The clay paint must be well stirred. I use a paint mixer attachment on the drill. Works wonders.
What does it really take to paint with a bent to the environment?
I am using all Bioshield clay paints, made in Germany, so they do have a bit of a carbon footprint, but they are simply made from earth pigments, water and clay, so they have no real impact on the environment at all. I suppose the mining of some of the pigments may not be appreciated by the Earth, digging holes in her for coloured rocks. And the clay quarries are robbed of their natural beautiful white clay, but the elements are returned to the Earth once their lives are spent, so nothing is totally lost.
But, there is more. Night after night, I wash the roller and brush, the tray and the paint cup. I am not throwing out these items as most modern painters do. Yes, it is a pain and takes time to wash the roller and buckets and brushes and trays every night, about a half hour of time. Though the clay paint can be washed easily down the household drain and it does not upset the septic system on the farm, I am careful to ensure any large amounts are put elsewhere.
So, for painting a home to be truly eco friendly, wash the tools and utensils after use. Use actual bioelements instead of commercial chemical paints. Even my woodstain is from Germany and is made of plant oils and pigments as well, but it does have turpenes in it, and cannot be washed down the drain to the septic where it may disturb the flora and fauna of the system. One nice thing, is that the paint also washes out of clothing. It cannot be washed and grease will stain it once on the walls. In bathrooms and kitchens it must be glazed. Yes, there is a plant based clear glaze too! So the bathroom and kitchen work areas will be glazed to make the walls washable and wear better.
Clay paint is a soft matte finish, warm in earthy colours from blues and greens to the intense brick red that I just used in the master suite. It is rather stunning and is quite a brown brick red. Sexy?
I have only two rooms to finish, the glazing in a couple of small areas and then the kitchen cabinets and voila, the home is done. It is very tiring for me since I have been doing it at night when my daily chores and busy farm life is complete. Now, I have to go close the sheep and chicks in for the night before my soothing bath in the clawfoot tub because tonight, I am taking an evening off and not painting. Pictures will come when I am complete. Stay tuned!
I am using all Bioshield clay paints, made in Germany, so they do have a bit of a carbon footprint, but they are simply made from earth pigments, water and clay, so they have no real impact on the environment at all. I suppose the mining of some of the pigments may not be appreciated by the Earth, digging holes in her for coloured rocks. And the clay quarries are robbed of their natural beautiful white clay, but the elements are returned to the Earth once their lives are spent, so nothing is totally lost.
But, there is more. Night after night, I wash the roller and brush, the tray and the paint cup. I am not throwing out these items as most modern painters do. Yes, it is a pain and takes time to wash the roller and buckets and brushes and trays every night, about a half hour of time. Though the clay paint can be washed easily down the household drain and it does not upset the septic system on the farm, I am careful to ensure any large amounts are put elsewhere.
So, for painting a home to be truly eco friendly, wash the tools and utensils after use. Use actual bioelements instead of commercial chemical paints. Even my woodstain is from Germany and is made of plant oils and pigments as well, but it does have turpenes in it, and cannot be washed down the drain to the septic where it may disturb the flora and fauna of the system. One nice thing, is that the paint also washes out of clothing. It cannot be washed and grease will stain it once on the walls. In bathrooms and kitchens it must be glazed. Yes, there is a plant based clear glaze too! So the bathroom and kitchen work areas will be glazed to make the walls washable and wear better.
Clay paint is a soft matte finish, warm in earthy colours from blues and greens to the intense brick red that I just used in the master suite. It is rather stunning and is quite a brown brick red. Sexy?
I have only two rooms to finish, the glazing in a couple of small areas and then the kitchen cabinets and voila, the home is done. It is very tiring for me since I have been doing it at night when my daily chores and busy farm life is complete. Now, I have to go close the sheep and chicks in for the night before my soothing bath in the clawfoot tub because tonight, I am taking an evening off and not painting. Pictures will come when I am complete. Stay tuned!
 The paint must be strained through pantyhose to remove lumps and peels. This paint is over 6 years old, but is still in great condition. |  The panty hose is lifted out of the bucket and the paint squeezed though, leaving any lumps and mess in the hose and the smooth clay paint in the can. I should have mixed the two or three cans together in one bucket because as it turned out, one of the cans was a slightly different colour and the result was that I had to repaint the entire room AGAIN. Done now and looks amazing. |
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