what are they?Natural, or 'eco-' paints are household paints, manufactured for interior and exterior uses, and also for floors and furniture.All paints contain pigment (colour), binder (carrier and a ‘glue’ for the colour), and solvent and / or additives (aids application, after which solvent evaporates); in eco-paints these tend to be natural rather than synthetic. Synthetic ingredients tend to be by-products of the petrochemical industry. Defining a natural paint is very difficult; manufacturers generally try to minimize the overall environmental impact of their products. When checking the can for ingredients, there is a range of environmental criteria to consider (see below) and a few pitfalls to avoid; for example, ‘organic’ often doesn’t mean that ingredients are from plants grown without chemicals – just that they contain carbon; this is true of natural or synthetic paints and is not necessarily ‘eco’. Also, natural doesn’t necessarily mean non-toxic; arsenic and lead have been used widely in paint manufacture. The common paint ingredient titanium dioxide is a naturally-occurring mineral, but there are huge environmental costs involved in its mining and energy-intensive purification process. what are the benefits?Manufacturers of natural paints try to reduce the environmental impact of their products in the following ways:
All solvents,
whether natural or synthetic, contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds),
which are given off when the solvent evaporates. VOCs are bad for
human health when inhaled – they can be toxic and even carcinogenic;
eco-paints tend to be low-VOC. what can I do?There are now plenty of different brands of natural paints on sale or you can make your own.Coming to a decision about the environmental costs and benefits of your paint is quite complicated; a range of factors have to be taken into consideration. Different manufacturers do better in some areas than others; for example, waste from the production of Aglaia and Auro paints is totally compostable. Natural paints are a bit more expensive per litre, but they go much further, and save time and money on maintenance in the long run; and what price would you put on your family’s health and a clean environment? Natural paints usually have to be applied to bare wood, and so windows and doors have to be stripped back; this is a one-off though - just a light sanding is needed when re-painting in future. Waterproof paints cause problems when they inevitably crack or flake - water gets behind the paint and can’t escape, so your wood begins to rot; eco-paints laminate to the wood, so can’t crack, and are breathable so any moisture can escape. Natural paints are also available for walls, and even for kitchens and bathrooms – waterproofing is provided by natural ingredients such as linseed oil. Go natural – don’t go for uPVC windows and doors. Apart from the fact that the manufacture of plastics is an environmental horror story, uPVC will eventually become pitted and discoloured in sunlight; well-maintained wooden doors and windows will last many times longer, and can be repaired easily. You can also purchase eco-wood waxes, varnishes, wood preservatives, and paint strippers (from LILI). resources
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eco-paints on doors and sash windows: Redfield Community changed from waterproof paint to eco-paints on all 195 windows on the house and stable block; only natural, breathable materials are now used – for example lime mortars and linseed oil putty instead of cement mortars or mastics
recipes are available to make your own paints from natural ingredients: see The Natural Paint Book
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