Fact Sheet»

Description

Paints, stains, and coatings are a protection for materials from environmental conditions such as moisture, UV degradation, corrosion, and chemical attack. They provide interior surfaces with a functional finish which is more easily cleaned and maintained. In addition to protecting and preserving wood, plaster, and concrete materials, coatings have the ability to change the appearance of a room or a whole house by providing individualized color.

Recommendations

• Use products which have the MPI (Master Painters Institute) recommendation: A High Performance Architectural Latex or an Institutional Low Odor / VOC product. A list of products is available at: www.specifypaint.com/APL/paintinfo_APL/ProductIdxAlphabetical.asp
• Use products with low or no VOC content and water-based formulations whenever available and appropriate to the use.
• Choose products based on their total life-cycle cost, including durability and embodied energy.
• Use products with a high recycled material content when appropriate for durability and air quality.
• Select products that can be recycled and recycle unused paint.

Criteria Summaries

Cost: Moderate cost low- or no-VOC paints are becoming more widely available in a range of types, finishes, and colors. When choosing a coating consider durability and long term expenses associated with up keep of the finish. Inexpensive coatings can add to lifetime costs by adding additional cleaning (stripping and repairs) and recoating, resulting in higher costs more material use over the same time period.

Energy: Paints and coatings are still primarily petroleum-based and have high embodied energy from the process. Paints produced locally, if environmentally responsible, reduce transportation impacts. Paints can significantly impact the amount of energy required in spaces for lighting and can improve daylighting performance as well, if appropriately selected for reflectivity.

IAQ: Paints, stains and coatings have many components, including toxins which are emitted during production and installation. Some may include urea formaldehyde and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's). Many of these are additives used to improve performance or appearance, increasing durability or ease of application. The coatings industry has worked hard to develop low- or non-toxic products. Some of these formulations are base only, pigments added for color may add VOC's. Non-toxic, or low-toxic versions are preferable. In general, alkyd-based, or alcohol-based paints contain higher levels of VOC's than do latex or water based paints and should only be used where other considerations (stain or chemical resistance, high performance durability or special sheens) are of higher importance. Using recycled content products, which may have more VOC's than virgin products, can be successful if the spaces are properly ventilated, and the product is coated with a low-VOC surface coating.

Expected Product Life: Higher grade and performance paints last longer (up to 20 years for interior, and 15 years for exterior), which means you need to use less over time, thereby reducing overall impacts. Lower grade and performance paints may only last 2-6 years, and require repainting sooner. Products for heavy duty or severe conditions are still only available in solvent-based formulae and should be used if appropriate alternative finishes can not meet the necessary performance measure.

Practice: Paints, stains, and coatings all have manufacturer-recommended methods of application, including requirements for substrate preparation and primers. Materials used to prepare substrates (cleaners, strippers, sanders, fillers, etc. also have VOC components. These must be considered along with those associated with paints and coatings.)

Reminder: When disposing of unused portions of paints, offer them (if unopened) to reuse centers, salvage enterprises, or charitable organizations, or, if opened, send them to your local recycling program.