At one end of the spectrum paint manufacture is a massive global industry proliferated by multinational organisations making complex products requiring an enormous amount of energy to produce. Such products often incorporate ingredients such as white spirit, formaldehyde, araomatic solvents whose effects on the environment will only become evident to future generations. As a consequence convectional paint manufacture depletes resources, and contributes to global warming and air pollution.

Towards the other end of the spectrum is Casein paint which is manufactured using milk protein, lime and chalk. This is entirely natural product. Natural Building Technologies Ltd manufactures an excellent paint of this type. However this product comes as a dry powder, and requires mixing on site.

However just because a product is natural it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is desirable. Indeed some other companies promote organic paints manufactured from ingredients which are sometimes quite toxic. On the other hand some manufactured ingredients require high energy to produce, yet are harmless to humans. Therefore one must take a holistic view. It is essential to consider implications in respect of:

i) The environment;
ii) The building; &
iii) Those persons building, and ultimately living in the building.

Perhaps for this reason Natural Building Materials Ltd produce an emulsion is made from conventional ingredients. However this product has all hazardous or toxic chemicals eliminated or significantly reduced. The emulsion is consequently solvent free, and also free from chlorine-containing preservatives. Consequently this product sits neatly between the extremes of Casein paint, and conventional paints offering both high coverage and high breathability, with only a small on-cost in terms of the overall build cost.