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Page 1: GREENER - PaintSquare
Page 2: GREENER - PaintSquare

Ifprep is truly half of the job, it should carry halfof the responsibility for making the projectgreen. And indeed,“eco” echoes everywhere

on the job these days.Manufacturers have developed safer, healthier options for the toxic strip-

pers, cleaners, sealants and other prep products of old. Some may be newto you, but many have extensive performance records. Sundries and toolsalso come in eco-friendly options. Here are some to consider.

Eco-friendly strippers, cleaners, toolsand sundries can make the whole job safer.by Mary E. Chollet-Lordan

and more

This page, top row, from left: EcoPro by Purdy, Warnertools, Trimaco EcoDrop, SMART Wall Prep & Repair.Second row, from left: Green Glue, Krud Kutter, ZinsserMagic Strip, EcoPrazi Paint Brush Storage Lid,Earth2Earth Cotton Drop Sheet. Third row: ADP cleanersand strippers. Bottom: Wooster ECO. Opposite page, toprow, from left: DAP 3.0 sealants, Eco-Strip Speedheater,TriVitro VitroGrit, Universal Minerals MaxxStrip. Bottomrow, from left: UGL prep line, Mess-X Paint Shields,Winning Colours cleaner.

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Paint removalGreen and abrasive have not historically gone hand in

hand. Today, they’re teammates. Two companies offerenvironmentally friendly abrasive products that assertthey are even tough enough for industrial work.Maxxstrip, from Universal Minerals, is made from nat-

ural minerals that can wash safely into the soil. Non-sparking, pH neutral, water soluble, and with no freesilica, Maxxstrip can be used without shutting down op-erations. It is suitable for residential, commercial and in-dustrial settings.

TriVitro Corp. has been developing innovative recy-cled glass products since 1996. Among them is Vit-roGrit, an abrasive blasting media made from crushedrecycled glass. Recommended for industrial use, Vit-roGrit replaces silica sand and slag for any process nor-mally done by sandblasting. It has no toxic heavy metalsor crystalline free silica.

For non-abrasive removal, Zinsser Brands, Rust-Oleum Corp., has three breathable offerings. ZinsserPaint & Finish Remover with Soyzol , formulated witha soy derivative, is a qualified product with the U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency’s “Design for the Envi-ronment” Program. Magic Strip Paint & VarnishRemover is a low-odor, non-flammable remover thatsays it can strip up to seven layers of most paints andvarnishes in one application.Magic Strip Citrus-ActionGel, for indoor use, is methylene chloride-free and hasno harsh fumes. Each product comes in two sizes.

United Gilsonite Laboratories (UGL), meanwhile, hasjust introduced a new line of nonflammable, profes-sional-strength, green remover products. Fastrip Paint &Varnish Remover, with a semi-paste formula, is recom-mended for all types of paints and polyurethanes. D-GlossLiquid Sander & Cleaner prepares surfaces for recoatingby removing contaminants and slightly “etching” the sur-face. UGBrush Cleaner is a water-based product that UGL

says can clean and restore even hardened brushes as wellas trays, roller covers and other equipment.

Want to avoid liquids completely? Eco-Strip LLC of-fers the Speedheater Infrared Paint Remover with ac-cessories. Available in the U.S. since 2002 and in Europebefore that, the Speedheater uses low heat rays (400-600degrees) to prevent air-blown lead vapors. Once thepaint is softened, it can be softly scraped, minimizingdust and simplifying containment of waste. UL-certified,the 15-amp, 115-volt Speedheater weighs just 4.4pounds and has shock absorbers on the infrared bulbs.

CleanersEnvironmentally friendly cleaners have been available

for many years, giving suppliers plenty of time to tweakperformance and features.Krud Kutter, from Supreme Chemicals of Georgia, may

be the granddaddy of green cleaners. A fixture since1980, Krud Kutter is water-based, biodegradable, non-toxic and recommended for “the toughest stains andeveryday messes that most ‘all-purpose’ cleaners can’ttouch.” It is designed for all painting applications, in-cluding industrial and decorative finishing, as well aswallcovering installations.

Another environmental veteran is American DeckProducts, which makes a complete line of exterior, eco-safe cleaners for wood, composite, concrete and evenroofs. The products are highly concentrated; users addtheir own water, minimizing packaging and shippingweight. The American Deck Products line includes Con-crete Cleaner, Deck Brightener, Deck Stripper, DeckWash and Roof Wash. All products come with a 30-dayfree trial period.

Toronto-based Winning Brands Corp., maker of Win-ning Colours Stain Remover, is another company thatspecializes in high-performance eco-friendly cleaning

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products. The stain remover cleans paint grease, grimeand glue residue, yet it is free of phosphates, nitrates,enzymes and chlorine, making it suitable for cleaningtextiles and other delicate surfaces.

Sealants and adhesivesFor 40 years, family-owned Gardner-Gibson has man-

ufactured a full line of roof coatings, waterproofing coat-ings, pavement sealers, caulks, wall repair patching andwallpaper adhesives. The company’s new zero-VOC,fast-drying SMART Wall Prep & Repair products aresuitable for residential, commercial and institutional ap-plications. The line includes caulk/sealant andWall-Fixspackling compound.

