The concern for environmental sustainability has grown. In recent years, many businesses have turned to selling green products and painters are not an exception. Sustainable coating and painting have replaced the traditional ones.
How does this concern you? Why should you choose painting companies that use eco-friendly paint and not the chemical paint? What are the differences?
Below, you can learn everything about eco-sustainable paints and coatings and why NextGen Painters decided to use these types of paints.
What is eco-sustainable paint?
Eco-sustainable paints are mostly water-based. However, such paints don’t contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can be found in regular paints. Other than water, you can find materials such as citrus, lay, balsam and milk protein.
Furthermore, companies that produce these paints, such as Graphenstone for instance, do so in an environmentally-friendly manner, reducing the carbon footprint to a minimum.
The last thing that you need to know about eco-sustainable paints is that they allow your walls to breathe. And not only walls – people too.
Because there is no VOC, which can remain active up to five years after application, the air quality in homes and buildings is significantly improved. This is something you must consider if you want to paint your home, especially if there is a person with breathing difficulties.
FUN FACT: Did you know that people who are continually exposed to VOC are 40% more prone to lung cancer?
Removing VOC from paints and putting health first was enough of a reason for NextGen painters to start using sustainable paints and coatings.
Beware of Fake Eco-Friendly Paints!
Unfortunately, some paints falsely advertise as eco-friendly. By looking at the 3 things below, you can determine if the paint is eco-friendly or not:
- Check for the certified organic label
- See who certified it
- Read the ingredients
Most importantly, make sure that you find trusted paint producers and sellers and you will have nothing to worry about. We’ve already mentioned Graphenstone, but NextGen Painters have developed a tight collaboration with Romabio as well!
They have provided us with the top-quality paints throughout the years and they have always been transparent about ingredients they use and their manufacturing process. You can check their certifications on their website.
Benefits of eco- sustainable paints
We are slowly replacing traditional paints with the eco-friendly alternatives not only because it is “cool” to promote green products. With more advanced manufacturing techniques, and evolving resources, eco-friendly paints and coatings are more stunning and durable than traditional paints.
In the section below, you can read more about the benefits of eco-friendly paints and coatings.
Low and Zero VOC Paint 
By this point, you are familiar with VOC. The chemicals that are used in traditional paints leave behind an unpleasant odor and pollutants that reduce air quality in your home. As we’ve mentioned before, even when the paint dries, these pollutants remain. What we didn’t say is that VOCs are non-biodegradable and they cannot be recycled.
In the meantime, eco-friendly paints contain no VOC and they are biodegradable. Therefore, they produce much less waste and damage.
Minimal Environmental Impact
Although paints aren’t at the top of the list when it comes to the carbon footprint (we have much bigger CO2 emitters), they are still worth mentioning. If you think that there’s nothing you can do about pollution and CO2 emission, you are wrong!
Next time you decide to paint your home, simply opt for water-based sustainable paints and you’ve already done a lot.
Healthier Option
Most of us spend a lot of time indoors. The VOCs that are found in chemical paints stay active five years after you’ve painted your home. And most of us paint the interior of our house every few years.
This is a constant exposure to unhealthy chemicals! Over time, this can lead to respiratory illness and lung cancer. By using eco-friendly paints that are made from natural and environmentally friendly ingredients, you will create a safe environment especially for people who are struggling with asthma or other respiratory diseases.
Natural Materials
The materials that are used for eco-friendly paints are water, lemon peel extract, beeswax, seed oil, etc. These paints don’t produce any harmful emission during the manufacturing process.
Better quality
Overall, the quality of sustainable paints is much better compared to chemical paints. From production to application, these paints have proven to be a great solution. The boast superior color retention, abrasion resistance, viscosity and paint coverage. Having said that, the slightly higher price of the sustainable paints shouldn’t be a surprise.
Eco-sustainable floor coating
The same principles that apply for eco-sustainable painting carry over to coating as well.
We pride in providing both the residential and commercial services with different coating options such as epoxy coatings, decorative mosaics, polyaspartic floor coatings, etc. You can always read more about our floor coating services before you give us a call!
NextGen Painters are on a Mission
So far, you have learned the following:
- What is eco-sustainable paint;
- How to identify false eco-friendly paint;
- Benefits of using sustainable paint;
- Sustainability translates to coating as well!
Yet, we still haven’t answered the main question:
Why do we – NextGen Painters – use sustainable paint and coatings?
To answer this question, you need to learn more about us, something that isn’t featured on the “About us” page.
NextGen Painters are on a mission to:
- Provide top-quality service
- Build a sustainable business through efficient and affordable services
- Reduce release of microplastics in the environment
First of all, as a painting company, we are always looking to improve and find different ways to provide top-quality services. We do so by completing interior and exterior painting projects for residents and businesses. Other than that, we offer floor coating and cabinet painting services.
Secondly, we are slowly but surely building our business by exceeding the expectations. No matter the size of the project, we always do our best to keep the customers happy.
