Go to the local – or chain – hardware store and take a stroll to the paint section, where rows upon rows and literally thousands of color choices may await customers. What’s in that paint?  In many cases, that information can be more than difficult to unearth.

In the vast majority of cases the base material is latex, supplemented by a witch’s brew of chemicals to achieve consistency, color, and so forth, produced with petro-chemical or synthetic ingredients.  The result, whatever the formula, is often toxic.  Who wants that?

Florian Speier and Jessica Pfohl are among those looking for something more.  Out of frustration at the “greenwashing and lack of ingredient transparency in the paint industry,” the husband and wife team founded Unearthed Paints with the determination to help change the industry.

“We believe that consumers have a right to know what ingredients are in their paints,” proclaims the company website.  “We proudly list all the ingredients in our paint on the front of every label.  We hope that other paint manufacturers will follow our lead so that consumers can make informed decisions about the paints they bring into their homes.”

So, what’s in their paint?  Unearthed carries natural paint, meaning paint made with ingredients such as earth & mineral pigments, marble, clay, and chalk.  The medium  comes to the consumer accompanied by a full ingredient disclosure.  It is truly 100% VOC-free and biodegradable.

While clay and mineral paints have never gone out of popularity in Europe and Japan, here in America such natural finishes have been largely forgotten.  Florian and Jessica hope to change that.

After months of relationship-building with the German company Kreidezeit, arrangements were made earlier this year to begin importing the latter’s natural finishes to the U.S., where the product was rebranded for American consumers.  Unearthed Paints was born.  Now its creators are in the building process, attracting vendors and the attention of the press, with the aim of winning some market share away from an industry dominated by latex paint.

There are six types of paint offered by the company.  Four are sold as dry powder, to be mixed on site: clay paint and its thicker variation, clay roll-on plaster, Vega Paint (a vegan update on traditional milk paint recipes), and plant glue paint.  Pit lime paint and Gecko Paint are sold as liquid bases.

Similar care is taken for remainder of the product line.  On offer are three types of plaster in various textures, two natural wood finishes, along with primers, thinners, and a selection of pigment used to infuse color.

The goal of sustainability is carried into every aspect of the business, even unto consideration for energy use.  While many of the ingredients in conventional latex paints – such as petroleum products and titanium dioxide – require an energy-intensive process to produce, natural paints, in contrast, are minimally processed and made with ingredients which are abundantly available (clay, chalk) or recycled (reclaimed Italian marble).  To complement to this sourcing, Unearthed’s paint is manufactured in a carbon-neutral facility and shipped via carbon-offset transport.

The founders of Unearthed also translate their philosophy into action through their Rainforest Pledge: a program currently dedicated to helping preserve the rainforest in Paraguay.  For every square foot of Unearthed paints, plasters, or wood finishes purchased by a customer, the company will purchase one square foot of rain forest and donate it back to the Enxet and Ayoreo tribes, which are indigenous to the region.

Details of the pledge can be found at the Unearthed Paints’ website.  Once there, wander around a bit and learn about this inspiring company, which is definitely (pardon the chestnut) walking its talk.

Campaign Desk in “Revolution Red” by Etsy seller abodewell, made of reclaimed wood.

Hand embroidered pillow by Lost City.

Oceanside Glasstile in Red.

Harmony Art’s organic cotton fabric in 40 Ginkgos.

Recycled glass vase from Spain.

Graham & Brown’s paint in Double Decker Red.

My best wishes for a very Happy Valentine’s Day for all my wonderful readers (who put up with so much).  Now, go out there and stuff your faces with chocolate!  It’s really what today is all about – right?

Designed to coordinate with their wallpaper collections, this flat matte finish paint comes in wonderfully British sounding colors, such as Double Decker Red, Nice Cup of Tea, and Stiff Upper Lip.  But the names are nothing compared to the ultimate anglophile packaging…

Yep, there is no mistaking the country of origin here!  I swear, I’d want to order a can of Police Box Blue just for the fun of looking at it sitting in my office (while rockin’ out to The Clash’s London Calling of course).  Or maybe I’ll just paint myself my own TARDIS (yes, I’m a bit of a geek).

