Safe paint / Guides

...paints, replacing them with solvent-free or water-based paints. The move towards safe paint has led to a noticeable improvement in indoor air quality since the mid-seventies, and better even in the last decade. But paints based on petrochemical solvents still represent over half the paints on the market. Using natura...

...paints. Supplies Needed: Drill with paint mixer attachment Mixing bucket Flour Borax Fine sand (optional – gives a more adobe/natural look) Natural Earth Pigments Natural paint pigments can come from different earths, plants and inert safe mineral compounds © Natural Earth Pain...

...safe indoor air quality such as choosing safe paints , how to make your own natural paint , non-toxic and natural wood finishing oil , living green walls in the Ecohome Green Building Guide pages

...paints , or even how to make DIY non toxic paint here in the EcoHome Green Building Guides

...safe removal of old paint, as it will most likely contain lead. If picking it up from a salvage yard its worth asking if they offer a sandblasting or paint stripping service. It's much easier if you purchase any reclaimed doors before you design and construct rough openings, olders doors tend to be of widly varying s...

...Painting: Most paints contain VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are harmful to breath , so look for those that are VOC free. Buying 'low VOC' paint is a bit like buying 'light' cigarettes, whereas zero VOC is more like quitting. It's not that much more money for zero VOC, and watch for the colourants as well - so...

...paint. There are many safer alternatives on the market now than the toxic paints we used to apply to our walls. For more information see our pages on safer paints , or you could even make your own DIY safe no VOC natural paint with our guide here . Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is one of the more commonly found contami...

...painting – sure, we can all use a paint roller, but can you do it as well or as quickly as a professional? Now apply that thought to something you plan to learn along the way, be it plumbing, drywalling or installing kitchen cabinets. Unless you plan to make a career of it afterwards, there are learning curves that wil...

...paint it with a latex paint only. This technique of rigid and batt insulation may require a few more steps, but it can offer you a greater R value per dollar invested than SPUF and it allows you to do a lot more (or all) of the work yourself. For reasons beyond just performance, we prefer mineral wool or EPS over...

...paint it with a latex paint only. This technique of rigid and batt insulation may require a few more steps, but it can offer you a greater R value per dollar invested than SPUF and it allows you to do a lot more (or all) of the work yourself. For reasons beyond just performance, we prefer mineral wool or EPS over...

...safely store higher levels of moisture than most materials . This can be a hard concept to grasp at first, so think of it the same way thermal mass absorbs and releases heat (meaning - the way stone, concrete, wood, water, substances with a lot of mass absorbs and holds heat). When relative humidity levels inside your ...