However, what we are proud of is the following point:
Reducing Release of Microplastics in the Environment
Microplastics pollution is one of the most pervasive emerging environmental issues that we face today as a society. Everything is contaminated – oceans, freshwaters, soils and air – with tiny plastic fragments, particles and fibers. This affects our lives and to help combat this, NextGen Painters use zero VOC paints for all of our projects.
We have already talked the benefits of using sustainable paints. They are undoubtedly better than chemical paints. Our company recognized this and decided to do its part. Painting homes is our passion. At the same time, by using sustainable paints, we are significantly reducing the release of microplastics in the environment.
What are Microplastics?
Microplastic are plastics with a size smaller than 5mm. They can be found in different materials and one of these are physico-chemical compositions which are used for paint production. Microplastic pollution is a consequence of the manufacture, use and disposal of such products.
Therefore, VOCs aren’t only problematic during painting. Chemical paints are emitting microplastics in the atmosphere during production, but also after the application. As we’ve already pointed out, VOCs aren’t biodegradable, which means that companies that use traditional paints do permanent damage to the environment in the form of microplastic pollution.
According to Forbes, Paint is the Largest Source of Microplastics in the Ocean. The article cited the study done by the Swiss-based Environmental Action (EA), which found that more paint is leaking into the oceans than it is previously thought.
Meanwhile, Pinovo chairman Declan McAdams said that everyone in the paint industry needs to wake up to this fact:
“We need a systemic change in the use and management of paint, now that these findings have shone a light on the extent of the pollution being caused. We warmly welcome the recent decision by the EU Commission to turn their attention to paint as a source of microplastics. This is a big step in the right direction.”
You can read the entire article by clicking the link above.
NextGen Painters takes this information seriously, which is the reason why we have been using eco-friendly paints from legitimate manufactures for years. It is up to all of us to look up to these standards and do everything that is possible to reduce microplastic pollution.
Guide to Choosing a Sustainable Painting Company
Now you are faced with an option. When you decide to paint your home, you can either find painters who use sustainable paints or chemical paints.
The differences between the materials used are massive:
- Zero VOC paints are biodegradable and chemical paints are not
- Manufacturing of zero VOC paints produces no CO2 emission and it is completely environmentally friendly whereas chemical paints emit microplastics during production.
- People who have breathing issues such as asthma may find it more difficult to spend time indoors when chemical paints are used.
- VOCs can be dangerous for children and elderly.
Although there is a large number of companies that uses eco-friendly paints, it is up to the customer to make the final call. The customers too need to be environmentally conscious in order for us to reduce pollution. This is the reason why we’ve decided to include this part at the end of the article and help you choose a green company for your next painting endeavor.
Transparency is Crucial
Look for companies that are transparent – the materials they use, paint companies which they cooperate but also pricing and experience. If you want to make sure that the company is sustainable, you can always ask them to tell you which paint they are using.
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned how you can check for sustainable paints and certification. This is an easy way to see if the company is living up to their promise. The best-case scenario is that they have this mentioned somewhere on their website.
Look for Experience
Working with sustainable paints is slightly different than using chemical paints. Therefore, you need to find a company that has experience in painting homes with zero VOC paints. Although conducting an Internet search is the easiest way to do so, you can also ask people who had their homes painted and find a company that works in the area.
Consider how long the company has run and operated as well. A long-established business has gained the respect of the homeowners and you will probably hear their name on multiple occasions.
Read Online Reviews
One of the ways to expand your search for the sustainable painter company is to read online reviews. This should help you determine whether you should or shouldn’t hire a company. A majority of online reviews are authentic and you should definitely take this into account.
Get a quote from several sustainable companies
Once you have a few recurring names, you need to start making calls. You can ask each of these companies to tell you more about how they plan to complete the work, when they are available, how long it will last and what the price would be. They will usually offer you a couple of options, depending on the materials they use, availability, the size of the project. Once you receive estimates, you will be able to make a final decision.
What’s your budget?
Last but not least, opt for the company that fits into your budget. You’ve come into this with a certain budget in mind and now you need to make a decision. Because of paint quality, sustainable painters will probably have slightly higher rates, but that shouldn’t worry you. You’ve learned all there is about sustainable paints from this article but also the dangers about microplastic pollution.
Based on that, choosing the painter for the job shouldn’t be that hard.
To Conclude
NextGen Painters are fully aware of the microplastic pollution and we are doing everything we can to take care of the planet and help others learn more about the benefits of eco-sustainable paints.
We started by explaining what eco-friendly paint is and how it is different from regular paint. Furthermore, we warned our readers that there are some sustainable paints that market as such, but are chemical paints with high concentration of VOCs.
By explaining the benefits of sustainable paints and showing the concerns of microplastic pollution, we want to motivate people, but also other painting companies, to make the necessary change and start to use high-quality and zero VOC paints and coatings.
Last but not least, it is up to the customers to complete the circle and choose a company that practices what they preach. With the short guide we provided, you should be able to find a reliable painting company in your area quickly.
If you are looking for a paint job in Forth Worth, you can quickly contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Ready for a paint job you feel good about?
Drop us a line today for a free quote!