Non-toxic paint, from local sources

It’s mid-January, we are well and truly in the Nyoongar season of Birak (hot and dry), and headed towards Bunuru (hot, with easterly winds). We can almost feel the UV rays permeating the air, and the humidity is palpable.

Some of us are still working through our warm-weather home and garden edit, and perhaps painting and/or wood staining is on your list of things to do. And whilst there is a soporific kind of comfort in the warm night-air, especially on those balmy eves at the beach or in the backyard, we would much prefer to be breathing in the smell of sea and salt, than breathing in the toxic fumes coming off a freshly painted wall, or freshly stained garden gate.

As I mentioned in my article on the Paintback program, most commercial paint contains a high level of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which have the potential to cause serious damage to our health and the health of our environment. These can range from dizziness and nausea to cancer and even acid rain. Furthermore, VOCs can actually continue to be released into the air in our homes for literally years after first application.

My personal experience: currently (as in right now! I am writing this whilst I wait for the paint to dry) I am rejuvenating my garden gate, and I’ve needed to buy paint that contains VOCs; I’ve also bought completely non-toxic paint. I needed a metallic spray paint that would work on the metal frame of my gate, so I bought Dulux’s Duramax Bright Finish in Bright Copper Rose. I’ve sprayed one light coat, in the open air of my garden, which took me about 10 minutes to do — and I have noticed that my chest feels tight, and it’s harder for me to breathe. Comparatively, I spent a whole evening, a few months ago, painting a kitchen hutch in Fusion Mineral Paint’s Coal Black, coating it twice. I did this in my dining room, and I felt perfectly fine. So, it’s not just a scare tactic — VOCs genuinely do have an effect on us.

Many bigger companies (such as Dulux) are now creating more eco-friendly products, such as Dulux UltraAir. This is wonderful…in my humble opinion, anything that moves us closer to a greener way of living is a positive development. It’s even an Australian company, which I think is really cool.

But if you are keen on using a paint or stain with absolutely no toxins, and supporting small and local businesses in the meantime, here are a few other options.

Something Painted

Something Painted Chalky Finish Furniture Paint is a small WA business created to provide everyday people with an eco-friendly paint that has a chalky, matt finish and absolutely no toxins. The website promises that the paint will dry in 30 minutes, so if you are very busy (perhaps you are an entrepreneur?) but have a penchant for refinishing furniture, then a) I relate and b) this is a great selling point.

Only water is needed for clean up; it sticks to wood, paint, metal and brick; and no sanding or priming is necessary. Price-wise, it ranges from $16 to $54, depending on the size that you need.

I don’t yet have any personal experience with using Something Painted but I am going to give it a go when I upcycle two dining chairs that I purchased from the Salvos in Port Kennedy, for $10 each, so I will write a review then.

Fusion Mineral Paint (and stains, and gels…)

Whilst not an Australian company, Fusion Mineral Paint is still a family company stocked at a family company and that family company is very local. In fact, the same family company — The Upcycled Barn — stocks both this paint brand as well as Something Painted. (The Upcycled Barn also stocks a few more local paint brands that aren’t listed here: I strongly encourage you to head down to Bakewell Drive and check them out for yourselves.) Also, Fusion Mineral Paint manufactures their paint in their own home town, and provides a directory of stockists local to you.

Back to the paint, though…it comes as mineral paint, metallic paint or milk paint in the most delicious and prolific array of colours, a set of paints specifically for children, there’s a stain and finishing oil (SFO) that comes in 5 different shades, furniture wax that comes in 8 shades as well as 2 aromatherapy options, and 4 different specialty finishes — all of which are non-toxic, none of which need a primer or top coat (though they have that as well, for extra durability) and most of which are water-based clean up…

It’s interesting that the zero VOC products I’ve listed so far are all able to be washed up with water. I think it goes to show just how clean they are (no pun intended). But also, how simple to use, and how they contribute to simple living, too.

Fusion Mineral Paint has a massive array of other, complementary products. Prices are mid-range. For example, a 500ml pot of mineral paint cost me $44.

Ecolour

When my son was born, almost 4 years ago now, I wanted to find a paint for his cot (this was before I discovered the magic that is, for us, co-sleeping) but I was worried about the toxins in the paint. Ecolour was the answer that I found.

An Australian brand, albeit from over east, Ecolour’s paints contain zero VOCs and — how cool is this — they can be tinted to match almost any other manufacturer’s colours. Although I painted a cot with this colour, these paints are actually mainly a wonderful option for painting houses, as their range includes wall paint, wet area paint, paint for doors and trims, and a weatherproof exterior paint. Finishes include a low sheen satin and a Tuscan Flat. There’s a urethane for indoor timber floors, which comes in 7 tints, and a sealer for use on concrete and masonry surfaces.

Prices range from around $40 to around $250.

These are just a few of the options available, but as you can see, if you look beyond the obvious, there are so many eco-friendly, healthier options available.

I love to be educated, and I love to showcase local businesses. Can you please tell me: is there a locally made, environmentally conscious paint range that you would have liked me to list here? What about a local painting business that keeps sustainability in mind?

I hope this has been somewhat helpful, and has inspired you to choose a zero VOC product for your next painting project.