Meanwhile, DAP Products has released DAP 3.0 Ad-vanced Sealants, a line of quick-dry sealants for kitchen

and bath, concrete, gutter and flash, and blacktop androof, in addition to an all-purpose formulation. The low-odor 3.0 sealants have some of the lowest Volatile Or-ganic Compound content on the market today. Of course,caulking and sealants also improve the energy efficiencyof a home—a major initiative supported by the new stim-ulus aid package (see page 28).

Also doing double duty (in content and function) isGreen Glue, a viscoelastic, eco-friendly noise-proofingcompound. Green Glue is applied between layers of dry-wall during new construction or remodeling, dampen-ing sound transmission through walls, ceilings andfloors. The product is water based, non-toxic, non-car-cinogenic, and very low VOC. One case of 12 29-ouncetubes covers 100 to 200 square feet. Green Glue is made bya subsidiary of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp.

SundriesGreen doesn’t stop at compounds. Sundries are going

greener, too, incorporating recycled and sustainable ma-terials as well as less packaging.

Take drop cloths, for example. The EcoDropBiodegradable Plastic Drop Cloth, from Trimaco LLC, ismade of a proprietary plastic that will biodegrade into

simple nontoxic materials, as de-scribed in ASTM D6954-04. Suitablefor residential or commercial use, the9-by-12-foot cloth is 2 mil thick.

Meanwhile, Earth2Earth hasreleased a new Recycled Cotton DropCloth. Available in two sizes, E2Ecotton is naturally biodegradable andmade of 90 percent post-consumer re-cycled cotton. The lightweight, softcotton is washable and reusable.

Some products serve an envi-ronmental purpose with conven-tional materials. Ideal Industries’ newMess-X Snap-on Paint Shields, forexample, protect decorative lightswitches and outlets from drips andoverspray without the need for mask-ing tape. The shields are reusable,eliminating waste and adhesiveresidue.

Then there’s the Paint BrushStorage Lid from EcoPrazi, whichkeeps a paint brush fresh in a one-gal-lon bucket of paint, eliminating theneed for daily washing. The companyestimates that it takes two gallons ofwater to clean one brush. The StorageLid promises to keep any size paint

brush fresh “for days or weeks.”

Brushes and toolsGreener tools are everywhere, boasting sustainable

materials and recycled content. Multi-packs have be-come more popular as a way to minimize packaging.

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56 PWC MAY/JUNE 2009

Buyer’s GuideProduct or Company Web siteAmerican Deck Products www.americandeckproducts.comDAP 3.0 Advanced Sealants www.dap.comD-Gloss Liquid Sander www.ugl.comEarth2Earth Recycled Cotton Drop Cloth www.reavesdrop.comEcoDrop Biodegradable Drop Cloth www.trimaco.comEco-Friendly Tools www.warnertool.comECOKit www.woosterbrush.comEcoPro by Purdy painting tools www.purdycorp.comFastrip www.ugl.comGreen Glue www.greenglue.comKrud Kutter www.krudkutter.comMagic Strip Citrus-Action Gel www.zinsser.comMagic Strip Paint Remover www.zinsser.comMaxxstrip www.universalminerals.comMess-X Paint Shields www.idealindustries.comPaint Brush Storage Lid www.praziusa.comSMART Wall Prep & Repair www.gardner-gibson.comSpeedheater www.eco-strip.comUG Brush Cleaner www.ugl.comVitroGrit www.trivitro.comWinning Colours Stain Remover www.WinningBrands.caZinsser Paint & Finish Remover www.zinsser.com

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Purdy Corp., which recently rolled out its first lines ofprep tools, has also launched the professional-grade Eco-Pro by Purdy applicator series, designed with 100 per-cent recycled or renewable materials. The paint brushessport recycled DuPont Tynex filaments and sustainablebeechwood handles, while the roller covers are knit with100 percent recycled materials. Specially marked pack-ages even allow painters to plant a tree through theAmerican Forests Global ReLeaf Campaign.

Meanwhile, Warner Tools has just introduced a lineof Eco-Friendly Putty Knives, Paint Tools and PaintScraper, detailed in its online Green Catalog. Designedfor all painting and wallcovering applications, the toolsbreak down in a compost facility and meet Biodegrad-able Products Institute (BPI) standards for compostabil-ity (see ASTM 6400 D99 and ASTM 6868).

Wooster, too, is well into the green movement with theWooster ECO Kit,which includes a metal, one-quart traywith biodegradable ECO Liner made from recycled ma-

terials; nine-inch cage frame; andtwo nine-inch ECO Roller coversmade from 100 percent certified re-cycled plastic PET (polyethyleneterephthalate) bottles. The covers arefree of dyes and chemical colorantsand are recommended for interioruse with flat paints.

These are just a few of the items onthe market now; more are on the way.Watch the shelves, check web sites,and talk to store and supplier reps tolearn more. Whether your goal is toReduce, Reuse, Recycle or all three,there’s a product for you. pwc

Mary Chollet-Lordan is the editorof PWC.Editor’s Note: PWC does not test

products or verify product claims.No endorsement of these productsshould be implied.

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Circle No. 192 on Reader Service Card

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Circle No. 12 on Reader Service Card