Least evil paint for a house

Our time is nearly up in NJ - yay! I want to leave the house in good order, not just to secure my deposit, but I like to think I'm a descent human being and our landlord has been good to us. I also want to leave a Permie legacy for the next tenant . . . so I'll leave the clothes lines and a few other bits and bobs.

Anyhoo . . . this got me to thinking about paint. I'll be touching up some dinks and also painting walls at my new place. I'm guessing the Permies order of decorating starts with 'do nothing' followed by 'make your own paint' . . . but them what? What's the least evil / icky commercial paint?

Hi Edward,
You don't get as many color choices, but I have heard really good things about milk paint. My wife doesn't like the shades of white that are available, but that is what they used a long time ago. I'm not recommending this company, just giving an example. I don't know anything about them other than they were first on google.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/

Another choice might be a lime based plaster (again, limited colors), but very breathable.

The forum has had quite a few threads about using milk paint though mostly about using it outdoors.

I watched a tv show this weekend in which the guy made milk paint to use on a table he was making.  He used a commercial product to add the color though I have no idea what it was.

This thread will give you some idea about some natural ways to make color:

https://permies.com/t/93469/art/earth-pigments-handmade-paint

And this is a recipe for Alis

"Basically it's a paint rather than a plaster and if you translate the word correctly it simply means "smooth."

I am looking forward to hearing what you decide to do.

I think it's awesome you're trying to leave a healthier situation for the next tenant! I wonder if things like milk paint or other more permie options are compatible with the (presumably) latex paint that already exists? From some brief googling, it sounds like a bonding agent is required first to get milk paint to adhere to latex paint. But I'm no expert, just something to consider. It'd just be a shame if you put a lot of energy into a better solution and it didn't work and/or the landlord wasn't happy with it and painted over it with yuckier paint anyways.

I know there's some "green" commercial paints, but not sure how green they really are. I know looking for no VOC paints makes it less awful to use the stuff and be around it once dry. You could look for paints that are greenseal certified here: https://certified.greenseal.org/products/Product/Paints%2C+Coatings+%26+Adhesives Seems like they have some decent standards that they require companies to meet.

I'm really interested in trying clay based paint next time I have an opportunity. It's not very weather resistant if my meager pre-research is accurate, but should be suited for a covered or indoor location.

I have always liked earth tones though, and I don't know how colorful you can get...

from;https://earthbornpaints.co.uk/faqs/
There’s no need to prime walls and ceilings before painting with Earthborn Claypaint and Lifestyle emulsions, unless there are marks or dry stains on the surface that are at risk of bleeding through the paint.
In this case, apply Earthborn Isolating Primer to block out these stains. If your wall is powdery to touch, you can stabilise it with Earthborn Wall Glaze prior to painting.
On absorbent surfaces such as bare plaster, apply a diluted coat of paint followed by a full coat.
For previously painted matt surfaces, simply apply the paint directly.

Being highly breathable, Claypaint is a hygroscopic paint that will ‘even out’ the humidity in a room by absorbing excess moisture.
It’s especially suitable for older properties and rooms that have suffered with damp, as it lets the walls breathe.
Being hygroscopic, the surface of Claypaint will change and the colour may deepen where it has absorbed moisture.
When allowed to dry out naturally these marks should disappear, although in some cases, for example if there are salts in the walls, some staining may occur.

After a remodel years ago, we used AFM safecoat no VOC paint. I liked how it worked, and the lack of fumes was fantastic!  
AFM Safecoat
At the time it there was a dealer just a mile from us... no longer.

I used organic linseed oil paint on my home exterior. It’s imported by <www.solventfreepaint.com>. It ships out of Rochester, NY. Even with shipping, the price is competitive with better USA paints. The creator is now the official painter of the palace of Versailles in Europe. He is no fly by night. It also has the approval the Swedish version of our EPA which has much higher standards. I love it. If put on new wood it can last up to 50 years. It can go over other oil based paint but the durability drops to what ever is on the bottom. I burned all the paint of my fixer upper so it was like new. It’s a joy to paint with and no toxic fumes.

