Collection: Bio Paints

Beautiful Paint for a Healthy Home with Bio Paint

BIO Paints provide high quality natural finishes which are based primarily on minerals and plant extracts. They avoid the use of toxic VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). BIO Products are formulated for durability, finish quality, colour, appearance, feel and to minimise their impact on both your health and the environment.

Are all Green Paints and Timber Finishes equal?

There are many 'green' paints advertised, very few of them are natural. Claims are based on their 'improved' Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content (relative to their previously very high VOC content), or recycled petrochemical content. These 'green' products are usually a small part of their range, more of a marketing exercise rather than recognising the long-known hazards and toxicity of many of their paint ingredients.

What is a VOC?

A VOC is an organic compound made up mostly of carbon and hydrogen, but includes many other chemical elements. It is volatile, which means it easily evaporates at room temperature. This means it will be present in the air where you can your family can breathe it in.

Think of a petrol station in summer, sometimes you can see the petrol ‘haze’ or fumes coming from the bowser nozzle. This is the petrol volatilising, becoming a gas. Petrol is toxic, and we are usually careful not to breathe it in. Conventional paints are made from petrochemicals including some that are quite toxic, and these toxins continue to off-gas long after the paint is applied. It’s impossible not to breathe in the fumes when you are living and sleeping in the house.

Toxic VOCs affect us in many different ways. Our bodies can usually tell when VOCs are good or bad for us – we recoil at the smell of methane, turps and car exhausts. Now think about surface finishes. We don’t usually smell wet paint and delight at the sensation. (Some manufacturers mask the smell of VOC’s with synthetic perfumes, which may smell better but this doesn’t remove the hazard.)

The VOCs in paint can cause headaches / migraines and nausea. Many other more serious problems can result such as Painter’s Syndrome (brain and central nervous system damage), respiratory diseases and cancers. VOCs are key contributors to "Sick Building Syndrome". The problems are made worse when we live and sleep with harmful toxins. Poor indoor air quality ranks amongst the top environmental risks to public health. Research has found indoor air quality inside our homes can be many times worse than the air quality outside.

While most off the off-gassing occurs in the first few weeks when you can smell it, many synthetic, or plastic (think acrylic), paints and timber finishes outgas for up to 5 years. By the time you get rid of the toxins completely, it is just about time to redecorate.

Colour

BIO Products has a range of natural mineral pigments, which can be mixed to achieve a wide range of both unique and popular colours.

You can buy the BIO pigments and mix your own colours (a formula or ‘recipe’ can be provided) or you can talk to a professional painter about having them blend the colours for you.

How-To Guides

Whilst these natural finishes are quite simple to use, application guides and coverage data are provided in information sheets for each product and also on the container.

Surfaces finished with our products can be easily cared for, renewed or rejuvenated.

Mould

The all natural content of our products allows surfaces to ‘breathe’, so air and moisture can pass through. This prevents condensation forming, which in turn reduces the likelihood of mould developing. We do not recommend mould inhibitor additives.

Range

The EnviroShop stocks a range of BioPaints, which includes:

• Wall Paint
• Wall Primer
• Enamel Lacquers - both water based and plant oil based - matt, semi-gloss and gloss
  
• Enamel Lacquer Undercoat
• Thinners

The application methods for BIO Products are similar to that for common petrochemical based paints. Normal brushes, rollers or spray equipment can be used.

Cost

Higher quality and relative smaller production volumes place BIO Products at about mid-range on the cost scale when compared to all surface finishes (including petrochemical products). They are proven to be very cost-effective when compared to other natural finishes. If the cost seems higher than a particular petrochemical product, consider the cost difference relative to the substantial health and environment benefits of BIO, and remember the cost is spread over the years between now and the next time you redecorate. You’ll find BIO Products are well worth it!

Shop Local

Unlike other options, BIO surface finishes are made in Australia, for Australian conditions by an Australian owned company. Australian ingredients are used as much as possible. Apart from the confidence this gives in the product and the obvious socio-economic benefits, this also keeps the product environmental footprint to a minimum.

BIO Products last just as long as ‘conventional’ finishes and are quite washable.

BIO Products are the

All BIO products:
• have declared ingredients
• are formulated to be as low allergenic or allergy free as is possible
• minimise contribution to greenhouse emissions
• use renewable raw materials, with the exception of some abundant minerals such as clay
• are packaged in recyclable containers
• use natural ingredients or a non-toxic synthetic material if no natural alternative exists
• are manufactured and tested to high standards
• are able to be used by professional painters and/or home renovators
• can be applied with the usual tools and methods such as brush, roller or spray
• are free of dangerous chemicals found in other finishes. (Other surface finishes may include toluene, xylene, glycol ethers, formaldehyde, chlorobenzene, acrylic resins, vinyl chlorides and heavy metals. BIO Products have NONE of these).