Help! Has anyone had any joy with eco-friendly paints?

If you read one of my previous posts, you’ll know what’s coming next. Painting. What else is there to occupy you once you are installed in a new place? Especially when confronted with purple walls in the bedroom and carrot orange in the study. No offence to the previous owner but things have got to change. Having browsed the wide range of green paint companies – Earthborn, Rendona, Ecos Organic Paints – I’ve discovered that they are all considerably more expensive than your bog standard Dulex. And I can’t help wondering if they work as well. Will the walls need redoing in a year’s time to prevent an orange/purple glow appearing? Comments on websites by people who have tried them hardly inspire confidence. Even one of The Guardian’s committed green columnists, who is making the tarting up a railway carriage the subject of her column, The Green House, gave up on finding a decent green paint.  Quite frankly, if a Guardian greenie can’t manage it, what hope do I have?

Meanwhile, my fella and co-painter says it’s not worth messing around with any kind of watery eco concoction thats cost more. I want to disagree. But has anyone had any positive experiences? When I covered this subject in the column, some months ago, I discovered Ecos Organic Paints is an award-winning VOC free paint company (click here for column). I’d love to hear from anyone who has tried any of its products.

Ps. Here is a thread on Treehugger about the best green paint (click here). Sadly the companies mentioned are all US-based.

Comments

[Peter Smart]

Anna,

I used two types of eco paints for the landing, stairwell and hall just before Christmas.

For woodwork I used semi gloss enamel Green Paint (coincidentally bought from the Green Shop, but not related, I think). Sadly in plastic container, but excellent next day delivery service (and even more impressive replacement when they sent the wrong colour). It worked fine with 2 coats on top of the existing paint. Low odour and brushes are water washable.

The other was ECOS Wall Paint Matt (5 Litres £28 + fast next day delivery) with two coats over existing paint. Really good that the container is metal and therefore recyclable. No Odour at all making it very pleasant to use. Water washable brushes - brilliant. Very happy. Have loads left over so perhaps you could use the rest of mine if it fits your colour scheme!

But you'll have to drop me a line in 5 years to find out the long-term result.

I was VERY impressed with the range of ECOS paints which includes "Atmoshere Purifying Paint" which removes volatile pollutants, chemicals and solvents from the air in your home down to 1 part per million. Wow. If you had breathing problems it would be well worth investing £94.72 for 5 litres of this magic.

I think these new and organic paints are great and will order more when required. Yes it costs more but using them is a pleasure and they don't fill your house with that awful smell!

Regards,
Your fan,
Peter

[Anna Shepard]

Thanks Peter - what colour is your paint? Good to hear positive reports about ECOS.

I should mention, too, that the last time I wrote about eco paints, I received a letter from Helena saying:
"I wish you had mentioned B&Q. They have taken the lead in quite a lot of these issues, from FSC timber to low VOC paints. They hardly publicise their stuff.
After all they are the only ones on the Greenpeace website with two green entries."
After my initial suspicion that Helena was a B&Q boss in disguise, I decided I should give her the benefit of the doubt.

[Peter Smart]

Aha, economy rather than ecology is capturing your attention here!It is Alabaster that really is white with an ever, ever so slight tinge of yellow.

There are quite a few good water-based, odourless paints available - both key criteria along with the colour. But they are still petro-chemical/oil-based I think (I'm no expert) rather than the soya and plant-based organic ones. A good objective for any household should be minimising the use of chemicals - for our health and that of the planet.

[neil]

We have also tried eco paints, both "Green Paint" and "Earthborn".

I would agree with many of Peter comments and it seems we are following similar footsteps.

My painting was recent, and continuing in fact, so we will have to wait for longevity results. We also got most of out paint from the Green Shop and had excellent service both in the shop and via mail order, including sorting out a redelivery. Also some Earthborn paint from the Old House Store.

Both Green Paints and Earthborn come in plastic pots, which is disappointing, as is the foam chip packing for the mail order delivery.

The painting itself - the Earthborn colours were a few months back so I don't recall exactly, but I think it was pretty easy to apply and nice to work with. The lack of pungent paint smell (the solvents used in normal paint) makes either a joy use. The Green Paints must be very, very well mixed, do seem a little thick at times (the brush strokes can show) and we had a mini disaster in one room painting over wallpaper. But overall very nice.

I have also used Treatex floor wax and Osmo stain/wax and both are much more pleasant than any normal varnish I have seen before.

I would also echo the other comment that in the normal shops some paints and especially floor treatments now have VOC labelling. It is possible to find very low VOC rating, but beware that LOW goes up to 7.9%, which doesn't seem that great.