A Swedish painter named Allbäch found himself and many others getting sick from the fumes of even the best paints on the market. He was also dissatisfied with paint that lasted only a few years then needed painting again. Long story short, he research all the ways the masters created their paint that lasted hundreds of years and came up with a linseed oil basedpaint made of flaxseed oil and earth pigments for colors. He also figured out a way to control the mildew that sometimes can be a problem with oil base paint. He patented it. It’s been around for a good number of years now. His success spawned several other companies also carried at the above site. You can buy premixed colors or buy all the ingredients separately to mix yourself if that is your thing. There is a decent choice of color, interior, exterior, stucco, and floor paints. I could go on and on about it’s good qualities. You can even use it on metal and to undercoat your car. On the left column of the website is a bullet pointed list of products. Towards the bottom are frequently ask questions and product information. You can get the details there.  I chose a barn red color made by using ferrous oxide (aka rust) for color which also protects from mildew. That’s why barns were painted red originally…so the hay wouldn’t mildew when stored over winter. Can’t feed mildewed hay to animals, they will get sick and die.

I wanted a nontoxic quality paint for my house like the originator of this thread. I’ve done much research and this is my best find. I’m an artist and graphic designer by trade and having been working with paints since helping my Dad paint houses in the 60s. Almost makes painting fun.

Funny coincidence, I was just looking into linseed oil paint too.  You would have to strip the latex but the people who sell the paints sell a cool infrared stripping tool which takes all the ugliness out of paint stripping.

Here's a quick info dump of my notes on this -

https://www.solventfreepaint.com/index.htm

https://www.solventfreepaint.com/faq.htm#surfaces

https://www.solventfreepaint.com/info/case_study_metal_roofing.htm

https://www.solventfreepaint.com/ottosson-paint/linseed-metal-paint.htm

https://www.solventfreepaint.com/ottosson-paint/white-titanium-zinc-linseed-paint.htm

1 Liter (1.05 quart)- 110 - 160 Square ft
3 Liter (.85 gallon)- 330 - 480 square ft


https://www.solventfreepaint.com/pine-tar.htm
at bottom - painting car tires to prevent uv damage
https://www.solventfreepaint.com/info/case_study_rubbertires.htm

An Ancient Pine Tar Recipe: Thinning with organic boiled linseed oil is recommended to obtain faster penetration and reduce stickiness.

Combine equal parts of our Pine Tar and Purified Organic Linseed Oil. Use this Organic Raw Linseed Oil Produced at our facility in New York State.
Heat to 80 degrees F and mix thoroughly.
Apply warm if possible.



https://www.solventfreepaint.com/info/case_study_metalroof.htm

greenhouse
https://www.solventfreepaint.com/info/case_study_fig_peach.htm


https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/linseed-oil-paints/linseed-oil-paints.htm


Linseed oil is a carrier which was commonly used in paint formulations until the mid-20th century, and is still often used in alkyd systems to make the paint more fluid, transparent and glossy. It is available in varieties such as cold-pressed, alkali-refined, sun-bleached, sun-thickened, and polymerised (also known as stand oil).

Exterior double wooden doors sheltered by stone portico
In many European countries, linseed oil is a traditional finish for fine joinery where protected from the weather.
The use of linseed oil paint can offer significant advantages over synthetic resin systems, not least in terms of longevity. According to some accounts it can last 15 years or more without maintenance. This is attributable to the fact that it is more ‘extensible’ (more elastic, less prone to brittleness) and can better accommodate shrinkage or swelling movements in wood before requiring maintenance.

However, such performance benefits seldom come without a price. In the case of linseed oil paints, they are more difficult to apply on account of their lower viscosity. Application is also labour-intensive due to the attention required to avoid runs and a propensity of the finish to incorporate dust and surface imperfections (nibs) because it tends to ‘creep’ over them.

Linseed oil paints must also be applied very thinly to avoid wrinkling on drying and have a tendency to skin in the can. Once cured they are softer and may have inferior resistance to surface abrasion, although this can be offset by fortifying the formulation with resin additives such as pine rosin, amber or semi-fossilised Kauri pine resin.

