Painting a different picture

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Painting can be nothing but a headache with toxic fumes getting up your nose and harming you and your family’s health.

It’s not a job anyone really relishes — even if someone else does it for you — with the disruption and lingering fumes.

However, there is always a big element of satisfaction with the transformation you have achieved. But there’s also a downside in terms of the impact on the environment and your health, with chemical paints having an effect even after the job is completed.

Bio Paints are naturally-based products that paint quite another picture, in terms of making the job more pleasant and protecting long-term health and the health of the environment.

Based on ingredients obtained from plant oils, tree resins and waxes, Bio Paints are a safe alternative to conventional paints.

Bio Paints managing director Tony Mount says major paint brands have played on the green image but, in his opinion, they’re really on quite flimsy ground as they only go part way.

‘Minimal residual effect’

“With Bio Paints there is minimal residual effect on the environment, and they are safer to use whilst, at the same time, being better for your family`s health,” he says.

With the recent trends in “green awareness” making it eco chic, some might imagine Bio Paints to be a new development. 

“Bio Paints have been producing and selling natural finishes in New Zealand for more than 16 years,” Mr Mount says.

“We import some of our products from Germany, a country that developed natural paint products some 30 or more years ago. This was back in the 1970s when environmental awareness really began to awaken.

“We think of ourselves as ‘Clean Green New Zealanders’ but, in this case, Germany was well ahead of us.

“‘Green Washing’ is a term that has recently emerged, the environmental equivalent of ‘White Washing’ in politics. If we’re honest, many of us just pay lip service to the green cause.

“We’d rather not compromise the environment but when it comes to decorating, neither do we want to compromise the quality and durability of the job.”

Mr Mount offers some convincing assurances on these accounts. “Providing you do the usual proper preparation you can expect a high quality finish. With Bio Paints you get a superb

finish with the added bonus of maintaining the balance of nature and helping maintain your family’s health.”

The issues are not just the immediate ones of toxic emissions and having to breathe in harmful fumes while the job is being done. The negative effects of painting with chemicals can be longer term than that.

Emissions can be released long after the user has finished painting, particularly in the first few weeks, but it could be for the full duration a chemical paint is on the wall.

Studies are ongoing to confirm just how long these harmful emissions continue. Creating safer paint finishes is a careful balance between making products that perform well and endure, but that are as safe as possible.

When asked how well accepted Bio Paints have been , he says more and more painters are becoming aware of the health dangers within their business and, despite strong allegiances to their old paint companies, there is a growing awareness and acceptance of Bio Paints.

“Some of them say they don’t like the citrus smell of Bio Paints and actually prefer the chemical smell. Others have been known to get withdrawal symptoms when they take a break from working with some of the toxins.

“Breathing in these fumes can be harmful and there is a growing body of evidence that there are some pretty serious diseases linked to the long-term use of chemical paints.
“It’s their choice and yours but, now with Bio Paints, there is another, more natural choice for consumers.”

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