Recent Survey

A recent independent consumer survey of paint buyers <st1:country-region w:st="on"></st1:country-region> informs that a number of them are choosing the healthier option when it comes to paint, with 35 per cent of the survey’s total respondents stating they purchase low chemical paints for health reasons.

Is there a statistic for wood related eco friendly products?

I did a survey of a few woodworking shows a number of years ago and came up with the following info which has nothing to do with eco friendly or non eco friendly. It's all about the the gloss level of finishes.

Most of the men surveyed were woodworkers, the women on the whole were wives and visitors who were doing the buying. Below is a very rough shortened version of the survey which has long since been lost but is a pretty reasonable facsimile. The overwhelming response of the women was astounding, but roughly as I had sort of expected

Question: Do you prefer a gloss or satin/mat finish.

Men:
Satin/mat - 60-70%
Gloss - 5-10%
Oil - Balance%

Women:
Gloss - 85-90%
Satin/Mat &Oil - around 5% at all shows
Balance - not fussed or said something like what's a finish.

Reasons why they they chose that gloss level:

Men:
Satin/mat - easier to work with and hides a multitude of sins.
Oil - dead easy to use almost foolproof.
Gloss - Harder to use and showed up imperfections. Many said they used gloss because the wife said she wanted it shiny.

Women:
Satin/mat - Looks a bit dead, doesn't feel as nice, seems to gather dirt and dust easier, not as easy to clean. Needs to be waxed to make it look better
Oil - Feels oily, attracts dust, marks easily, no surface protection
Gloss - Looks clean, brightens up a room, more classy, easier to polish and keep clean, etc, etc, etc.

Please bare in mind these surveys were done around 18 years ago or more and in that time finishes and finishing has changed dramatically.

Cheers - Neil :U

That is really interesting Neil, it would be good to know if or how opinions have changed.