I Support Lagos: Your Gateway 2 Lagos, Algarve, Portugal

Home maintenance and building trends that have been developing in recent years has resulted in more use of eco-friendly products, materials and designs. Nearly every room in your home can be decorated entirely using environmental healthy products from the floors to the walls and everything in-between.

Even the paint used to paint your walls can be environmentally conscious. Of course, to choose the right eco-paint, you need to know what to look for.

Paints manufactured in the many parts of the world contain extremely harmful chemicals that are known by the abbreviation "VOCs." Though these have no effect on your decorating ideas, these chemicals, known as "volatile organic compounds", can cause serious health issues ranging from dizziness to headaches and potentially, lung cancer if exposure occurs regularly over a long period of time.

Therefore, taking note of the VOC level in your paint is a great way to determine how eco-friendly it is.

It's best to follow the Green Building and Construction international guidelines, which were released to help you find the safest, most environmentally friendly paint for your next interior design project.

The Green lobby has three requirements: low VOCs, low biocides and natural pigmentation.

Low VOCs are classified as 250 grams per liter or less for latex-based paints and 380 grams per liter in oil-based paints. However, some manufacturers have designed paints that have less than 100 grams per liter. Chances are, you'll be able to find the right paint for your decorating ideas just by checking the level of VOCs.

It should be noted that there are some paints that may be labeled as "zero VOCs."

Though these are not entirely truthful, they are the best choice if you're looking for an environmentally friendly paint. However, keep in mind that according to intenational standards, this can still include paints that contain up to 5 grams per liter of VOCs.

The most eco-friendly paint of all, are not the modified paints but rather, good ol' fashioned milk paint, which meets all three requirements. Latex paints come in second, as they contain low levels of biocide, with acrylic and latex paints coming in third as being among the more gentle paints for interior design projects.

Eco-friendly paints can be used in bedroom designs, living room designs, kitchen designs, bathroom designs and beyond.

Every room in your home can be painted using an environmentally friendly paint. Therefore, never let the label discourage you, although eco-friendly paints may be more costly, it is stil a very good option.

To make sure that you get the right Eco-paint, ask your local paint supplier information about the chemical components of each one. They are normally quite well informed and willing to assist you with the right information, if you only ask.

So, if you are thinking of painting your home, choose the ight eco-paint for your project.

Disclaimer:

Statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors; the editors and publishers and not of Barbo Lagos Paint and Construction. Barbo Lagos Paint and Construction or their representatives do not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article.

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