentally-friendly and contain very low levels of solvents.
If you are using water-based paints over old solvent-based paints, make sure
you follow the label instructions for surface preparation -- usually a good
cleaning and light sanding.
Green Products To Consider
Two of Sherwin-Williams GreenSmart environmentally preferred products for
"green" interior home paint to consider (from Sherwin Williams Website):
Duration Home Interior Latex -- With its low VOC (volatile organic compound)
and lower odor properties, Duration Home Interior Latex is environmentally
preferred. Its waterborne formula and patented cross-linking technology mean
superior washability, so you can wipe away most stains easily with water or
mild soap. Duration Home resists shiny burnish marks and mildew, providing
the ultimate in quality and performance.
Harmony Interior Latex -- An ideal choice for environmentally preferred
interior house paint. Designed with anti-microbial properties, Harmony
Interior Latex offers a no-VOC, low odor and silica-free coating that allows
occupancy of newly painted spaces. The waterborne formula is available as
both a primer and a topcoat in egg-shell, flat and semi-gloss finishes.
CertaPro Painters operates across the United States and internationally. For
information on CertaPro Painters visit: www.certapro.com.
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