Most people today recognize that the need to take care of the earth is greater than ever before. People are buying more fuel efficient automobiles and switching to longer-lasting, energy saving light bulbs. As home owners complete improvements, they are finding more options available for creating an earth-friendly house. Specifically, there are more choices when it comes to eco-friendly interior paints.
As with nearly any eco-friendly product, there are advantages and disadvantages to these newer products meant to protect humans as well as the earth. Here are some things to consider when you decide to “go green” with your interior walls.
Pros
* At the top of the list of reasons to use eco-friendly interior house paint, is the fact that paints are now available with low to no VOCs. VOC stands for “volatile organic compounds”. Don’t be mislead by the word “organic”. These chemicals can potentially be carcinogenic and range from nauseating chemicals such as ammonia and acetone up to the very dangerous formaldehyde. Since the VOCs are now very limited or are not there at all, indoor pollution is eliminated, making a safer work environment for the consumer. To top it off, VOCs are usually responsible for the strong odor associated with interior paints so this is an added bonus to eradicating the VOCs.
* In addition to getting rid of VOCs, eco-friendly interior house paint is generally made with water instead of chemicals. Although store-bought earth friendly paints typically have fewer chemicals than standard paints, most are not available in a chemical-free form. However, if you study the labels, you can find paint products that have significantly fewer chemicals than others.
* Another positive attribute of eco-friendly paint is that they do not contain heavy metals. This is important because heavy metals are responsible for a very wide range of minor and serious health issues.
* It is also possible to make your own earth-friendly paint. And, these DIY paints are typically cheaper than their store-bought counterparts.
Cons
* It costs manufacturer’s money to research and then supply a product that is more earth-friendly. Unfortunately, that cost is passed along to the consumer so “green” paint typically costs quite a bit more than standard paint.
* Although “green” paint does come in more than just green, colors may be limited. However, manufacturers are working hard to expand these options, and finding the color you want may is easier today than just a few years ago.
You may be surprised at how definitively the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to eco-friendly interior house paint. Thanks to new government regulations and a higher consumer demand for earth friendly products, the options available continue to grow in quantity as well as quality.
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Christine Cooney
Christine has over a decade of experience as a house plan and floor plan expert. Outside of providing her expertise to customers to help them find and build their dream homes, her passion and knowledge of the home building industry allows Christine to guide families and builders through all of the important steps from finding plans to building custom homes that meet the expectations of today’s new home owner. Christine’s years of knowledge of the diverse trends and needs of the modern homeowner has made her into an authoritative and trusted voice in the online house plan community..