My name is Scott Schmitt,
My journey as a painter has evolved over the years. When I was just getting started the focus was on quality – doing the best job possible. And, today, that commitment to high quality is always in the front and center.
But along the way, some things happened that made me take a closer look at my profession. There was actually “two little somethings” my son Eli, 10, and daughter Sadie, 7.
Being a father made me more aware of what was going on in my daily activities. For instance, why did we often have to use respirators when we painted, yet the people who came into the building right after we finished were inhaling “fumes” that I learned were actually off-gassing volatile organic compounds (called VOCs) that are dangerous to inhale…especially for young children.
The more I investigated the paint options available, the more concerned I became; concerned for the quality of the indoor air that people breathe. And, it’s not just the VOCs in paint, but also formaldehyde, benzene and a host of other nasty toxins that make their way into homes in furniture, carpet, household cleaners….and paint.
This epiphany took me on a search for paint that contained very low or no VOCs. Fifteen years ago, they were very difficult to find, and much more expensive. But today, all of the well-known paint brands make low/no VOC paint that is competitively priced.
But, we didn’t stop at just using low/no VOC paint. We took a critical look at our practices in the field, and discovered lots of waste with drop cloths, paint materials and disposal of paint.
We’ve come a long way on the waste issue. Now, we strive to have less than one standard kitchen garbage bag of waste on any job we do.
And we have become advocates of being greener, more sustainable, in many other parts of our family life. In this blog I’ll be talking about all of these topics, plus how the joy of a fresh coat of paint can change a room, bring a smile, and well, just make buildings a more inviting place to be in.