We are making an attempt to stay with eco friendly choices as we are decorating our home. I've learned a little along the way. We can build green from the foundation up to the roof, however some choices are very expensive. I'm learning to build green on a budget.
Paint - Prices for low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint varies greatly. Sherwin Williams Harmony is an excellent paint, with good coverage, but at about $40 a gallon, it's not the most economical paint. I chose this paint for my highly visible areas of the house.
For less expensive low VOC paint, I always check the discount close out bin. A couple of our local home improvement stores and hardware stores let you return un-used paint. So if you buy 6 gallons of paint, but you only needed 4 gallons, you can take the leftover paint back to the store. This is where the bargains come in. The store marks the paint down to get it sold quickly.
When choosing paint for my laundry room, I didn't really have a set color, so when I found a gallon of low VOC paint in the bargain bin for $5.00 I decided right then and there, my laundry room is going to be a pretty granny smith green color. I have no idea what the brand name color is, but it looks like a bright green to me. I love it because it's a bright room and very inviting! When I was painting the interior of a closet, I used a pretty peach color I found in the bargain bin. I guess they figured that was a pretty unusual color so I got a super deal on the price at $2.50 a gallon!
