How sustainably do you paint?
Quick menu: More sustainable painting
See a tip you want to get started with? Scroll down to dive deeper into the topic.
- Choose sustainable labels
- Correctly calculate how much paint you need
- Store or use leftover paint smartly
- Use refillable paint trays
- Use reusable paintbrushes and rollers
- Take your empty paint can to the recycling center
- Achieve sustainable results with quality paint
- Extra tip: Buy second-chance paint at Tintrio
Do you look for sustainable labels when buying paint?
When purchasing paint, the first thing you can look out for is buying water-based paint instead of solvent-based paint, which is a more environmentally conscious choice anyway.
But did you know that some paint products are awarded a sustainable paint label? The most well-known label is the EU Ecolabel. Paints carrying this eco-label are produced in an environmentally friendly manner with strict requirements regarding certain binders and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
In addition to the EU Ecolabel, we also have products in our range with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which is a national environmental label for Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland, …
So, if you spot one of these labels in our assortment, you are already making your home improvement project a lot more sustainable.
Are you already correctly calculating how much paint you need?
Correctly calculating how much paint you need often saves you an extra trip. This way, you limit the CO2 emissions of your order. We will explain exactly how to calculate what you need for your painting project right here.
Are you buying wall paint? Then the average coverage is 10m² per liter. In principle, you always apply 2 coats of wall paint, so you can paint 5m² with a 1L tin of wall paint.
Are you buying a lacquer paint? The coverage of lacquer paint is slightly higher. This means you can paint more m² with 1L of lacquer than with wall paint. The average consumption for lacquer paint is around 12m². For a finishing lacquer, you also need to apply two coats. This means that with a 1L tin of lacquer paint, you can paint 6m² in two coats.
We would like to save you some calculations, which is why we are working on a calculation tool. This will help you waste less paint in the future. Orders with too little paint will also happen less often, meaning our transport services won't have to drive a second time. While waiting for this tool, you can already get started with the information above, and you can also check the coverage under the specifications of each product.
Leftover paint? Reclaim or store it
If you used our method of calculation, you probably won't have a lot of paint left over, but still a little bit. Don't throw it away! That is a waste of money and bad for the environment.
- Large tin, small leftover? Don't have the space to store leftovers in large 5L or 10L buckets? Pour the remaining paint into a smaller, sealable empty paint can, for example a 0.5L one. This prevents it from drying out.
- Creative reuse: Use leftovers for fun mini-projects, such as painting a photo frame, a birdhouse, ... You can find more inspiration for leftover paint in this blog.
- To the recycling center: If you have no storage space left or if your paint tin is completely empty, take it to the recycling center. This allows the materials to be correctly recycled into new packaging, for example.
Are you already using refillable paint trays and reusable brushes?
The equipment you paint with can also make a difference for the environment.
For example, don't go for disposable materials such as plastic tray liners and disposable brushes. Deliberately choose quality that you can use again and again. Okay, let's be honest, rinsing out equipment is not the most fun job. However, you can give yourself a pat on the back afterwards, because you are scoring sustainability points!
Block brush that doesn't rust easily
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Refillable paint tray
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Reusable round brush
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Reusable flat brush
Go to the productSmartly choosing second-chance paint ♻️
We have one more extra tip for you: buying second-chance paint.
What exactly is second-chance paint? And is it the same as second-hand? The answer is no. We are not going to sell opened, already used tins. What we do give a second chance to are products that were accidentally mixed in the wrong color.
For example, a customer asked for Sikkens Rubbol BL Rezisto Satin in RAL 9005, and we accidentally typed RAL 9004 into the mixing machine. These paints are therefore perfectly usable, just made by mistake once. At Tintrio, we don't like throwing things away, so we prefer to give these high-quality products a second chance at a very sharp price.
See a paint/lacquer that you can use? Look up the color on Google so you know what to expect.
Achieve sustainable results with quality paint
Finally, we want to give you an incredibly important tip. If you choose quality paint, you choose better coverage, but also a more sustainable result. Just think of exterior lacquers. An exterior paint has to endure an enormous amount of sun and rain, but if you choose professional brands, you won't need to paint again until years later. That means enjoying it longer, and it saves raw materials and transport.
>>Visit our professional brands page here and enjoy sustainable results.
More sustainability at Tintrio
Of course, Tintrio doesn't just give you advice on how to paint more sustainably; the company also applies a sustainability vision on the work floor. From a smart packaging system and a smart battery to an electric forklift and a new green zone. The efforts did not go unnoticed, because in 2023 Tintrio proudly received the sustainability award at the BeCom Awards!
Recent blogs
Do you enjoy reading paint-related articles on sustainability? If so, be sure to check out the blogs below on how to upcycle pallet wood, how to make outdoor wood last for years, why you should opt for water-based paint, and more ...
