[Greenbuilding] Natura Paint - Any thoughts

David Bergman bergman at cyberg.com
Sun Jan 30 14:18:23 CST 2011


At 03:04 PM 1/30/2011, Jason Holstine wrote:
We sell 4 lines of wall finishes: American Pride (aka Mythic)....


I do like Mythic/American Pride, but the problem 
is local availability. I participated in an eco 
show house a couple of years and Mythic sponsored 
the paint. The problem was that all colors had to 
selected and ordered ahead so they could be mixed 
and shipped. If we didn't like some of the shades 
and (of course) had no time for shipping, etc., 
we had to use local stores and B-M paints.

Also, many painters don't want to work with 
material they can't get locally, as in on the way 
to the job. Especially with finicky designers and 
clients (myself included) who want to look at 
lots of color samples. Maybe Mythic's distribution has gotten better??

I also like that some B-M outlets have those 
baby-food size samplers. They have saved us a lot 
of $ and waste in not buying pints for samples.

David Bergman  RA   LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
bergman at cyberg.com    www.cyberg.com
241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
t 212 475 3106    f 212 677 7291


>Home Hardware sounds like a local hardware 
>store...they may be a Ben Moore dealer and 
>selling the same Natura paint. Ask them for MSDS and technical data sheets.
>
>Also ask about their tinting systems­most lines 
>add VOCs and Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APE), 
>which are surfactants (detergents) that can be 
>oestrogenic (hormone disrupting) and 
>bioaccumulative (they don’t break down in the 
>environment and increase concentration up the food chain).
>
>You have to look beyond the VOC label. This is 
>an old issue but still quite relevant. Many 
>paints still have exempted VOCs (b/c they don’t 
>react with sunlight to cause ozone smog they 
>aren’t regulated and so aren’t part of the 
>label’s VOC number), acetone (nail polish 
>remover), crystalline silica, ethylene glycol 
>(antifreeze), or formaldehyde precursors (in the 
>can they don’t do anything but when their 
>applied the chemicals react with the air to form 
>formaldehyde)...you have to check the MSDS for 
>disclosures and even then they can still be 
>hidden. For example, BM Aura still has 35 g/l VOCs and ethylene glycol.
>
>And of course there’s the junk factor ­ is the 
>paint actually a good paint and does what paint 
>is sposed to do. All good paints will tell you 2 
>coats are recommended, and often a coat of 
>primer for best hiding and adhesion. Some of the 
>waterier paints will need 3-4 coats, especially for darker colors.
>
>
>Now, b/c we sell paints, the following has bias in the answer...
>
>We sell 4 lines of wall finishes: American Pride 
>(aka Mythic), AFM Safecoat, American Clay 
>plasters, Bioshield paints. All are ZERO VOCs 
>and zero of the above junk and there are no VOCs 
>or APE in any of the tints. About as healthy as 
>it gets. Costs: $20s-40s a gallon, so about 40% 
>less then BenMoore and a BMW less than Farrow 
>and Ball. Don’t take that crap that great paint has to be so expensive.
>
>We have had a number of customers come in and 
>complain about both Aura and Natura odors and 
>reactions, and have covered them with our 
>American Pride or AFM Safecoat lines to fix it. 
>These lines are extremely popular.
>
>In terms of quality of the finish, the 
>Smithsonian uses our American Pride. Their curators do some serious testing.
>
>Hope this helps,
>
>
>Jason Holstine
>[]
>
>Amicus Green Building Center
>“Sustain Your Space”
>Member - USGBC, GreenAmerica, NARI, NAHB
>e: <jason at amicusgreen.htm>jason at amicusgreen.com
>w: www.amicusgreen.com
>p: 301-571-8590
>tf: 866-587-9140
>f:  301-571-8597
>
>
>On 1/30/11 1:58 PM, "Lynelle Hamilton" 
><<lynelle at lahamilton.htm>lynelle at lahamilton.com> wrote:
>
>I am searching for a No-VOC paint for my house.  I know that Farrow and
>Ball is great, but can't swing the $$ to prime and paint with it.
>
>I am looking at Aura and Natura, but am confused about Natura.  Both
>Benjamin Moore and Home Hardware sell "non-VOC" paints under this label.
>I can't find any information on whether they are indeed the same paint,
>or not.
>Home Hardware's is much cheaper, but I don't know anything about quality
>and coverage.
>
>Can anyone shed light on this?  Or, is there a better one out there for
>new walls.  I'm painting on my own, so need something available to
>consumers.
>
>Many thanks!
>
>Lynelle
>
>
>
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