[Ecosrights]

I've always found that Livos paints (I order them from ecomerchant are great. I use Albion (cheaper - in fact comparable with regular paint from B&Q) in most rooms, but Dubron in a room that needs a more hardwearing, washable finish. I've decorated 3 houses in their paint now - sometimes I buy ready mixed (the shop will mix it for you) or other times I've bought the pigment and mixed it myself to alter the tones / shades. A tip here - make sure you mix enough as you'll never get the same again for touching up!

I've found the coverage to be great and the texture is nice to work with (not too runny, or too thick). In fact, it's the best paint I've found for using on freshly plastered walls.

[Ross Harling]

I have read your blog and the links, and I think it is a shame about your own and your colleagues' experiences so far.
One of the reasons why people are dissatisfied with their first ecopaint experience is because the synthetic paint companies have spent billions creating chemical miracles and engineering incredibly complex product cocktails that work perfectly in almost all circumstances, and however ineptly they are used. BUT the price we are expected to pay is one that damages our health and that of our children as well as our climate and our planet.
We make a natural paint that works very well on walls, ceilings and bare wood, but Naturepaint won't do everything, and we don't tell our customers that it will.

[Maureen O'Connor]

YOLO is a zero-VOC paint company that comes highly recommended. I've not tackled my paint project yet, but this is the paint company that I would use.
If anyone's interested in knowing more about them, I blogged about them here:
http://www.alternativeconsumer.com/2007/02/16/zero-voc-paints-yolo/
Zero-VOC is definitely the way to go, as far as I'm concerned.

[Carrie]

B-Eco @ self-coat London
www.b-eco.co.uk (under construction)
info@self-coat.co.uk
0208 648 8230

B-Eco Paint launches

B-Eco is part of self-coat London Eco Paints, who have more than 30 years expertise in Eco paint production. Revolutionary technology combining ancient and modern alchemy resulted in the world’s first technology to manufacture highly durable paints - zero VOC, solvent, petrochemical and fungicide free. B-Eco recognise the fragility of our environment and that we all need to make conscious choices to ensure a positive future and reduction upon climate change. B-Eco believe that by offering alternatives to damaging decorative products one should not have to comprimise on any aspect of quality. self-coat have a consisitent and proven track record within the commercial sector which demands high specificity and durability. This motivated the launch of the B-Eco brand specific to the residential market.

B-Eco is a highly practical paint with a wealth of qualities often not associated with ‘eco’ paints. All products are designed for internal and external use on all surfaces – plaster, brick, wood, metals, stone, glass, slate, brick, roof tiles, glazed tiles, cardboard, cloth, paper and thatched roofs. The natural colour range has an excess of 600 colours.

B-Eco’s commitment to the ethical and responsible manufacturing of products begins with the sourcing of quality, sustainable ingredients through to mixing batches to order in an environmentally responsible manner. A paint company conscious of minimising impact to our environment at every stage.

Paint your world with conscience

[dp]

Hi there
I've used ECOS paints for over 10 years, and find them superb! Like painting with whipped creme, no horrible smells, clean up is faster, covers well, beautiful colours - the Dark Ice is fascinating in how it has a subtle range of colours that it moves in, according to the type of daylight. And I don't find them more expensive than Dulux, other than the Heritage line of colours, which most of my clients have found too dark. My clients have all been very pleased. Would never go back to using regular housepaint - Dulux is a drag.

[beca clarke]

ive been looking for a 'eco'varnish to cover our kitchen floor (wood), and have found that its a bit of a decision between your own health and the planet-ecos paints seem to be the only zero VOCs availiable BUT THEY ARE CHEMICAL BASED!!!!!!
watch out-the name implies they are green but, and i quote-i rang them- 'we're no different from ronseal really'
otherwise all ive found are natural wax and oil based varnishes but with (petroleum based usually) solvents.....
if anyone knows any different id be very grateful
beca

[beca clarke]

ive been looking for a 'eco'varnish to cover our kitchen floor (wood), and have found that its a bit of a decision between your own health and the planet-ecos paints seem to be the only zero VOCs availiable BUT THEY ARE CHEMICAL BASED!!!!!!
watch out-the name implies they are green but, and i quote-i rang them- 'we're no different from ronseal really'
otherwise all ive found are natural wax and oil based varnishes but with (petroleum based usually) solvents.....
if anyone knows any different id be very grateful
beca

[Mike Alizade]

I used eco-paints manufactured by Auro, a German make, and am so far happy with them. Although it's only 6 months since we painted, theyre still the same colour and they even smell of lemons in the pot.

