by Daniel E. Walsh Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series
There's magic everywhere
When you're young & in love
Life seems to be (just a dream)
(performed by The Marvelettes)
Spring is in the air. Renewal abounds. People are hitting remodeling projects. That means paint—buckets of it. Hardware and paint stores are bustling. The market they support listens, as all markets must, to their customers. Many of those folks are thinking green.
Painting can be drudgery or fun depending on your point of view. Once as a young man, I had an opportunity to do a small paint job at a downtown restaurant for some quick cash. I didn’t quite see the opportunity and deemed the job a disruption of my serious partying schedule. I merged the partying and the painting, and giddily slopped my way through the project. I made a psychedelic mess on the floor underneath the shelves I painted. I showed off my leavings to a waitress and half expected her to join in the mirth. She quickly cold-dashed the hilarity with an annoyed glare and a simple question: why?
I didn’t have an answer. I’m still not sure what I was thinking. I’m embarrassed at the memory. Since then, though, I’ve taken painting more seriously. Recently, I checked in on green painting techniques.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs); no, they’re not fast food servings from the corner drive-thru or groups of free-range chicken-chompin’ truck farmers who scoff at government interference. They are vapor-emitting chemicals found in all sorts of products we use around the house and office. Evil sounding things like terpene and ketone are examples of VOCs found in some paints. These emissions can contribute to a condition called Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). The exclusion of these compounds in new high quality paints is a victory for those who asked: why? Why are they in there and can’t we do without them?
Of course, there are varying types of compounds in the paints used in households. Dark paint has more than light. A varnish would have a higher amount than latex wall paint. (Latex, by the way, refers to the paint’s aqueous dispersion properties and not the sap of the rubber tree.) Paints that used a lead pigment have been prominent in the news for years; the industry had started to phase out the lead for reasons not related and prior to the controversy. Better, less expensive pigments were available; sometimes that market thing works.
Green consciousness has found its way into this area. Many companies are offering non- or lower-VOC paint. The national hardware chain, Home Depot, features the FreshAire brand that has zero VOCs. One can even get recycled low VOC paint from the city of Boston. Another tip is to check the product’s Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) that should available at the shop.
Try this tongue twister: an example of inorganic hybrids are epoxy polysiloxane hybrids: coatings that lower VOCs, weather better, defend against graffiti, slow corrosion, and resist surface flame spread. (see Ameron Technical Presentations) .
The tricky part of making paint is that fluid is needed to spread and cover the surface and then the fluid (solvent) must dry and harden uniformly. This process is especially critical in polyurethanes that are commonly used to coat other applications such as wood stain. Low viscosity bisoxazolidine reactive is a diluent that enhances solvent systems while reducing VOCs (see RSC's Chemsoc). Some of these terms are a mouthful, but the paint industry can be seen to be responding to market demand across a wide spectrum.
A fresh coat of paint can revitalize a room or a piece of furniture. Making a decorative statement and improving your air quality at the same time is even better. Thanks to the changes afoot in the market and the rising to the desire to be green, you can make that happen! Painting can be fun and relaxing. Just try not to make a mess.
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