Considering the environment when painting your home is an effective way to bring an eco-friendly approach to your next renovation.
Whether your painting project will be DIY or through a local painting company, there are several eco-friendly steps you can take throughout the project.
The paint industry has been improving its environmental footprint with new product offerings, reduced waste, and improved energy efficiency. These processes will improve, and Pro Works aims to be an industry leader for years to come.
Read on for our insights for “green” painting. To learn more about preparing for your next home painting project, read our article on what to ask when choosing your residential painting team.
There are several aspects to consider when looking at the environmental impact of your painting project.
First, consider the upstream effects of painting your house. This includes everything that goes into the production of the products that go into a painting project.
Buying paint from a company with expressed environmental goals is the best a consumer can do when considering upstream effects. As this article from the Dulux website states, the minerals and chemicals used to make paint use significant resources and result in emissions.
The typical consumer can have a much greater impact on the downstream effects of a painting project, which is what happens to a product after its disposal.
In addition, the effects during the use phase of paint (during the process of application) can also be influenced.
When looking for an eco-friendly paint, consider the base used to formulate the product. Water-based and plant-based paints are a safe bet. These products will have lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have a significant effect on air quality when used either inside or outside.
VOCs are the “paint fumes”, which come from chemicals added to paint to improve its open time and freeze-thaw resistance.
The painting industry has adapted in recent years to offer more low and zero VOC paints, in addition to paints made with alternative ingredients like milk proteins, clays, balsam, and other minerals that are considered biodegradable. These products are typically more expensive, but have an immediate environmental impact at the time of application.
As a painting business owner, it can be useful to advertise the use of low and zero-VOC paints in your projects, and not just because clients will notice less paint fumes left behind.
Proper planning for a painting project can help reduce the amount of paint and material wastage. Although online paint calculators can help determine exactly how much paint to buy, there is no substitute for expertise and experience.
Pro Works Painting brings over 30 years of experience to the job, and this know-how is best represented through our estimating process (to learn more about this and more, visit our FAQ page). Even if you are DIYing your next painting project, you can take the following actions to improve the sustainability of your process.
Once the final coat has been applied to your wall, the cleanup process begins. Now, there are plenty of opportunities to reduce downstream waste.
First, any reputable local painting company will know to recycle both finished paint cans, and any unused paint. Most DIY-ers will take this step too. A 2021 study showed that 77% of Canadian households took leftover paint to a depot or drop-off centre.
Another study by the American Coatings Association reports that over 97% of waste solvents from paint and coatings manufacturers facilities are reclaimed for future use, showing that industry members are adjusting their practices too.
Use the resources on the Product Care website to find an appropriate drop-off location in any Canadian province. You can also get in touch with your local hardware store to determine whether they have a paint recycling program in place.
There are plenty of opportunities to cut down on painting material waste. Treat the following points as a checklist for your next project.
Reducing packaging waste: Many paint products advertised as eco-friendly will come in recyclable or biodegradable packaging.
Increase lifespan of brushes and rollers: Try out new techniques for washing used painting implements to cut down on both material and water waste. Vancouver Carpenter from YouTube does a great job of explaining this in the video below.
Reusing plastic and paper drop sheets: This is a great way to save on the cost of materials, as long as the drop sheet hasn’t become damaged. Canvas drop sheets can be washed and reused, and will show much less wear than plastic.
You can gain a lot of satisfaction from finishing your next painting project, and not just because it has been on your to-do list for too long.
A thousand sustainable painting projects have a significant impact on a community, and you can be a part of it.
Your indoor environment will be affected less, and there will be less waste, pollution, and other negative externalities introduced into your local environment. These practices don’t end when you complete your project – they can be incorporated into your regular maintenance as well.
Read our article on maintenance for your residential paint job to learn more, and keep an eye on our blog for more useful information about the painting industry.
Interested in getting in touch about a painting job? Get a quote from us today, and take advantage of our free estimate program.