[Greenbuilding] Sealing in VOC's

[Mike O'Brien]

Hi, Irina--

We used Green Planet clay paints in our house and have been very  
happy with them. There is no discernible odor and the colors are  
wonderful.

We ordered several small samples and our painters tried them out on  
drywall and wood substrates. No problems.

The paint has a different texture depending on whether it is brushed  
or rolled, and you can see the difference along the tops of walls  
where the painters used brushes. It's subtle, though.

Meredith only makes the paints after you order them so allow plenty  
of time.

We used Yolo paints in high-moisture areas like bathroom and utility  
room, to be on the safe side.

Best,

Mike O'Brien





On Aug 13, 2007, at 5:43 PM, Irina Golfman wrote:

> Steve,
>
> I do not sell Safecoat paints and am not connected to AFM in any way.
> I do have chemical sensitivities and have used AFM products
> throughout my house. I am told that AFM transitional primer, if used
> according to the manufacturer's instructions (apply then wait for at
> least 8 hours before painting) seals in most of the VOCs. If this
> were my house I would bake it out for 3 days than re-prime with AFM
> transitional primer, than paint. Watch out for most low VOC paints.
> As Andrew already pointed out they can still be very harmful for a
> chemically sensitive person. I just discovered Clay Paint made by
> Green Planet Paints www.greenplanetpaints.com that looks healthier to
> me than the Safecoat paints. Haven't tried it yet and would be
> interested to hear if others have.
>
> Good luck,
> Irina
>
> At 01:59 PM 8/13/2007, Steve Hussey wrote:
>> I work for a Conservation District and one of my jobs is to advise
>> people on greenbuilding. I have been asked this question:
>>
>> The client has a wife who is very chemically sensitive and is
>> building a new green home. The builder specified, on my
>> recommendation, that low VOC paints and finishes be used throughout.
>> The painters came in and primed all the drywall walls with Rodda Varr
>> primer that is high VOC (106 gm/litre. They claimed that people only
>> specify low VOC paints to be 'green' and that using a regular primer
>> is fine. Sigh.
>>
>> The client has asked the question as to whether the VOCs can be
>> sealed in before painting with the low VOC paint, or whether there
>> are any other options. My gut instinct is: Sealing in the VOCs will
>> reduce off gassing but make it take much longer.
>>
>> Maybe he should heat and ventilate the house for a set period prior
>> to occupancy to off gas as much as possible? They do have a whole
>> house HRV to ventilate year round.
>>
>> Maybe they should rip the drywall out of the bedroom at least and use
>> fresh drywall and a low VOC primer. I doubt they can afford to rip
>> all the drywall out.
>>
>> Any thoughts? Any way to measure VOC offgassing in the finished
>> building?
>>
>> Steve Hussey
>> Natural Resources Planner
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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