Natural Paints - Seeking opinions & experiences

[SteveAndBelle]

Hi,

We're about to start renovating our old QLD'er and because we want to do it as 'Eco Friendly' as possible (which is the reason we bought a old QLD'er in the first place instead of building new) we're planning on using 'Natural' paints inside & out.

We know it's going to cost a fortune and we're fully prepared for that but has anyone else out there used 'natural' paints instead of the readily available highly toxic paints that are thrust upon us in all hardware & paint stores ?

I've got a few different sample pots of various types on their way up from this place : http://www.energyandwatersolutions.com.au/ and I'm really keen to see how easy they are to apply and most importantly how well they wear, especially on hardwood external weatherboards. I haven't got 20 years to wait to find out but I have been told that these natural paints have a longer life span than most normal toxic paints but I dunno and wont know until I try I suppose.

I have pessimistic & sceptic traits by nature so does anyone have any opinions/experience with natural paints ?? Any input would be helpful, thanks.

[silentC]

Didn't even know they existed.

I'm pessimistic and sceptical by nature too and that leads me to believe a couple of things about them. One is that they are probably overpriced to buggery because it's all a bit trendy at the moment. The other is that they probably wont last as long, otherwise everyone would be on to them.

Also, they say that their pigments are derived from naturally occurring substances but there is nothing on the face of this planet that is not likewise derived from natually occurring substances, so that's not really a valid selling point.

[SteveAndBelle]

SilentC, I know exactly what you mean ! Everything artificial must've come from something natural in the first place ... right ?!?

I think the difference is the actual base of the paint. It's derived from clays & natural plant oils instead of supporting the good ol' petro-chemical industry ... grrr ;)

Even modern 'water clean-up' paints are loaded with chemicals and any leftover paint is classed as 'toxic waste' ! It's difficult to believe but I did read it on the internet ;) No seriously though, it IS nasty stuff so we'd prefer to keep away from it if there's a more natural alternative.

We're not lefty greenies or anything (not that there's anything wrong with that) but we do enjoy looking into alternatives to the normal way of doing things to try to keep our environmental footprint & impact down to a minimum. We have done a few strawbale house courses and love them to bits but we weren't in a position to build one to live in as our main house when we were looking to move a couple of years ago so an existing timber QLD'er was our next best choice. The strawbale house can come later :)

Part of doing the courses was meeting loads of very interesting people with heaps of alternative methods of building etc. We heard from a couple of them that they had used some natural paint from Germany (yeah, great way to keep the eco footprint down ;))and that it was brilliant stuff but I'm still not convinced. VERY expensive too.

The 'trendy' comment could be true however from what I've been told these paints have been made for decades over in Europe so I doubt they're just a trend. Hopefully the 'trendy' greenies will start using them and if they prove themselves as good products they will get more and more exposure in the marketplace.

Maybe we can be the guinea pigs for using them in a 'real' domestic application :)

Steve.

[silentC]

I'm not thinking of the paints as being trendy, more the idea of people wanting to be 'eco-friendly'. I suppose that's a good thing. If people are prepared to pay a bit more to go the environmentally soft route, then that has to be a good thing. I just have the feeling that some businesses are cashing in on it. Why should the natural alternative cost more, when the materials are supposedly derived directly from natural sources? Why does it cost more to mine clay than it does to manufacture plastic polymers? Doesn't make sense to me.

If they've been around for that long, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting info on durability from impartial sources. Just keep in mind that the sun in Brisbane is a bit different to the sun in Germany ;)

[SteveAndBelle]

Yeah, I agree with the sun comment. Just look at the dashboards of 30 year old luxury Euro cars !

Yeah, there is a LOT of money to be made in Eco and Sustainable stuff these days but hopefully the more people who take it up the cheaper it will get. Look at solar hot water systems for example. I remember my mum and dad talking about them 15-20 years ago and how they were very difficult to retrofit and cost so much that it would take 20-30 years to get the initial investment back in energy savings. I saw somewhere recently that you can get them installed (I think) for about $2500 and that didn't even include the government rebates !! Amazing. It think it was an 'Edwards' system.

I think the 'age of industry' revolutionised so many thngs that the old 'friendly' ways of doing some things have been forgotten. Although the components are truley natural I suppose it takes someone a lot of mucking around and trial & error to create these 'new' Eco friendly products so they have to get their money back for their time investment somehow. I've got no problem paying the premium however I've got to know that the product is better than its 'nasty' equivalents otherwise I can't see the point.

Another problem we've got with 'Eco' stuff is why does it have to be so 'different' ?? Why does a sustainable house have to either look like a European chalet or something where a community of hippies live ? Why does the Toyota Prius and the old model Honda Hybrid car look like they just dropped off the moon ?? I don't get it. Why can't they just throw the impressive technology as an option into any of their cars ? I think they're just starting to do this now but it's taken them a long time that's for sure.

Anyhoo, I'll stop ranting now. Sorry. Back to paint !

Anyone else know anything about 'Natural Paints' ??

[SteveAndBelle]

Got my 'Natural Paint' samples today along with a few colour charts and some extra info on natural paints.

I'll update this thread once I get around to painting up a few things and leaving them outdoors to see how they hold up. I'll also do a small patch of plasterboard with the wall paint too just to see how it goes there.

One of the brochures was from Bio Products (an Australian manufacturer ... I think) and includes a large range of natural products including paints, varnishes, oils, waxes & adhesives. Goto www.bioproducts.com.au (http://www.bioproducts.com.au) for more info.

If anyone has any comments on these types of products please reply to this thread as it seems that there are a lot of us who know nothing about them. Who knows, they could be brilliant and the more people who use them the easier to get & the cheaper they will become.

[coastie]

Maybe you can ask one of our original inhabitants what they use, after all some of those cave paintings are fairly old:p

[Clinton1]

Leonardo da Vinci painted the Sistine Chapel with natural earth/mineral oxides and its still going strong... not much natural light on it though I guess. :rolleyes:
Seriously, 'milk paint' has been around a long time will probably last longer than your preferance for the colour of the paint. As you have said, the colours in the modern paint are derived from the same source... can't see why the same product in a natural carrier would fade faster? Milk paint needs a sealer if you want to avoid water spotting. The modern paints would be much more durable from a wear perspective, and easier to clean, imo.

[Kerryv]

Hi there, have a look at this link. Choice tests interior paints including comparing natural paints against other paints. BIO Wall Paint Interior HD gets the 3rd highest score.

http://www.choice.com.au/viewarticleasonepage.aspx?id=104535&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=1

Kerry

[SteveAndBelle]

Thanks Kerry, that's a great article.

I didn't get around to applying the samples on the weekend (too many other things to do) however as soon as I do I'll post up a short report.

Thanks again !

[PuppyPaw]

A lot of pigments in paints are no longer derived from natural sources and are created in a lab using lots of chemicals.

Most pigments in house paints are derived from chemicals also, but then there are also lots that are naturally found.
However Chemicaly created pigments tend to be more lightfast then natural ones.

all house paints (cept for the natural stuff) is made from chemicals.