Natural Paint, Eco Paint, Organic Paint?
Lately these terms have been bandied about freely, but what on earth do they mean? Do they all refer to the same products or not? Well the short answer is no they don’t. To tell you the truth we don’t know what ‘Organic Paint’ actually means or how to identify it so if you happen to find out we’d be much obliged if you’d let us know.
What about ‘Eco Paint’? We think that it’s an understandable term and we could describe our paint as eco paint, but we think it’s too general and the risk is in separating the wheat from the chaff, the pretenders from the genuine articles. A plastic paint manufacturer could argue that their paint is more ‘eco’ compared to another plastic paint, but we would say aha, but we still don’t want your petrochemical plastics thanks very much. I think you can guess where this is going now can’t you!
"Natural Paint" is our description of choice. Our paints are natural because they are made from sustainable natural ingredients such as plant oils and tree resins. Some of our products do contain a small amount of synthetic ingredient, but don’t worry because we’ll let you know if and why we’ve deemed these products worthy of a place on our illustrious shelves. We think conventional paints made using unsustainable synthetic petrochemical ingredients are certainly not natural, but what do you think? Why not send us an email and let us know your thoughts on the matter.
But….. but….. but there must be some mistake because conventional water based paints are OK- aren’t they?
Wow, where should we start…ok here’s the thing, ‘water based’ should really be called ‘water borne’ because in most non solvent born paints water carries the other ingredients. These ‘other ingredients’ can include a very wide array of natural and synthetic constituents from simple clays and pigment through to petrochemicals such as toluene, xylene, formaldehyde etc. So the short answer is NO, water based paints are various in their ingredients and toxicity with some actually containing more chemicals then the solvent borne products they replaced.
Why do many Natural Paints last so long - should we be offering a 10,000 year guarantee?
Natural paint is born out of careful consideration for many things. The first steps were taken by semi naked club wielding types who started painting the walls of their caves several thousand years ago. Many of these paintings are still visible and marvelous today showing quite simply that they can beat the y-fronts off any synthetic paint you may care to mention in an endurance race. In fact we are not sure any petrochemical paint has lasted more than a few decades without cracking, flaking and peeling. Any self respecting caveperson would turn in their barrow if they thought their paintings would only last a few years.
We are not saying the Natural Paint we sell is the same as the caveperson's and we won't we drawn into offering 10,000 year guarantees just yet either, but there are undeniable similarities. The similarities are that we too use naturally occurring ingredients as close to their original state as practicable. Like the cave paint our Natural Paint works in harmony with the surface onto which it is painted allowing it to breath and in the case of wood, moving where necessary with changes in humidity and temperature. Many petrochemical paints get so hard that they become brittle which is why they crack, flake and peel. Although it may be a bit earlier to tell whether petrochemical paint will still be on the wall in thousands of years time, particularly as it was only invented in the 20th century, we think the smart money is on no way, no how, not on your Nellie! It will probably have fallen off the wall, but unfortunately it will still be polluting the environment.
Oil based or water based?
We are all agreed that the use of crude oil derived ingredients in paint must be kept to an absolute minimum or better still avoided altogether. Our debate therefore must be about whether paint should be natural solvent borne (e.g citrus or pine) and high in sustainable plant and vegetable oils or whether it should be water borne, but contain some oils or should we try to avoid the use of oils altogether?
It is now possible to buy Natural Paint for virtually every purpose with some manufacturers opting to use plant oils and plant solvents while others shun those ingredients completely. We believe that both have their place on the 21st century paint shop shelf to give consumers a choice depending on their priorities. As long as the ingredients used are sustainably sourced and healthy for people and the environment (about VOCs and solvents) then the question comes down to performance off the brush, longevity and ease of use. Making the right choice will depend on the surface you are decorating and your particular requirements. How long you have to complete the job etc.
