apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Since you wrote the post from Portland I'm surprised you didn't mention Miller Paint. Their Devine line has been low VOC for a long time. They just released a new line of zero VOC Devine paints. Devine is preferred by a lot of designers and painters I know. Personally I love the pallette and the fact that's very thick ("like yogurt", as their website says). Devine paint was created here in the Northwest - also by a woman. Let's give Devine the attention it deserves too. I love the stuff.

And Devine paint swatches are made from the real paint (as well as many, many other companies, it seems).

By the way, Devine paint was the first to use poster size swatches painted with real paint. They cost $2.

They also sell "pouches" that will let you paint a 3x3 foot section of wall with a good thick coat for $4.

http://www.devinecolor.com/

Beautifully written Jonathan! Your intro had me intrigued enough to click into the rest of the article, even though I've no idea whether I'll ever be able to use it!

A few words about distribution and availability would be helpful. Otherwise, great job!

PS Benjamin Moore is also offering huge pieces of pre-painted paper. Pricey, though.

Thanks so much for the comments. I am thrilled to have this opportunity!

Alana, retailer information is available on Yolo's web site at this link:

http://yolocolorhouse.com/retail.php

You can also purchase the paint online.

I am aware of Devine paint. Gretchen Schauffler was featured alongside Janie Young and Virginia Lowe on NPR's Morning Edition. Personally, I prefer Yolo's paint and philosophical approach, which is readily apparent if you listen to the audio at this link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5567997

And while most DIYers prefer thick paint because it splatters and drips less, most professional painters prefer paint to be thin because it's actually easier to spread, and they count on always doing two coats... like everything else, there's an upside and a downside to thick paint.

Please let me know if what other subjects or products you think I should cover.

Best, Jonathan

This is a good post about a GREEN product.

Here's a comparative review of several low-VOC paints from someone who has actually tried most of them:

http://ecovertex.blogspot.com/2007/03/paint-town-green.html

Jonathan - it's not about what you prefer. It's up to you to present as many options as possible. Remember that.

MamaChilanga, thanks for the link! I love getting info from sites like that since it gives such honest insight from personal experiences. I realize Devine wasn't one of the brands used- maybe because their 'green' line wasn't available at the time- but EcoVertex totally sold me on Yolo and American Pride.

I wasn't able to find poster sized swatches on Devine's or Miller Paint's websites, only "Portion" sized sheets (8" x 11"). I think the Yolo ones are much bigger (actually poster sized) and aimed more towards people who have narrowed down their choices a bit. I also read that they have double sided tape on the back, so you can move the poster around and see if you really want to live with that color on your wall. They seem pretty cool actually!

Great post Jonathan. I disagree with boomer- if you had tried to cover "as many options as possible" I doubt I would have read your whole article. Depth not breadth- that's what the Comments section is for!

Three cheers for eco savvy business women breaking into a male dominated field.

Nice piece, Jonathan.

Unfortunately, this stuff is expensive. Even if I choose to afford this paint, before I bought it I'd want to see a comparison test by Consumer Reports or a similar organization before buying.

Happy painting, hope you have deep pockets.

Does anyone know of any paints that are green and also not tested on animals? Maybe even these?

Boomer,

For this post, it can be about what Jonathan prefers. The goal of this entry was for him to introduce his writing style to the community while talking about a green product. He did both of those things and didn't really need to talk about competition or the myriad of green paint options out there. (That could be done in later posts).

Pretty good work, I'd say. Let's keep it positive and not too hall monitor-like in here and in the other "audition" posts!

-Brian

How do you find Benjamin moore ecospec Compared to the yolo? The ecospec has less then 1 voc per can and sticks to oil paint. It covered in two coats and had less smell then the yolo that actually had quite an odor. The benajmin moore ecospec also dried harder it was very easy to scrub without damaging the coat. Yolo was softer. Just wondering if you have used the ecospec and if you have any copmments on it?

I have been using Yolo Colorhouse paints for awhile now, and I love it!!