John Stein is into demolitions, but not in the way one might think.  The founder and president of California-based Kirei USA has a knack for finding the possibilities inherent in the unwanted.

This vision shows clearly in every Kirei product, including the newest line, Windfall.  These engineered panels are produced in partnership with Windfall Lumber, which takes Douglas & Hemlock Fir from deconstructed buildings in the Pacific Northwest and brings the reclaimed wood to fresh, new life.

“It’s great to reuse demolition material that would otherwise take up space in the landfill,” says Mr. Stein.  “Having it become beautiful wood panels is even better.  This is old-growth wood that just can’t be found any more, and we get to bring it to designers.”

Windfall is manufactured in the United States using low-VOC adhesives.  The reclaimed wood is milled into strips of differing width, which are then randomly stacked to form the panels and cut to size.  Panels are available either solid or 3-ply with a NUAF/FSC-certified core.  They may come unfinished, with a clear coat that shows off the natural grain, or stained and prefinished in Anthracite, Mocha, Ivory, and Leather colors.  The result adds to any interior.

And as Windfall gives stylish new life to reclaimed wood, so the other Kirei lines bring new purpose to certain types of agricultural waste.  Kirei Board, Kirei Coco Tiles, and Kirei Wheatboard use reclaimed agricultural fiber from plants commonly grown for food around the world.

After harvest, waste from sorghum (an edible grass), coconut, and wheat plants is usually thrown into landfills or burned.  Now much of this unused material is removed from the waste stream, reducing landfill use and air pollution while giving rural farmers a new source of revenue.  Rapidly renewable or FSC-certified wood are used as bonding strips, greatly reducing the need for newly harvested wood for building.

Manufacture can be more involved than with particle board.  For example, with Kirei Board the sorghum stalks are compressed, washed, and woven into sheets.  The latter are then stacked and heat-pressed with a formaldehyde-free adhesive to create blocks, which are cut to desired size.

Kirei offers a similar product made of Moso bamboo.  The plantations from which this fiber is taken are generally reclaimed farmland, which helps to preserve uncut habitat.  Panels are available in a wide variety of colorways, including the luscious looking new Chocolate, probably the favorite out of all the bamboo treatments that I’ve yet seen.

These four products are suitable for architectural millwork, cabinetry, flooring (though not in high traffic areas), wall displays or covering, furniture, and decorative objects – in short, any application where one would normally think of using wood.

To round out this versatility Kirei came out with their Canamo Hemp Panels.  These are made with a no-added-formaldehyde resin and reclaimed hemp hurd fiber left over from fabric & seed oil manufacture: over 70% post-industrial recycled content.  The panels are produced in 48”x96” size and are offered in a variety of thicknesses, all left unfinished so that designers may best tailor the product to individual need.  According to Kirei, the hemp panels may be used for the purposes above.  Ceiling panels are also available.

Collectively, the Kirei philosophy may yield several LEED credits for one’s project, which in itself is wonderful, but there’s much more to it that that.

The word kirei is a Japanese adjective signifying many meanings, including Clean, Pure, Beautiful, and Truthful.  Under John Stein’s direction the company strives to embody its namesake as an ideal.  His business aims to stimulate the economic activity of its source regions by providing new jobs at fair market wages.  By using recycled products and efficient, sustainable practices, Kirei works to lessen humanity’s impact on natural resources while contributing to clean, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing indoor environments… with a eye to the latter quality.

“Green has to be beautiful,” says Mr. Stein.

“If you’re going to do green for green’s sake you’re going to have a very limited market – people who have health issues or people with a conscience.  If you have beautiful materials that happen to be green, then really they’re open to everybody.  I regard it almost as a gateway drug to other green activities.”

With the visual appeal of the Kirei product, perhaps we’ll see many new converts to the sustainable ethic.  Let’s hope so.

~ Emerald

Images courtesy of Kirei USA.

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.