Arguably the greatest disadvantage of linseed oil paints is their tendency to disfigure on account of the growth of surface moulds and yeasts. This is probably caused by the paint allowing moisture into the substrate, enabling natural sugars, present in the wood, to migrate to the surface where they can be assimilated by the microorganisms, but it may also be caused by the build-up of dirt deposits which can provide another source of nutrients and minerals.

When used as a wood finish on its own, linseed oil dries slowly and shrinks little upon hardening. It does not deposit a discrete film over the surface as varnish does but is absorbed into the surface of the wood, leaving a shiny but not glossy surface that enhances the visual contrast of the grain of the wood. A linseed oil finish is easily repaired but offers little or no protection against scratching. Linseed oil finishes are less effective than paints based on synthetic resins at preventing the uptake of moisture, in either liquid or vapour form, into the joinery


https://www.quora.com/Can-I-add-regular-table-linseed-oil-to-oil-paints

Yes but….. it will really yellow your light colors. If that doesn't bother you then go for it. Artists grade is refined to make it as clear as possible. Stand oil is linseed oil that gotten even hotter for longer which further clarifies it and also thickens it and creates a stronger more flexible paint film.

FYI-artists grade linseed oil is less than 10 bucks a pint and a pint will go a long way. Like a a year if you use it regularily. One of cheapest oil painting supplies there is.

So all that said, I would recommend using stand oil thinned with a little turpentine instead of linseed.


I would be leery of anything called “table linseed oil.” The food-safe version of linseed oil is usually labeled “flaxseed” oil to differentiate it from linseed oil that is not intended consumption—and may contain heavy metals.

Linseed oil is a hardening oil, which is why it is used in oil painting and woodworking. To speed up the hardening process, drying agents—often including heavy metals—are added.

Food-grade linseed will take a long time to polymerize. You are better off using linseed oil designed for painting.


No, the linseed oil has to come in a very small, far more expensive can with a brand of art supplies logo and sold in that part of a store. That’s a facetious answer. Linseed oil is a bulk commodity product since it’s used in water sealing exterior wood siding and some furniture so buying it from a hardware store is always far cheaper and they’ll have it in many sizes as restoring a piece of furniture might take a few pints or a quart.

You likely know you’ll typically add other stuff to the liquid to accelerate drying, provide more gloss, etc. like varnish, cobalt dryer, etc. and whatever mixture you settle on as works best for you becomes a significant element in your paintings

As nice as your thoughts are about painting the rental, my concern would be what happens when the place needs painting later?  I know squat about painting, but enough that you can't do latex over oil (or is it the other way around?). Would milk paint or lime paint cause issues for the NEXT painter? Would it bond properly with the existing paint? Sounds like the last thing you want to do is cause your landlord headaches down the road, so you may want to consider the consequence of not using conventional paint on the place you are leaving.

Hi Permies - I am new to this group but felt compelled to reply to a post about paint and what may be environmentally friendly....Because I'm in a similar situation of having to paint interiors here in Ohio, I've been researching various companies now for months.  There is a South Carolina company, Ecos paint, that says that use of their product will actually improve the breathe-ability of your home.  At $85 per gallon, I'm not willing to take that chance.  And, if you feel you have seen a lot of green washing lately, another company called BioShield, says they use all natural ingredients with no VOC's, no matter what color - are you ready for the price?  $250 - $350 per gallon.  Totally unaffordable.  I guess I'll stick to Sherwin Williams newer paints that have very low VOC's and the price is around $30 per gallon.  Hope this info helps a bit and beware of greenwashing!  - Chris

Great information, thank you

I am using AFM Safecoat inside my tiny house. So far I have used their metal primer, their transitional primer, their interior paint, and their exterior sealer over their paint on my wooden floor. I'm still doing the floor so I can't tell you how durable it will be. I am pleased with the low odor, and the way it looks. I am in no way an experienced painter but seems okay for me.

SIDE NOTES:

Most all your old oil based paints were boiled linseed oil based, but some might use tung oil.

