New Painting Technology Is Green

By Author: Leonard Simmons
Total Articles: 152
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A painting service today, like every other home improvement service, is expected to keep pace with the green movement. The paint manufacturers are making great strides in producing safer products for residential and commercial use. Even latex paints have substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds or VOC’s that are toxic to humans, pets and wildlife. Manufacturers are now providing paints with little or no VOC’s although the less safe products are still on the market.

The VOC’s in paints are substances such as toluene, benzene, mercury, formaldehyde and glycols. Released into the air they can cause headaches, respiratory difficulties, dizziness and nausea. In the first four days of drying, these fumes become adhered to curtains and carpets where they linger for some time. Some research has shown them to cause fetal distress and low birth weight. Once released into the atmosphere the vapors contribute the ground level ozone which causes smog a leading cause of respiratory illness.

To avoid the hazards of VOC’s, which are even higher in oil based paints than Latex, the right choice of a painting ...
... contractor is a good place to begin. An experienced green painting contractor will be knowledgeable in green technology and methods. Check for the following when hiring a painting contractor:
• Use of low VOC latex paint whenever possible. These paints are readily available from all the major manufacturers like Glidden’s Lifemaster 2000, Sherwin William’s HealthSpec and Benjamin Moore’s Pristine EcoSpec TM.
• When the use of oil base paints or primers is necessary, which it is at times, what are the painting contractor’s disposal methods for rollers and empty cans and cleaning of equipment?
• What is the contractor’s general method of washing out latex rollers and pans and how does he dispose of empty cans. Manufacturers of bio degradable paints claim that their leftover paints can be thrown out with the household trash. Be advised that not all green paints are biodegradable.
• Is he certified in lead paint remediation? Houses painted prior to 1978 may contain lead based paint. These paints as they chip and flake introduce toxic lead into the living areas of the home. Lead has been known to cause learning difficulties in children and problems with pregnancy among countless other issues. A green contractor should have the means to identify and remediate the lead problem if it exists.

Going green with an interior painting service or any home improvement project says much about a persons concern for the health and well being of their family and also a concern for their role as a steward for the planet on which they live. It is fortunate that in this era of global warming debate that there are green products available that do make a difference in the overall wellbeing of the Earth and all its resources. There are green roofs that save energy made from sustainable resources, windows that provide insulation in summer and harvest sunlight in winter, siding products that keep out the cold and keep in the heat and now safe, environmentally friendly paints. When you make your home remodeling a green one the world will benefit from your caring.

Want to learn more about an interior painting service?

Get more information: http://www.socazpainting.com.com