Nobody likes the smell or clean up problems associated with oil based paints. Painter’s will use these products because they know that oil primers and enamels are often superior to waterbased products in some situations. Below are three of my favorite “green” eco friendly paint products.
- Waterborne enamels -instead of oil based enamel
Oil enamels have been used for years on the finest trim work because of their superior flow and smooth hard finish. The new generation of latex enamels are smooth leveling and have the look and feel of oil based paint. There are three of these new generation enamels that I like: Sherwin Williams ProClassic, Benjamin Moore waterbased Impervo, and Muralo’s Ultra.
Sherwin Williams ProClassic
Meets or exceeds the criteria set forth by LEED as defined in Green Seal’s GS-11,2002. The key with the ProClassic is to resist the temptation to over-brush it. You need to lay it on - lay it off - and leave it.
- Waterborne bonding primer -instead of solvent primers
Oil primers have great adhesion to most surfaces. They are real problem solvers for tough situations. The handy quick dry primers have a strong odor which requires good ventilation during and after priming. In addition to the odor, there is the clean up issue which require the use of mineral spirits, creating hazardous waste which must be dealt with. A simpler, greener way to primer is to use a latex primer. But, most of the latex primers fall far short of oil primers in terms of adhesion. An exception to this is the waterborne UMA primer by XIM Products Inc.
UMA by XIM Products Inc.
UMA (urethane modified acrylic) primer by XIM Products Inc. is a excellent substitute for solvent primers in most situations. Meets California VOC Rules for Primers. Most ordinary latex primers have poor adhesion to glossy surfaces, don’t sand very well or level out very well. UMA is not an ordinary primer.
As a bonding primer
Most of the best performing primers for glossy painted surfaces are solvent primers (Xim 400, Coverstain, Kilz, BIN etc…). There is one very good bonding primer that will surprise you with it’s adhesion: It is Xim’s UMA primer. UMA stands for Urethane Modified Acrylic. I have used this primer on all sorts of glossy paint and varnish with excellent results.
On new wood
Minimal grain raising and swelling. When water based products are used directly on raw wood, the water in the product can cause the wood to swell. This swelling will make the wood grain more pronounced. Grainy wood does not look as nice with a smooth coat of enamel over it as does non-grainy wood. While not as good as a solvent primer, such as my favorite interior wood primer BIN shellac primer, UMA does not raise the grain excessively. The amount of grain raising should be acceptable for all but the most exacting wood trim painting jobs.
Easy sanding. One problem with latex paints is that they don’t sand very well. Latex primers tend to gum up the sand paper and are difficult to to smooth. UMA is one of the best sanding primers you will use of any type: solvent or waterbased.
Interior / Exterior primer
UMA is an exterior primer as well, and can be used at temperatures down to 35 degrees (air and surface temperature).
- Low odor, no VOC interior paint
Standard latex paints are fine for most situations, but most contain small amounts of VOCs. Where you need to eliminate the VOCs totally, Harmony Paint is a good choice.
Harmony Paint
For walls and ceilings the Harmony line by Sherwin Williams is a good choice. Harmony comes in three sheen levels flat, eggshell and semi-gloss. This product has good hide and rolls out like any ordinary latex paint. Harmony® Coatings meet or exceed the criteria set forth by the U. S. Green Building Council LEED-CI, Version 2.0 and LEED-NC Version 2.2.
Note: Tinting any paint will add some VOC content to that paint. Universal colorants contain small amounts of VOCs.
A true enamel
Most ordinary latex semi gloss paints do not level out very well. They are designed really as wall paints that have a higher sheen. ProClassic is a true enamel. It levels smoothly on wood trim, giving you a sprayed-on-like look.
Non-yellowing
Oil paints all yellow in time. Some to a greater degree than others. ProClassic is non-yellowing. Whites will stay white.
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