Technical support
We understand that ‘New’ and ‘Different’ can be a bit scary especially when you’re parting with your hard earned cash for a pot or two of ‘natural paint’. Well there’s no need to worry because our paints are easy to use (provided you read all instructions and prepare properly) and while we can’t prevent you from spilling it on your prize Persian rug, we are here to offer assistants where ever we can so don’t panic, read all instructions, data sheets and help sheets (preferably before you begin) and if you run into trouble and need further advice you can send us an email to info@ieko.co.uk. We will do our best to get back to you within 8 working hours with the fruit of our experience.
Why we love Natural Paint
We love the way Natural Paint can transform any space into a warm, friendly and comfortable environment. There is no easier and more cost effective way to transform a home or office than by redecorating with Natural Paints from IEKO
Here are some more reason we love Natural Paint:
We love Natural Paints because rooms painted with them feel healthier and more comfortable.
We love Natural Paints because they reduce our dependence on crude oil. Conventional paints rely heavily on petrochemicals for their binders as well as other ingredients and we think the global environmental damage to say nothing of the human cost makes reducing its use of the utmost importance.
We love Natural Paints because they are healthier and more environmentally friendly from production to application.
We love Natural Paint because it they are a pleasure to use. We love the fact that we can decorate without feeling the ill effects of synthetic chemicals.
We love Natural Paint because we can decorate a room and don’t have to wait for any smell to clear before we use it.
We love Natural Paint because it doesn’t cause breathing problems or aggravate asthma or allergies.
We love Natural Paints because they are produced ethically and support an ethical way of life.
We love Natural Paints because they are better for buildings, allowing them to breathe and working in synergy with many other building materials.
We love Natural Paints because they are excellent value for money. Yes, they can be a bit more expensive then some basic conventional competitors, but that’s because the ingredients used are of such a high quality and such care is taken in their production. It may surprise you to know that they can be considerably cheaper than some ‘designer’ conventional brands. What you are not paying for is an expensive marketing campaign, fancy labels and excessively extravagant promotional material and sponsorship. At IEKO we offer honest products of superior quality for an honest and fair price. We hope you agree.
We think you have probably guessed by now that we are extremely enthusiastic about Natural Paints and what we do. We think you will love them too so we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for you to buy and use them. Please do get in touch with any questions, suggestions or comments about Natural Paint and the way we sell it. Positive or negative we’d love to hear from you!
Petrochemicals in paint - It’s a question of appropriateness you see
At best the use of petrochemicals in paint, in anything other than the smallest quantities, is irresponsible. We make this bold statement because crude oil (from which petrochemicals are derived) is a precious finite, unsustainable resource and should therefore be conserved and only used where it is absolutely indispensable. An example of a vital and valuable role played by petrochemicals is in the manufacture of plastics for medical purposes where unique compounds save lives. Spreading this precious resource all over our walls makes us turn our noses up in disgust and strut indignantly away. Now for the more serious and disturbing case against using petrochemicals in paint. At worst, petrochemicals used to excess are life threateningly toxic to humans and the environment as well as playing a major role in climate change – possibly the biggest challenge of our time and we’re not even attempting to exaggerate!
Natural paint reduces our dependence on petrochemicals from crude oil. Most paints rely heavily on petrochemicals for many of their ingredients. An example is the use of synthetic plastic binders such as acrylic and vinyl. Petrochemical derivatives such as plastic is a finite resource and should be used when no renewable alternative will do such as in the medical industry. We also think that living in a space decorated with healthy natural ingredients is preferable and ‘feels’ better than a space decorated with conventional plastic paints.
Say NO to plastic paint
You probably didn’t know this, but the majority of paints are plastic including all the major brands. Plastics have their place, but we don’t think covering your walls and ceilings in them is one. We see little difference between applying conventional paints to your walls and covering your three piece suite in plastic – both were very modern and ever so chic in the 1950’s and 1960’s – but dare we say a bit passé today!
VOCs – Natural and Synthetic
Natural solvents such as citrus oil do have a strong odour and release VOCs into the atmosphere. Although currently Natural VOCs are treated by law in the same way as synthetic VOCs, we think there are differences. We find ourselves biased in favor of Natural VOCs because they are part of the natural environment (the scent of a freshly peeled orange or the aroma of pine in an evergreen forest are both examples of Natural VOCs) and humans have evolved in an environment containing these natural VOCs.