Green is now main stream! And not surprisingly we continue to witness the greening of the coating industry. More stringent regulations which reduced the amount of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) permitted in paints, resulted in reducing emissions of potentially hazardous materials in the environment. The premise is that reducing VOC’s lead to improved air quality. In principle, reducing VOC’s in paints minimizes health hazards by reducing airborne pollutants; and furthermore, reducing VOC’s even reduces global warming as some pollutants could lead to the green house effect. As a result, typical (waterbased) architectural wall paint delivers approximately 4 times less emissions today than a comparable paint a decade ago.

Today the market place is a buzz with much more than compliant coatings. That is, coatings claims are going well beyond low VOC regulatory limits. Today we see a broad spectrum of technologies promising “green solutions”. We see some positioning of coatings from renewable resources. We see some effort for considering cradle to grave concepts and some renewed efforts around recycling and recycle content in paints (including packaging). At the same time we see a consumer, who on the one hand is more eager to use these green products, while on the other hand is skeptical – they do not believe that the greener products deliver performance comparable to the older conventional products.

In this newsletter, we take a snapshot of a few of the green technologies being used today in Coatings. In particular, we focus on the bookends, milk paint (derived from natural products) and high quality low VOC products (based on synthetic resins).

Milk Paint: This is an older technology that is experiencing some renewed interest as consumers look for green solutions. Implicit here is the fact that this is based on a non-petroleum natural resource. The coating is distributed as a powder and is mixed with water and other concentrates (including polymeric adhesion boosters) prior to use. The finished product has to be refrigerated after mixing. Milk paints are for interior use only. We had difficulty getting a smooth consistency upon mixing. And similarly, the paints exhibited poor application properties (brushing and rolling).
Brush-out of milk paint – sheen variation after drying, rough surface, poor flow. When diluted, however, they provided a unique finish on wood.	Brush application on pine molding – right side has one coat, left has two coats.

We believe this technology has a fit for authentic restoration, particularly as a stain, but saw very limited utility in broad wall applications.

Other “Green” Options:

Soy Ester Paints: We see this technology in specialty “green” stores. In this paint system a portion of the resin (from petroleum feedstock) is substituted with a renewable soy-based resin or additive. We will report on more recent product introductions in the future. Since this technology is based on an oil, yellowing could be a concern. And we continue to see a limited offering in terms of gloss and sheen levels.

100% Acrylic (low to 0 VOC) Paints: To better understand VOC’s in paints visit http://www.specialchem4coatings.com/tc/acrylic/index.aspx?id=environment. 100% Acrylic technology remains the most high performing, reliable, versatile and proven technology for low VOC residential and commercial markets. The latest technologies provide not only low VOC’s but exceptional durability, washability (stain and scrub resistance), and ease of application. Many manufacturers have come forward with specific recommendations on the latter – ease of applications. With lower levels of carrier solvent, workability and brush clogging can prove more problematic. A couple of prudent steps will ensure a quality paint job:

A. Touch-up and repair problem areas after paint is dry. That is, reduce the tendency to fix defects in wet paint.

B. Use care to keep the paint on applicators (brush and even sprayer) open. Many leading paint professional preserve their wet-edge on brushes by leaving them submerged in water or wet paint during breaks or interruptions.

For additional information on the performance and application properties of 100% acrylic paints, visit http://www.paintquality.com/contractor/newsletters/contNL0307.html and http://www.paintquality.com/contractor/newsletters/contNL0807.html

Using 100% Acrylic low VOC coatings, your painting projects will last longer and need less frequent repainting – making them an excellent “green” choice.