How do I know if I am using eco-friendly paint products or packaging? What are the harmful compounds and ingredients I should look out for?
They will normally be packed in foam, plastics, have staples or velcro to secure them and have excess packaging. Possibly with rubber or plastic handles or others coated in varnish or other paint finishes. Look for the ‘FSC’ letters on wooden handled products and recycled signs or other ‘sustainable’ comments on the overall packaging. See if your paint products or other supplies are made from recycled material or come from sustainable sources, ensuring that all products can be recycled and best of all compostable, not just biodegradable.
What can I do to ensure I am more eco-friendly when decorating and renovating?
Ensure you remove as much paint from your tools before washing them to prevent contaminating waterways. Don’t pour waste paint down the sink. Choose paint and tools that are sustainable and made with the environment in mind. Look after your tools and reuse them rather than buying a new set each time. Buy better quality products they’ll ‘pay’ you back in the longer term!
Can using eco-friendly products really make a change?
Yes, using eco-friendly paint products that have been made with the environment in mind really do help.
See also: The Perfect Paint Job
Can you explain the different type of brushes and their best use for decorating?
There are different bristle type brushes: natural bristle which is used for oil based paints, synthetic bristle which is used for water based paints and mixed bristle which is used for both types of paint. There are different styles of brushes, a straight brush for general purpose painting and an angle sash brush which has an angle on the end of the brush and is used for cutting in corners, around windows, along skirting and is great for furniture.
Which is better—natural bristle or synthetic brushes?
The best brush to use with today’s water based paints is a mixed bristle brush, as these have a small amount of natural bristle which will help the brush to hold the paint but without creating lines in your paint work as synthetic bristle are required for a smooth finish with water based paints.
What’s the best way of cleaning my equipment?
For all water based paints clean with warm water, clean off as much paint from your equipment as possible before washing to prevent polluting the drains. For oil-based paints please read the instructions on the paint can/tin/container it will state what the manufacturer recommends to use for cleaning your brushes. Using a paint brush ‘comb’ will help clean all the bristles better. Leave to dry flat and then slide back into its ‘keeper’ to hold its shape.
What advice can you give to planning and completing a good paint job?
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation: Allow time and do not rush. Mask up any close areas that you do not wish to paint; vacuum the area to ensure there is no dust and use dust sheets to cover furniture. Spend time ‘cutting in’ using an angle sash brush, this will make the job easier and give a great finish.
See also: Wall to Wall
What is the best way to paint furniture?
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation: rub down the furniture with the appropriate materials: sand paper, wire wool, wet and dry paper, scrapers and wire brushes—a Google search may help you. Then ensure all surfaces are dry, clean and dust free. Finally start painting; it is much better to give several coats with a light ‘rub’ with sandpaper between coats, rather than trying to put too much on in one go.
When painting my wall, I always get brush bristles on my paintwork—how can I avoid this or get rid of the bristles?
The best way to avoid this is to buy good quality paint brushes, often people spend a large amount of money on their paint and scrimp on the brushes, even the most expensive paint will look dreadful if put on with poor quality brushes. Therefore invest in good brushes, clean them thoroughly after use and they will last you a long time, not just this job and will make your walls and paint work look great. You really do get what you pay for—your paint and your surfaces.
Eco Ezee is a family owned company which specialises in the design and manufacture of innovative products made from waste material, by-products from other manufacturing processes or ecologically sustainable sources. Not only do they reduce waste to landfill but also the impact we are all having on our planet.
Eco Ezee strives to replace, where feasible, consumer products that continue to deplete the world’s natural resources, such as those made from plastic, metal and wood; in doing so we endeavour to make all goods compostable, biodegradable, reusable and recyclable. To find out more about their products and services, visit their website: ecoezee.com/index
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