Blog

  • Home >
  • Blog >
  • What are Eco Friendly Paints?

What are Eco Friendly Paints?

What are Eco Friendly Paints?

Terms like “eco-friendly”, “fair-trade”, and “green”, are popping up everywhere these days, making it sometimes difficult to discern what exactly is being said when we encounter them proudly emblazoned on the packaging of various products (e.g. “Eco-friendly Edible Shoe Cream”).

As a painting company, the terms remain mysterious to us on many products—but when it comes to paint, we’re happy to clear the air. It can be helpful to first say what it isn’t. The first clue comes immediately after opening a can of paint. Normal or VOC paint will have a familiar strong sharp paint smell. Many people enjoy this smell. Eco friendly paint is much milder in smell, and has little of the characteristic “fresh paint” smell that people generally expect.

VOC Paint

Conventional paint, normally referred to as VOC paint (volatile organic compound), is made up of a creamy amalgam of plasticizers, adhesives, hardeners, pigments, biocides, drying accelerators, and solvents. The volatile organic compounds in the paint work as a solvent to hold all of the different elements in place as the paint dries. If not given proper time to dry, set, and air-out, the volatile organic compounds can be unhealthy to breathe in. For this reason, it’s always wise to give VOC paint plenty of time to dry.

Low VOC Paint

Though the national EPA regulation has said that indoor paint must contain less than 250 VOC grams per liter of paint, San Francisco and other communities, have tightened the regulations further to 50 grams or less. Certainly These paints are more eco-friendly, but they should not be understood as eco-friendly in the proper sense of term.

Certified Green Paint and Natural Paint

Paints are available that have no VOC traces at all, meaning that they are 100% free of VOC colorants, vinyls, plasciticers, and toxic biocides. Green organizations such as Green Seal, Greenguard and Ecolabel test paints, and you recognize truly eco-friendly paints by the certified green seal on the product. Some of these eco-friendly paints—namely, Casein paints--are made of milk proteins, lime, and non toxic pigments. Dating back to the 18th and 19th century, they come in a powder form that must be mixed with water before application. Though Casein paints are great for the environment, they are not without their practical drawbacks. The variety in color is significantly limited compared to VOC paint, and the paint itself is not nearly as durable.

Please don’t hesitate to contact MB Jessee with any questions you may have related to your eco-friendly painting options. We will be happy to guide you through the process of finding out what eco-friendly option best suits both your aesthetic and performance needs!

Request an Estimate

Serving the San Francisco Bay Area

Files must be an image (.jpg or .png). Limit 2 images.

Why People Hire Us

Fully Licensed and Insured

Fully Licensed and Insured

Clear Communication

Clear Communication

Peace of Mind

Peace of Mind

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

One-Stop Shop for Painting and Carpentry

One-Stop Shop for Painting and Carpentry

Experienced Oversight and Job Leadership

Experienced Oversight and Job Leadership

Our Credentials

Best of Oakland 2018 BBB American Society of Interior Designers ASID Leadsafe Certified Firm EPA NARI Member Nolan Summit Services Inc

Customer Reviews

“MB Jessee painters are stellar! As a designer I've worked with numerous companies over the years, and MB Jessee is a top-notch firm. From the first phone call to the final clean up, every person is courteous, professional, and hard working. The owner, Matt, is a charitable leader who has instilled his team with integrity and honesty providing the customer with a first class experience at a fair price with a paint job that is guaranteed to last. I highly recommend MB Jessee. Thank you Matt and your STAR crew-Daniel, Rigoberto, Vicente, Edy, Pedro, and Mario, for a job well executed! Cynthia Brian, ASID, Starstyle® Productions, llc”

— Cynthia Brian
Morgan, CA

“Thank you for the support you have given the Women's Cancer Resource Center over the past year!”

— Margo - Director Women's Cancer Resource Center

“I can't say enough about how courteous and professional my foreman was. He was on time every morning and arrived cheerful and ready to go. He is highly organized and very thoughtful. He was extremely careful and respectful when moving my belongings - a mature professional.”

— Nora Robinson

“Just wanted to let you know that the crew was great to have around the house for the past two weeks. All three of them were professional, courteous, and attentive to my thoughts/concerns and were extremely knowledgeable. They paid great attention to the detail and it shows.”

— Mark & Roberta Gross

“I had my wooden kitchen cabinets painted white. Anabal and Danielle were doing the job. I have nothing but praise for them. They came on time, cleaned up every day, were respective, friendly and helpful. If the rest of Jessee's crew are as great as Anabal and Danielle, this company will go far.”

— Anni S.
Oakland, CA

“Charles finished yesterday and did a fantastic job. We really enjoyed meeting Charles and having him in our home. He is a great guy in addition to his attention to detail in his work, the protection of our floors, walls and furnishings, and his overall interaction with us both. I would be pleased to recommend him to any of my clients.”

— Ken Morrison
Oakland

“The entire MB Jessee team is courteous, efficient and professional. From scheduling and estimating to the crew managers and crew, they all did an excellent job on a small (but complicated) two room project in my house. I'm already thinking about getting them scheduled for the next project in the spring.”

— Cari Cheney

“MB Jessee just finished our exterior and we couldn't be happier with our experience. The foreman (Pedro) and lead painter (Ricardo) were incredible to work with: they communicated scheduling clearly, Ricardo was a joy to be around every day, the showed up early every day, were incredibly tidy and did great paint work. The final walk through experience was incredible. Pedro pointed out items I missed demonstrating a clear desire to complete another quality project. I highly recommend them. As others have noted they definitely aren't the cheapest but you quickly realize that you're getting what you pay for. The 3 year guarantee is also a nice touch since there are likely touch up items that will show up after the job is done.”

— Joshua Jansen

“Julie,Just to let you know I am very appreciative of your crew catching the plumbing/mold problem. It was very astute of them. I wanted to let you know that again your crew has done excellent work here, please pass this along to Mr. Jessee. There are some bumps in the road here, but the painting and your crew has not been one of them. Their work is the only thing going right currently, and this crew is very nice and respectful. It is much appreciated. Thank you again.”

— Beth
Oakland

“M.B. Jessee painted the exterior of my Spanish house over 9 years ago, and they did such an incredible job that they are still getting referrals from me today. The paint is holding up perfectly -- there is absolutely no peeling chipping or any other deterioration. I still remember that my final walk-through list consisted of items written on one side of a 3x5 index card (and I'm REAL picky about my house!) However, when Matt and I did that walk-through over HALF the items were no longer an issue, as his team had noticed them first and they had already been resolved.”

— JoAnn Newcomb

“Edy and crew are hard at work. They are doing a great job. Very professional outfit you have. Your crew is a delight. You may use me for a reference!”

— Heidi B
Walnut Creek

“I cannot imagine finer painters--and I have worked with many. They work exceptionally hard. It is a joy to see their workmanship!”

— Alicia R.
Oakland