Sometimes an object is so stunning it can’t be properly caught on camera, and that is surely the case with Pietre Preziose, the latest surfacing material produced by the family-owned Italian firm, OKITE.  Pictures just don’t it justice.  As it is composed of natural quartz and resin, the translucent Pietre Preziose fills with ambient light from its environment and becomes truly luminous.  How brilliant is that?

This OKITE product, as with the rest of the company’s line, is available in a choice of thicknesses and can be cut and edged however needed for one’s project.  In addition to the lovely stuff pictured above, the company also produces a line of recycled surfacing.

OKITE product is available in a range of custom colors, from soothing white into earthy colors through bright, saturated tones and on up into deep, almost startling tones such as Prisma Blue Capri (pictured).

Everything the company produces can earn LEED credits.  Their surfacing does not emit any gas or VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and is certified by GreenGuard Environmental Institute.  Due to its high structural strength, OKITE product does not require any substrate of plywood, MDF, or composite wood – and, as the latter often contains urea-formaldehyde resins, this is good thing.

At the end of its lifecyle OKITE stonework can be crushed or recycled to obtain concrete or roadfill.  Stonework which has been cared for properly will retain its original finish and properties throughout its use, and so can be repurposed as flooring, vanity tops, backsplashes, windowsills, or mosaics… to name just a few possibilities.

But to really appreciate just how gorgeous this product looks, take a moment to browse around the OKITE website.  It’s worth the time taken.

~ Emerald

Ah, let the dancing commence!   This lustrous oak herringbone parquet, which might have been reclaimed from a Parisian apartment, country dwelling, or even – be still my heart – a creaky old chateau, is now available in the U.S.!

Imported by Exquisite Surfaces, this antique French oak flooring is not only beautiful and steeped in history, it is also FSC certified!

I love the juxtaposition of centuries old oak boards with sleek, modern walls.  Each element enhances the other so well, creating a harmonious whole, don’t you think?

There really is nothing like real age to give life to a wood floor.  No manner of machine work, or even hand planning is ever going to recreate the enduringly lovely texture you find in an authentic reclaimed floor.

Exquisite Surfaces takes care to ensure that all of their reclaimed floor boards are from actual floors.  No cut beams, old factory wood, or siding is used.

Happily, Exquisite Surfaces also offers an entire line of natural oils, finishes and waxes that emit low or no (zero) VOCs, so you can maintain the sustainability of your floor.

You can see more of Exquisite Surfaces wonderful FSC certified antique oak flooring here.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

Unfortunately, with all that scenery construction comes a lot of leftover scrap wood.  Enter Etsy seller duolocal to the rescue – stage left.

Part of duolocal’s Load-Out series, the Drop-Cut side table is constructed entirely of leftover scrap lumber from theatrical productions.  Finished with no-VOC linseed oil, this table has a cleverly designed notch, just perfect for large books to rest in.

Or, if you are a young superhero in training, it’s a perfect place to stash your cars to keep them out of the hands of your arch nemesis.  Awesome!

Visit duolocal’s Etsy store to see more of the Load-Out series.

Thanks for visiting – and have a great weekend!

Rachel

Today we are reviewing ECOS Paints, a product line that has been manufactured and sold in Britain since 1988, but only recently opened up manufacturing and distribution in the United States.  Available in a large variety of finishes and specialized application formulas, ECOS promotes itself as being solvent free, odorless, and free of all toxins.  In fact, it was invented by a paint chemist, Ian West, who discovered he was chemically sensitive after feeling ill for some time.  According to ECOS, their paints and varnishes are so pure you can actually eat them, although they warned they were still pretty nasty tasting, so I decided not to add that to the testing procedure!

