Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Volatile products
Recently I was asked to do a last minute favor for a friend, who is a fellow painter. He was in the middle of a time sensitive kitchen remodel where the cabinets were brand new, in an unoccupied home that was being “freshened up” for resale. The job entailed that the cabinets be primed and then painted with 2 coats of finish using white lacquer. White Lacquer! I haven’t used white lacquer in years. I went ahead and finished the job. The cabinets came out great, and in the process I realized a few things.
There is no reason to use Lacquer on cabinets anymore or any other volatile product that might cause anyone around to go running for the hills. There are so many low VOC, Water Based or Water born options available now. I hear a lot of complaining out in the field from painters who feel like their very livelihood is being threatened by the ever expanding California VOC laws. Sure there is a learning curve when something you have been working with most of your career changes over night. The truth is, that the Paint Products Industry has been adapting and changing with these laws to make comparable dare I say, even better products than before
Which brings us to the topic of Green Construction Products or “Enviro Coatings”. Even if you think Global Warming is a conspiracy invented by Al Gore and perpetuated by Hippie Zealots, you might not be paying too much attention to the environment in general. However, at some point you might want to think about your immediate environment especially when it comes to home improvements or remodels on your home.I was recently asked by a general contractor who was handling an interior remodel and repaint to paint the walls in a house including all the bedrooms. The paint was supplied by the contractor and the house was occupied. We used a normal Latex paint of good quality. When we had finished I was told that the two rooms we had painted were the children’s rooms, ages 4 and 7. Had I known the situation prior I would have suggested a Green Construction product. Even if the paint is water based and Latex Acrylic there are still plenty of VOC in that paint, certain Ammonias, Alcohols, and Catalysts that cause paint to dry and perform in extreme conditions, all of which are unnecessary for an interior wall in a child’s room, who by the way spent the night breathing all that fun stuff. Not our finest moment.
I would be remiss not to learn from my experience as well as educate others. When considering an Interior paint project, please be sure your paint specialist is licensed by the state of California, conducts himself in a professional manner and is current on all non VOC products. If in his proposal there is a suggested three night stay at the Quality Suites, I would get a second opinion.
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