One way to spruce up your home is to plan a painting project for one or more rooms. A trip to the big-box home improvement center reveals an almost dizzying variety in paints available. One must choose between gloss or semi gloss finish, latex or oil based, and surprisingly you may also choose between natural vs. synthetic based paint products.
Prior to my most recent venture into sprucing up a room by means of applying fresh paint I decided to do some research on the different types of paint available. I was surprised to find information comparing natural ingredient paints vs. what are referred to as synthetic paints. Synthetic paints use a form of plastic as a binder. I was fascinated when I read that plastic based synthetic paints have a tendency to collect dust when they are statically charged. I decided then and there to explore natural paints, as dust has always been a problem that seems to be never ending.
My research into natural paints led to my discovery of several good qualities attributed to natural paints. The main ingredient in natural paints is linseed oil. Linseed oil is found in many plants which use it to provide natural protection. Linseed oil is found within plant fibers, and is also utilized as nourishment. Linseed oil is also an ingredient in paint that has been around for centuries. Archaeology has uncovered linseed oil as a base ingredient in many ancient paints. The linseed oil was mixed with other oils, pigments that provide color, and other natural resins.
In addition to resisting static charges leading to the attraction of, natural paints also bring other desirable qualities to your painting project. Synthetic paints have tendency to flake overtime. This is due primarily because of blistering produced by moisture or water trapped between the wall surface and the paint layer. Natural paints have a rather remarkable ability to actually breathe, which reduces the trapping of moisture between the paint and wall. This breathing quality inhibits flaking, even though the paint does remain waterproof. One property of natural paint that some consider a negative is the fact that natural paints may take longer to dry than synthetic paints. Believe it or not, research has shown that natural linseed oil based paints take several years to completely dry. They do however, tend to be less likely to show brush marks, resulting in a uniform smooth finish over the entire surface you are painting.
In addition to the physical qualities of natural paint when compared the synthetic paints, another aspect of natural paints is the fact that most portray that they are better for your home’s environment. It is a fact that some synthetic paints do result in the release of some toxins into the air. We’ve all seen reports that the air inside of our homes is likely to be more toxic than the outside air, even with the modern filtration systems in newer model heating and air conditioning systems. This fact alone can be a turning point with homeowners deciding which type of paint to purchase for their project. I used natural linseed oil based paint for my most recent paint job in my home. The paint was more expensive, but overall I was very pleased with the results, and felt the extra cash outlay was well worth the expenditure.
However, I still had to clean up afterwards. Some things never change.
