Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly Paints & Products’ Category

Recycling Paint in Reno!

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

“Waste not, want not!” my grandmother always said. We followed her advice then, and we find today we’re heeding her words even more, and extending those thoughts to global resources — by recycling everything we can. Of course, for us, that includes paint.

We’re considering opening a paint recycling center, but we need to know: Do you want a recycled paint center? Please reply with your comments below. Your answers will determine our decision. (And please pass the word on to other interested parties for their vote, too.)

Recycled Paint – How Perfect Is It?

We talk about eco-friendly painting being Carvél Painting’s passion, and it is. We bring in eco-friendly products as frequently as possible. And often these products are better-performing than their unfriendly counterparts!
But we can do more. So, we are.

The 411 on Recycled Paints

What’s so great about recycled paints?

  • Recycled paint costs less than unrecycled paint, usually significantly so!
  • It’s quality paint: Recycled paint maintains its original qualities
  • Recycled means less impact on the landfill
  • Recycled contributes to improved groundwater
  • Recycling paints increases our efficient use of resources

We think it’s time to set up a paint recycle center. But do you? Submit your thoughts and add your opinion to the discussion. Thank you!

Protect Fences & Decks Before Winter

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Wood decks, fences and all that beautiful exterior wood that makes Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada palette so breath-taking – all of them need protection to make it through our winters.

Like almost all building maintenance, too, the sooner and more consistently you take action, the longer the life of the wood.

  • Perk up the beauty of a deck for the holidays. Staining and protecting a deck brings out wood’s exquisite colors and grain. Get the deck work done before holiday guests arrive and parties begin.
  • Avoid warp and rot in wood fences. Don’t forget to protect your fences, too. These are focal points to a property. And, besides, upkeep is critical to fence maintenance.
  • Avoid major exterior wood repairs. Consistent, annual upkeep prolongs the life of all exterior wood – including that special entry-door trim and beautiful wood front doors.

Eco-friendly Wood Stains and Products

You don’t need to use oil-based products to stain and protect exterior wood anymore, and this may be a consideration for anyone living in environmentally sensitive areas or who are sensitive themselves.

New waterborne products give us equal or better results to the old oil-based ones. What’s more, the new products have lower VOC components.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.

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Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

Clean Paint and Products for a Clean Environment

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

We’re passionate about eco-friendly painting and today, Blog Action Day, seems the perfect day to talk about the difference we can make. Around the globe today, bloggers will be talking about climate change and all of our roles in finding solutions.

We talked about low-VOC and no-VOC products recently (see our post, What the Heck are VOC’s), and we’ll be talking more in the future. But today, I just want to drop in and mention a couple of things painting crews can do to help keep our environment clean.

Eco-friendly Painting Practices

We call these eco-friendly painting practices (Read more about them on our website), and they help to reduce our footprint as we paint, stain, and cover surfaces of every type. They are:

  • Use recycled paint whenever possible
  • Use eco-friendly painting products whenever possible
  • Reuse on-the-job materials such as canvas drop cloths, buckets, rollers and brushes
  • Clean up with a minimum of water usage
  • Reduce paper usage (Use email and electronic databases)
  • Use a GPS (Global Positioning System) to ensure all drivers travel efficiently to and from sites
  • Solar power! – Our webhost is solar-powered

We’re doing what we can, and we plan to do more and more in the future. Painting can be a no-fumes, eco-friendly experience – a small part we can play in helping to clean up our planet.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.
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Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

VOC / VOC’s

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Our clients ask: “What the heck are VOC’s?”

VOC’s are definitely something you should know about before you hire a painting professional or begin a painting project yourself.

In short, VOC’s are Volatile Organic Compounds that vaporize and enter the air we breathe. In paint, these are typically formaldehyde, benzene, diethyl phthalate and dibutyl. They can also be lead, cadmium and chromium.

Reactions to VOC Exposure

Typical short-term reactions to VOC exposure can include allergic symptoms such as headache and nausea. Long-term exposure to VOCs has been correlated to more serious health challenges such as liver and kidney cancer.

So be careful, read the labels on paint cans, and don’t hesitate to contact us here for any of your painting questions.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.
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Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382