Here are the results for what I did test –

Manufacturer:  ECOS Paints

Paint: Soft Sheen Wallpaint

Cost:  $49.95 for White and $58.95 for colors in 1.32 gallon size – retail (online)

Composition: Can include some or all of the following: Water, acrylic dispersion, vinyl acetate dispersions, titanium dioxide, pigments (various), thickeners – cellulosic and polymeric, barytes, limestone, clay, synthetic wax, dispersing aids (various)

VOCs: none

Certifications: EN71 compliant (Nursery paint only)

Color range: 108 colors, divided up into 8 groups

Coverage: Estimate 350 700 sf per 1.32 gallon can (corrected)

Testing results

Paint odor in can – Very little detectable odor, and none at all when more than 6″ from can.

Consistency of paint – Very thick and smooth.

Coverage – The first coat was enough to effectively cover up most of the existing dark tan paint, but a second coat was applied to fill in any small texture gaps.

Drying time – 30 minutes till dry to touch.

Odor after one day – None.

Adhesion after one day – No residue visible on tape after removal.  Tape did not affect painted surface.

Note:  Paint provided by ECOS Paints for our use in test.

Conclusion:  Very good hideability, and smooth, no splatter application.  Very nice consistency.  Odor is virtually none existent.  Especially good choice for those with chemical sensitivities or for use in a nursery or child’s bedroom.  White is the brightest and purest of all whites tested so far.  Definite sheen to paint.  Overall I was very pleased with the paint, and will consider it for future projects.

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.

To see previous paint reviews, please click here.

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.

It’s also home to the Martha’s Vineyard Furniture Company, whose specialty is making beautiful, sustainable pieces like the reclaimed barn board table above.  Part of their Agrarian Green collection, the Tisbury Dining Table is made to order in either the Antique Walnut finish shown above, or in the lighter Old Growth Oak with Driftwood finish.   There are also options for a turned leg, tapered leg, or even a breadboard extension!

Several of the pieces in the line, including the Lagoon Pond Kitchen Island above, allow for custom, environmentally friendly milk paint colors and finishes as well.

If you happen to be one of the lucky folks who get to while away the summer in Martha’s Vineyard, you should stop by Interiors Studio in Vineyard Haven where you may see examples from all three of the sustainable furniture lines Martha’s Vineyard Furniture offers, including the Many Shades of Green line, made of no-VOC painted Hevea wood (seen above), and the Olive Street collection of upholstered pieces.  For those not quite so lucky, all of the furniture is available online through their website.

So how did this company come to be?  Well, when you have an interior designer, an environmental consultant, and a retired business owner, all in the same family, it almost seems inevitable doesn’t it?  Says the company website -

“The beautiful Island of Martha’s Vineyard was the inspiration for our furniture. Each piece of furniture is named after a place on the Island and each color selected for our painted furniture is a reflection of how we see life on Martha’s Vineyard.

We think “Islanders” and “Wash-a-shores” alike would agree.”

Well, I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard, but if any of you dear readers have, please let us know what you think in the comments.

That being said, there were still a few cool things to look at, like the work of L.A. Box Collective…

I’m planning on a whole post on this great group of wood artisans soon, so I won’t get into too much detail.  Suffice to say, their exhibit asking you to match which raw, reclaimed wood was the source for which beautiful piece of furniture, was by far the most interesting and fun space at AltBuild.  Thanks Leigh for answering all my questions and showing me how much I still need to learn about wood!

I was also pleased to meet Sarah from Pacific Coast Teak, the U.S. importers of ProTeak, which I posted about a while back.  They had a nice display of some of the beautiful kitchen carts made from the FSC certified teak lumber.  Really lovely.

I’m going to have tot ake a closer look at this Woca oil I ran across.  It looks like a nice line of wood oils and stains that are extremely low odor and non-toxic.  Have any of you, dear readers, tried it before?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  I’m especially intrigued by the “color oil” stains.

Here’s an idea.  Take fast growing, FSC certified softwood, and then use a non-toxic technology to give it the properties of more durable hardwood.  That’s what the folks at Accoya have managed to do with their exterior grade product.  I saw a sample, and it really is quite remarkable.

And, last but not least, I give you the EnviroLoo – “a new American-made solar heated evaporative human waste system”!

And you thought I was only going to write about furniture and stuff…

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.