ADVENTURES IN ECO-PARENTING

GREEN PARENTING EXPERT LEAH KLEIN HELPS YOU SPRUCE UP YOUR HOME GREEN HOME

FROM MILKWEED TO MILK PAINT: BREATHE EASY WHILE REDECORATING

Green Painting This month is all about paint options with less impact
on you and your environment. As the May flowers
bloom, so does our urge to start spring cleaning,
which then blooms into a desire to redecorate,
redesign and refresh our indoor living spaces.

One of the easiest ways to refresh a space or even an old piece of furniture is to give it a new coat of paint. But in order to keep the air inside as fresh as it is outside, not only do you need to crack the windows and let the warm air waft in, you have to choose your paint carefully.

VO Whats?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are solvents that are released into the air as paint dries. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some VOCs are suspected to be carcinogenic. The easiest way to think about VOCs is that “new paint,” “new car,” “new shower curtain” or “new rug” smell. That chemical smell is basically VOCs. The plastic, latex, glues and dyes are some of the culprits. Getting back to strictly paint, there are so many ways to minimize or eliminate VOCs with new paints on the market as well as some “old-fashioned” options that are more readily available.

Low-VOC Paint
When you look at paint, not only are you considering color, but you want it to be durable and wear well. The low-VOC paints aim to provide the same range of colors and be as long-wearing as “regular” paint.

I was able to test a few different paints. Those from Mythic (www.mythicpaint.com) go on very well and come in some great bold colors and softer colors as well. Mythic specializes in zero-VOC paint, which means that the base as well as the colorants used are VOC-free. The Land of Nod, Crate and Barrel’s children’s division, has paired up with Mythic to create a special line of paints for your child’s room, nursery or play spaces. Mythic also does color matching. More zero-VOC paint options are: The Freshaire Choice (www.freshairechoice.com) and YOLO Colorhouse (www.yolocolorhouse.com).

Olympic’s (www.olympic.com) standard Premium paint is a no-VOC paint, but their colorants are not. What you end up with is a low-VOC paint that is standard for any of Olympic’s Premium paints, which come in 1,200 colors.

Other low-VOC paints and stains include: Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint and Saman stain, Cloverdale’s Horizon and EcoLogic paints, Miller Paint Co., OIKOS paint and Timber Ox Green.

EnviroCoat_Leaf2 Serena & Lily have always been at the forefront of design for linens and fabrics. To coordinate with their gorgeous patterns, they now also offer a great line of low-VOC paints. There are some great neutrals as well as some richer colors and, of course, the signature Serena & Lily blue. The colors are gender neutral (as any color should be) and samples are available. For wet samples, you can purchase 4-ounce paint cans for $6 or you can buy dry samples that are poster-sized color swatches that can be adhered to a wall ($9).

Milk Paint and Food-Based Paint
Some of the oldest paints ever used were food-based paints. Milk paint, which historically is a combination of milk, lime (the mineral, not the fruit) and pigments from the earth, has a particular look. Milk paint is often slightly chalky and has a really soft finish.

If you are really adventurous, you can make your own milk paint with Martha Stewart’s recipe (www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/milk-paint-recipe).

The other choice is to buy your milk paint powder and mix it (www.milkpaint.com). The Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Co. has their milk paint, which is recommended for furniture, stenciling, toys, signs and other porous surfaces. Their SafePaint is a newer formula that is designed for nonporous surfaces such as walls that have already been painted or new Sheetrock.

Much more modern and also food based are the Anna Sova food paints. These are not strictly milk paints, but they claim that this paint smells like a vanilla milkshake. These are primarily food based and are made up of milk casein, titanium dioxide (which is controversial, as it may be carcinogenic but is found in many vitamins and some foods), food-grade bamboo cellulose (which is found in fiber bars), and food emulsifiers and preservatives (used in chocolate). This is a zero-VOC paint. Unlike milk paint, the Anna Sova paints apply to and protect surfaces like regular paint. There is no chalkiness. Real painted samples are available for a minimal fee. The paint chips have actual paint on them rather than a reproduction of the color.

So now that you have a few healthier paint options that benefit you and the environment, all you have to do is choose a color, pencil in a weekend and start redecorating.

More resources:

www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm

www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/affordable_low.php

Leah Klein is a compulsive redecorator. Every time her husband is away for work he's guaranteed to come back to a new furniture set-up. At the moment she is testing out milk paint colors for the new unfinished wooden cabinet she bought for the kitchen. Her daughter likes to paint with her, which is yet another reason to go green with paint! She writes and consults at Oh Baby, Boston!