I bought them from ecopaints in Braintree, Essex, and the matt emulsions were marginally more expensive than normal paints - however the cost of gloss was prohibitive (but i still bought them anyway)

[vanessa cooper]

eco chic by Oliver Heath a new range of colours was launched last week by earthBorn paints. There are 7 new colours with names such as muddy boots, wool blanket & lacewing. These are claypaints which are breathable, no odour & are totally toxin free. They are easy to use & have great coverage & can be good for people with allergies. vanessa cooper naturally is the first UK stockist of this range & you can see these colours & the full earthBorn colour range on the webite www.vanessacoopernaturally.co.uk. We also sell a range of wood treatments based on linseed oil which are great for an eco treatment of wood floors.

[bard]

ECOSPAINTSRIPOFF.COM

This site has been created to WARN people about Ian "I'm not a physicist I'm a paint technician" West at ECOS PAINTS and his bullshit claims over their "anti" E.M.R./E.L.F Radiation Paint.

Their Ecospaints Website Claims:

1) Shielding wallpaint is a permanent wall treatment that gives up to 99% shielding against ELF/VLF/EMR radiations and needs no special equipment or expertise

2) Available in 1L and 5L packs. Independently tested by POWERWATCH in 2005 to give 99% shielding of microwave energy at the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz mobile phone bands. POWERWATCH is the UK's leading pressure group on EMR.

3) ECOS EMR/ELF - (once overpainted) - can also be overcoated with wallpaper. Coverage - applied with a gloss roller or short pile roller - on a flat non porous surface coverage is approx. 14m² /L per coat:- one 5L can should be sufficient for an "average" sized room (14 x 12 x 8 ft.)
Two medium coats are better than one thick coat for shielding efficiency. For ultimate efficiency, the walls, ceilings and floors should all be painted, but often this is neither possible nor necessary

The Reality:

1) They have made two different and conflicting claims about their paints radiation shielding ability. One is a shielding capacity that effectivley means it could give 1% shielding. The other statement is an absolute meaning that the paint blocks 99% of radiation. This allows them to skillfully get away with any shortfalls in radiation shielding and refunds.

2) The best their anti radiation paint achieved was 95% and this was under controlled conditions YEARS AGO. These are the figures Powerwatch showed me. They fell out with Ian West) and HAVE NO AFFILIATION whatsoever with Ecos Paints.

3) 95% shielding is useless if you ware electro-sensitive and experiencing symptoms as a result of Digital Cordless Phones and WI-FI Radiation.

Symptoms can include: Sleeplessness. Waking up in the middle of the night with a mild panic attack. Tingling skin, Nosebleeds, Heart irregularites such as booming/pounding heart beat regardless of physical activity. This is WI-FI sensitivity.

4) Coverage per metre is open to question - I have heard of professional painters using short pile rollers and achieving half the coverage that Ecos claim...

5) Ecos Paints have not suprisingly already been brought to the attention of Lancashire Trading Standards before I made my complaint. (Mine for ineffective shielding. The best I achieved was around 75% radiation reduction. Measured using a German made GigaHertz Solutions H.F. 35C Analyser from the USA. Ecos have been made to state the frequencies that their paint can sheild out - 800 Mhz and 1800 Mhz.

Note: Even though I specifically told Ian West I required shielding from 2.4 Ghz WI-FI routers he never thought to mention that his paint had not been tested up to this frequency. "This was when I got the I'm a paint technician not a physicist" brush off/excuses) How convenient Mr West...

At no time did he ask for the remainder of the paint to be returned for testing to see if it was a bad batch, why doesn't that suprise me now...

6) The earthing instructions for their nickel based paint are DANGEROUS. They recommend bringing the nickel paint up to the aluminium casing of the backboxes of the electrical wall sockets and light switches.

DO NOT PAINT METAL BASED SHIELDING PAINT UP TO ELECTRICAL OUTLETS. LEAVE A 1 INCH CHANNEL AROUND SOCKETS.

As a result of using their paint the electric field from the wall (from wiring in wall sockets) increased from around 1 or 2 volts per meter to 25 volts per metre. Having put my bed back against the wall and slept in the room for 3 nights I suffered tingling sensations at the top of my head that have still not gone away months later - it is effectivley like being burnt, and I still had stray WI-FI signals waking me up.

The Solution:

1) Re-paint the bedroom using Carbon based paint available from www.emfields.org for HALF THE PRICE with shielding up to 18 Ghz.. Ecos nickel paint will only reflect any incoming microwave radiation - ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS. It is inferior at blocking higher microwave radiation.

2) Use bobbinet mesh silver nylon net curtains.

3) Paint celings as well as walls. If you do paint the floors you will have created a faraday cage and will need to make sure you have adequately earthed each surface or it could worsen your electrical sensitivity.

Good Luck,

Ian Solley

P.S. Mr West - Where's my money?