Boiled linseed (flax seed) reacts with the air, hardening it.  Until resins are added, it's a poor finish inside and a worse one outside,

Polyurethane is made from boiled linseed oil, or, if a high end finish, tung oil by partially polymerizing it and adding hardeners, usually, heavy metals.  

Using more oil produces what is called a long oil finish. Using less oil produces what is called a short oil finish.  

Long oil finishes are less durable, but are more flexible, to can shift with wood movement caused by the wood gaining and losing moisture, such as in nautical environments.

Short oil finishes are very durable and are used for floor finishes and furniture, because they can take a lot of abuse.



Trying to reinvent the wheel, that is, moving away from a latex finish, may not be as environmentally friendly as some would have us believe.  Durability is durability. For example, if a good latex paint (e.g., lots of binders and pigments) lasts, say seven years or even ten, but a so called "green" finish has to be done every couple years, the green product may become less friendly to the environment than hoped.  Part of that could be because it did not hold up, so allowed the base it was applied to to fail, or even allowed damage to the material being protected.

An example could be applying poly finishes to a cedar fence.  They have to be heavily maintained, on both sides and even the edges, or they go south quick. Then, refinishing them becomes a nightmare, because the old finish has to be stripped, before a new one can be applied.

Interestingly, straight non-hardening oil might be a far superior product for such situations - if the applications are aggressive early on, so the wood becomes saturated.  Once it does, the wood will not shrink from moisture loss, which causes cracking and splitting.  When you reach that level, you may only have to touch up the wood when it looks thirsty, SEVERAL years down the road.


Painted houses do not require full paint jobs as often as paint manufacturers claim. For example, assuming you like the color you have, the north side of your house may only need paint every fifteen or twenty years, because the sun does not break the paint down on that side nearly as quickly as it does the other. Then there is the morning sun side. It may need paint in ten years, because the sun doesn't beat on it badly. The south fares a bit worse and, for me the west end really takes beating.  

In summary, you can, depending on where you live, paint the west side in three or four years, the south in five or six, the west in seven, and the north can be left to the next generation (maybe not).
So, instead of having to put out several grand all at once, you can put out a bit of money here and there over nearly two decades.

Keep in mind, this is all variable according to climate and such. Wind will eat shingles, as it picks up sand and blasts them until paper thin (that paint gives it something else to beat on).  Moss needs to be knocked down, but even that pressure washer is like a year or two of horizontal rain.

Christine Flak wrote:Hi Permies - I am new to this group but felt compelled to reply to a post about paint and what may be environmentally friendly....Because I'm in a similar situation of having to paint interiors here in Ohio, I've been researching various companies now for months.  There is a South Carolina company, Ecos paint, that says that use of their product will actually improve the breathe-ability of your home.  At $85 per gallon, I'm not willing to take that chance.  And, if you feel you have seen a lot of green washing lately, another company called BioShield, says they use all natural ingredients with no VOC's, no matter what color - are you ready for the price?  $250 - $350 per gallon.  Totally unaffordable.  I guess I'll stick to Sherwin Williams newer paints that have very low VOC's and the price is around $30 per gallon.  Hope this info helps a bit and beware of greenwashing!  - Chris

Hi Chris, welcome to Permies. Apologies if I'm misunderstanding you, but this reads like you have a different understanding of greenwashing than how it is generally used. Greenwashing is when some entity sells a product or service, usually using shortcuts or inferior materials that are degenerative to the environment, and then advertises their product or service in such a way as to give the impression that it is beneficial to the environment.

The general market idea of 'normal' or 'affordable' is usually artificially low because of a general trend to accept 'externalities'- ways people or businesses cut corners and damage the environment as a consequence, so that they can pass along economic savings to careless, ignorant customers. As a consequence, people or businesses who choose to avoid those shortcuts need to charge more to meet their own expenses which are based upon environmentally responsible practices. The 'good' stuff will almost always cost more than normal if the market allows sellers to exploit the greater environment without consequence.

This isn't to say that something is better just because it costs more. That is where concerned people need to research and communicate about businesses and products like we are here. Or you can do something from scratch with people you trust and pay even less than normal (in money).