Low VOC Paint Comes Home

After reading Alex's recent post about Yolo paints, I had a quick spin around the Yolo Colorhouse website and discovered that we finally have a place to purchase them here in Vancouver. Back when we were doing our bathroom reno I was frustrated by the fact that we didn't have anything like Seattle's Environmental Home Center here in Vancouver but now just over half a year later it turns out we do. I stopped by Vancouver's new Greenworks Building Supply this morning and picked up two swatches of Yolo Paint (in Air 1 and Air 4) to try out as kitchen options.

While there I also had a look at some of their countertop options, though I have to say that my very vain and imagedriven self just isn't too crazy about the Paperstone colour options, though I may see if Martin can't help me cost a an end grain block "plyboo"  (machined bamboo plywood) version of a counter we had originally been planning in standard plywood.

A quick web search on green building in Vancouver this morning also turned up the new Lighthouse Sustainable Building Centre on Granville Island which might warrant a bike trip down to the island for more information. In the meantime, they've got a pretty decent blog full of inspiration and info here for those of you interested in eco-building practices and sustainable design.

I'm pretty happy with the Yolo paint swatches I brought home and in fact think we'll probably go with Air 1, if Martin agrees. My only complaint so far is that since hanging the large paper swatch 15 minutes ago on my wall is has fallen down three times.

Comments

[megan]

I was at the Environmental Home Center here in Seattle last weekend and they told me they stopped carrying the Yolo paint because nobody was buying it. Shortly after they stopped, though, people started asking for it. I was hoping to use one of the Yolo leaf colors to paint a door.

[Emira]

How frustrating! Well can I ship you down some maybe?

[Emira]

How frustrating! Well can I ship you down some maybe?

[Mark]

If you're still looking at other paints, I'd recommend Farrow & Ball. My wife has extreme environmental sensitivities and F&B's clay-based, non-VOC, ultra flat "Estate Emulsion" has been a life saver. Kerrisdale Lumber carries them in Vancouver and while they're expensive ($65/can), their low environmental footprint and beauty pay off. Interestingly, it's their clay base that enables them to suspend 50% more colour particles in the recipe, giving a hue and depth that is unparalleled in the industry.

OK. Sounding like a sales rep. Time to stop.

Good luck with the project.

[Emira]

Hey Mark. I have a friend who has painted her house with Farrow and Ball and really the colours are incredible. Both the depth and the subtlety of the palettes is amazing. They really do have a different feeling on the walls than regular paint does. For our kitchen I'm pretty sold on Yolo. It is cheaper and I'm really happy with the colour we've chosen so I don't think I'll stray. But I have been keeping Farrow and Ball in mind for future projects.