Paint

Paint Samples in Mrs. Grovewood's trunk

We've spent the last week with our design consultant buying out the pint and quart samples at The Green Painter. Literally - they are out of pint and quart sample sizes of Mythic interior paint. Using low or no VOC paints, caulks, and primers contributes a half point under credit MR 2.2 Environmentally Preferable Products. It also helps us comply with the goals of the EPA's Indoor airPLUS program, which earns us several points for credit EQ 1, aptly labeled EPA Indoor airPLUS. The colors we've chosen have pretty great names, like Into the Garden and Lady Vanessa.

Cabinet Plywood

Upside down photo of the plywood used for our cabinets

 

The plywood we required our cabinet makers to use is formaldehyde-free. This allowed us to achieve half a point under the Materials and Resources category (using an Environmentally Preferred Product, or EPP) and also assured compliance with the EPA's Indoor airPLUS.

Doors, Baseboards, and Trim

Our interior doors, waiting to be hung

 

Since we are painting (rather than staining) our baseboards and trim, we elected to go with a very basic paint-grade, finger-jointed board. Finger-jointed wood is an Environmentally Preferred Product (EPP) because scraps that would otherwise have been discarded are knitted together to make long, lovely, perfectly acceptable pieces of wood trim. Our interior doors are solid core with a wood veneer, all formaldehyde free.

Wood Flooring

Reclaimed wood flooring from Mrs. Grovewood's grandparents' house

Sealants and Adhesives

Low VOC products

 

It takes pretty constant policing to make sure that products complying with our low VOC specifications are actually getting used on this job. Because we are pursuing the EPA's Indoor airPLUS certification (and because we want to minimize the nasty chemicals in our house) every adhesive, caulk, solvent, foam, spray, paint, stain, and glue must comply with the current guidelines. We are having to check every day to make sure the team complies - apparently it's easy to forget the specifications if you happen to have a tube or can of something else in the back of your truck...