Ahh, the serene and airy beauty of painted white floors.After much research, three brands of floor paint were tested for coverage, finish, durability and, most importantly, safe indoor air quality. And the winner is... ECOS Organic Floor Paint.
ECOS Organic Floor Paint had the best coverage of the three contenders (see other brand links at end of this post), a nice satin sheen (gloss is also available) and was the only 100% non-toxic floor paint that we could find. We liked it so much, we are spending an extra $900 to ship it from the UK... not the greenest thing to do, but it is worth it, knowing that the bedroom and loft levels of THE CONCORD GREEN HEALTHY HOME will have a completely non-toxic floor finish throughout. The good news for you is that ECOS opens up its US operations March 2010, so you will be able to get it locally very soon.
Even better, this company produces an entire line of paints that are innovative and uniquely helpful. I haven't even had the chance to test drive them yet, but I plan to -- ECOS offers anti-formaldehyde paint for radiators, EMR paint that reduces electromagnetic radiation transmission between walls, insulation paint, atmosphere purifying paint, feng shui paint, and even some wonderful super chalky, limewash or distemper options, so you can paint just like the old world masters.
Click here to check out the whole line of ECOS Organic Paint.
Our runners up were:
- Farrow & Ball Eco Floor Paint - a good alternative with zero VOC's by US Standards, minimal by UK standards. Eggshell finish is shinier than ECOS Satin, and while coverage was less than ECOS, I really liked the Stain Block Primer, which had virtually no smell while applying.
- Ivy Coatings Floor Plus - 100g/liter of VOCs with less coverage than either ECOS or Farrow & Ball.
Hi,
ReplyDeletePlease keep us posted on how you like the product. I moved to priming walls ( from painting floors) and have been using "Rust -Oleum Bulls Eye Zero VOC Primer". I've been disappointed in the product but it's one of the few available low VOC products way out on the Cape so I bought several gallons and have worked with it.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences with ECOS.
Good lucks and thanks again.
ECOS are NO VOC there is noone that can claim that to my knowledge I painted my bedroom and slept in it the very same evening NO ODOR AT ALL. I am a little biased as I am from the UK so want to push a UK product but it is good.
ReplyDeleteTom - Will do. Floors will be painted mid-March.
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous. Great to hear from someone who has used the product. Your real world experience validates our hypotheses in testing. Thank you for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteEcos seems to be moving slowly getting things up and running in the US. As a person with chemical sensitivities, I have been waiting with great excitement for a nontoxic floor paint for years!
ReplyDeleteAny news?
Hi, How much coverage did you get with the 5 liter floor paint?
ReplyDeleteBrett
Speaking of insulation paints. Is there a difference between thermal or ceramic insulation paints or are they the same?
ReplyDelete@ Chris Cool Dude
ReplyDeleteHi Chris
There are a number of technologies used in insulating paints. Ceramics are common and very effective, particularly in external applications where heat reflection is most important.
We (ECOS Paints) find glass to be better than ceramic for interior applications where heat conduction and radiation are more of a problem, so that's what we use in our insulating paint (http://www.ecospaints.net/store/organic-insulating-paint-usa/prod_52.html).
Having said that, no surface finish is going to be as effecting as a foam (or other air-gap technology) coating. In an industrial setting, or a basement or roof space, there are a number of spray-on and sheet type solutions that are very efficient but, unfortunately, not particularly attractive. Some are also not very environmentally safe (or human safe!) so careful selection is required for these.
I'm happy to talk through options for you particular application, if that would help. My contact details are on our website: www.ecospaints.net
@Lisa
Thanks again for testing our products and we are very proud to have been involved in your project at Concord Green.
Keep up the great work!
Hello Bob.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of the great information. I am so pleased with your product, I have been telling anyone who will listen about it.
Will be posting more updates soon, along with photos of the painted floors, which came out great.
Congratulations on getting your US manufacturing up and running. Will post on that too!
Lisa
This is good to know because my husband is going to re-paint our entire house, roof included, this weekend. He bought different kinds of paint from add4green saying that each kind has different insulation and reflective properties. He also said that using such paints will reduce our heating and cooling cost. I just hope that it works.
ReplyDeleteHi Brett.
ReplyDeleteApologies for my delayed reply. I would recommend that you check with the manufacturer regarding coverage per 5 liter. We did do 3 coats in the main area, with 2 coats for the loft and mechanical room. Both look good.
Now that ECOS is manufacturing in the US, they can give you American measures as well, which will make it easier for you to compare. Their US website is: http://www.ecospaints.net/
Lisa
Hello Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI am deciding what color (shades of white) to put on our attic bedroom old pine floor. Are you happy with your color choice? I will be ordering from ECOS... which floor colors of theirs are you most fond of?
Blair
Hi Blair.
ReplyDeleteECOS kindly matched a Benjamin Moore paint color for me, which they can do for you as well. Just be sure to give them a wee bit of notice so that you have your paint in time. :)
How has your floor held up? I have painted my kitchen floor twice with Ecos paints. I loved the no odor clean ingredients. I had a number of issues with color variability but the staff were great. The paint does not hold up so well though on heavily trafficked areas. Any new insights or reflections?
ReplyDeleteI love the no odor/clean ingredients of ECOS. The floor paint did not wear well in my kitchen (I painted it twice, one year apart). Any new insights on wear and durability?
ReplyDelete