Although there are only 30 colors in the palette, they seem well edited, with some good neutrals and several wonderfully intense brights.  And at only $35 a gallon for a 2.5 liter can ($5 for a tester pot), you may just find yourself painting your own Yellow Submarine.

Manufacturer:  Benjamin Moore

Paint: Natura Interior Waterborne Paint (color – White)

Cost:  $49.99 per gallon retail (online)

Composition: Water based acrylic latex. Contains acrylic latex, titanium dioxide, nepheline syenite, kaolin, silica (amorphous), diatomaceous earth

VOCs: 0 g/l (grams per liter)

Certifications: GreenSeal, Greenguard

Color range: All Benjamin Moore colors available.  Tinting will not affect VOC level.

Coverage: Estimated by mnf. at 375 – 425 sf per gallon

Testing results

Paint odor in can – Typical latex paint smell, but undetectable beyond 3″ from can opening.

Consistency of paint – Even after repeatedly shaking can, paint remained separated, and had to be vigorously stirred to create a smooth texture.  Once homogenized however, paint was fairly thick and smooth.

Coverage – It took only 1 coat to cover existing dark tan paint

Drying time – 30 minutes till dry to touch.  Did not need to apply second coat.

Odor after one day – Undetectable

Adhesion after one day – Virtually no residue viiable on tape after removal.  Tape did not affect painted surface.

Note:  Paint provided by Benjamin Moore for our use in test.

Conclusion:  Very low odor and excellent hideability.  The average room would only need a single gallon to cover most walls, making the $49.99 price tag a lot more affordable overall.  It is also a plus that the paint can be tinted without changing the level of VOCs.  However, the paint does require a great deal of stirring to achieve a smooth consistency.

Note: We chose not to apply paint under ideal conditions, including the use of a primer, so your results may vary.  To read more about how we approached our review process, please read this post.

If you have any experience with this paint, please feel free to add your comments below.  The more people who share their knowledge, the more useful these reviews will be.

Manufacturer:  Sherwin Williams

Paint: Harmony Interior Latex Flat Paint (color – Extra White)

Cost:  $36.99 per gallon retail

Composition: Water based acrylic latex. Contains titanium dioxide, nepheline syenite, vinyl polymer, calcium carbonate, kaolin, mica.  Formulated with no silica.

VOCs: Less than 2g/l (grams per liter)

Certifications:  Greenguard, Good Housekeeping

Color range: Most colors are available.  Sherwin Williams’ “Blend-A-Color” tinting can add to VOC level.

Coverage: Estimated by mnf. at 350 – 400 sf per gallon

Testing results

Paint odor in can – Smells like the tempera paint we used as kids.  Odor undetectable more than 12″ from freshly opened can.

Consistency of paint – Smooth, slightly thin, light splatter

Coverage – 2 coats just covered existing dark tan paint

Drying time – 45 minutes till dry to touch.  Waited recommended 4 hours before applying second coat.

Odor after one day – Very faint, almost undetectable

Adhesion after one day – Applied clear tape to paint.  Some residue showed on tape, but did not affect surface of painted wall.  Tape was hard to remove at first.

Note:  Paint provided by Sherwin Williams for our use in test.

Conclusion:  This paint is definitely low odor, and has the added benefit of being anti-microbial.  Other than the vinyl polymer, the paint basically consists of water and ground minerals and rocks (see composition above).  Because it is slightly thin in consistency, I imagine this would do very well in a sprayer, which coupled with it’s relatively low price point, might make it ideal for larger projects and painting contractors, as well as those looking for an affordable option in no-VOC paint.  However, I would advise using primer before trying to cover a darker color of paint.

I really like the fact that Sherwin Williams took the time to redesign their can as well as their paint.  The can is 100% post consumer recycled resin (plastic), with a label made of 75% recovered fiber and 25% post consumer waste, printed with soy ink.  You can read more about their GreenSure environmental program here.

Note: We chose not to apply paint under ideal conditions, including the use of a primer, so your results may vary.  To read more about how we approached our review process, please read this post.

