Organic Paints, an Eco-Friendly Option to House Painting

When I was younger, quite a number of years ago, my friends and I used to call people who were environmentally friendly and ate organic food ‘earthy-crunchy.’ I’m not sure where the name came from but I’m sure it had something to do with eating crunchy granola. Back then, products, such as organic paint, were non-existent.

Growing up, my dad was a paint contractor whose thriving house painting business was well known throughout southern Maine. Needless to say, I spent many summers during high school and college learning his techniques. I must say though, the smell of the fresh paint didn’t bother me one bit, but when I learned what it was doing to me, even well after it dried, I was shocked. Again, back then there weren’t many options, and if there were they were expensive.

About ten years ago, in an attempt to end my hum-drum cubicle existence, I packed up my belongings, sold my house and moved to the Bay Area of Northern California. With a need to combine my house painting and business skills I began a house painting business, and with the urge of a few new friends I started researching organic paints with Low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and found, at the time, they only came in pastels. Not necessarily good for Northern Cal, but probably good for Florida. Over time though, large paint manufacturers with brand names like, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams began offering their full color spectrum with low-VOC formulations.

When I moved to San Diego, just about a year ago, I wanted to continue working in the house painting field with organic paints. With the urge to ‘Go Green’ flourishing down here as well, I found a quick match with Eco G Painters.

Although I love house painting in San Diego and carrying on a sort of legacy from my father, the best part is educating people on what they expose themselves and the environment to. Most folks think, just like I used to, that as soon as the smell is gone the danger is gone. In fact, indoor air, in part due to high-VOC paint, is three times more polluted than outdoor air. The Environmental Protection Agency considers this to be one of the top five hazards to human health!

So, knowing that almost all paint manufactures now produce low to zero-VOC paints and finishes that are durable, less harmful, and cost effective, it just doesn’t make sense to do anything other than ‘Go Green’ with house painting.

Maybe those ‘earthy-crunchy’ folks were on to something!