If you have any experience with this paint, please feel free to add your comments below.  The more people who share their knowledge, the more useful these reviews will be.

Manufacturer:  Dunn-Edwards

Paint: Enso Interior Flat Paint (color – Tintable White)

Cost:  $55.48 per gallon (some discounts available, please inquire with store)

Composition: Water based acrylic latex. Contains titanium dioxide to boost hiding ability of paint. MSDS indicates no reportable hazardous ingrediants.

VOCs: Less than 2g/l (grams per liter)

Certifications:  MPI Extreme Green

Color range: Virtually entire standard range of Dunn-Edwards colors, with the exception of several deep reds.  Pigment can add to VOC level.

Coverage: Estimated by mnf. at 300 – 400 sf per gallon

Testing results

Paint odor in can – Typical latex paint smell, but unnoticeable if more than 8″ from can

Consistency of paint – Smooth, medium flow, slightly gummy.  No spatter experienced.

Coverage – 2 coats to cover existing dark tan paint

Drying time – 30 minutes till dry to touch.  Waited recommended 2 hours before applying second coat.

Odor after one day – slight latex paint smell when less than 2″ from wall.  Otherwise, no odor noticeable.

Adhesion after one day – Applied clear tape to paint.  Only faint residue visible on tape after removal.

Note:  Paint provided by Dunn-Edwards for our use in test.

Conclusion:  This is still a very new paint on the market, and as such it is hard to get a gauge on what is happening in the field.  Based on our try out, this is a good choice for the casual painter who is looking for a no-VOC option that is fairly affordable and readily available.  I’m happy that this new line is available in (virtually) all of their colors.

Note: We chose not to apply paint under ideal conditions, including the use of a primer, so results may vary.  To read more about how we approached our review process, please read this post.

If you have any experience with this paint, please feel free to add your comments below.  The more people who share their knowledge, the more useful these reviews will be.

A green finish that meets today’s standards set by petroleum-based finishes can be a bit of a conundrum.  Mainstream furniture and cabinets are normally sprayed with nitrocellulose lacquers, varnishes, and the like.  Icky and stinky as they are they really protect the wood by basically coating it with a layer of plastic.

A few years back, water based polyurethane finished came out as a green alternative but, like anything new, they were slow to be accepted.  There were complaints that they were hard to work with and the color was off but the manufacturers listened and solved these problems while at the same time making these water based finishes even more safe for the environment.  A finish that I’ve wanted to try is Vermont Coatings Poly Whey, available locally in Southern California at Livingreen.  Polyurethane finishes do require some work to apply nicely so they add some cost to a project

That being said, my favorite finishes are natural plant based oil finishes, which in my opinion, are the greenest finishes one can have next to no finish at all and are really easy to use.  Usually tung or linseed oils are the base, sometimes both.  These oils naturally dry and seal without nasty chemicals.  Spray finishes leave a film over the wood while oil finishes treat the outer layer keeping the texture of the wood intact.  Add a little bees wax and you have a silky soft finish with a great natural wooden feel.

There are a lot of environmentally safe oil finishes available now.  To keep things simple I wanted to choose one and make it my go to finish.  When I lived in San Francisco the folks at Eco Home let me sample every can of green finish that they had open by wiping some on strips of wood that I had brought in.  I took them home and did everything I could to mess up the finish by spilling wine, scratching, keeping glasses of iced water on them overnight, and so on.  None were impervious to my abuse but one stood out as very durable and also had the best color, AFM Safecoat Naturals Oil Wax Finish.  It has a warm amber tone, soft feel, workability, and dries fairly fast.  I also like matte finishes. Too much shine and you can’t see the grain of the wood.

Oil finishes can be vulnerable to moisture damage from spills and such but fortunately an oil finish is easy to repair.  Just lightly sand the problem area, apply some oil, and wipe off the excess.  Easy.

So, in conclusion, I think the best finish for kitchen cabinets or furniture that will be exposed to food and drinks is a water based polyurethane.  For everything else I recommend saving money and use a plant based oil.  They are easy to repair and look the best.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about eco friendly finishes for your furniture.