Timeless Finishes

This is the final round of summertime weekend renovation projects on the apartment. And this week, I ponder the eco-aspects of interior finishes. There are tradeoffs of materials consumed, the durability of the finish, the human and ecological toxicity issues, and current hard costs. What are the right choices, from the perspective of the renter – or the landlord?

For example, finishing hardwood floors or painting walls is typically an additive function, which does not require the removal and disposal of existing materials. This, compared to roofing, carpet, vinyl floors. So one criteria for any finish would be the ability to restore the material and leave it in place.

Another criteria might be the life cycle inventory of the material itself - what trail of environmental destruction does it leave in the extraction, manufacturing, or disposal. I would guess that linseed oil (for the floor) would be relatively benign as it is a pressed oil from flax, but am not so sure about the marine varnish. And latex paint? One of the glaring problems is the waste of the material due to color, either left-over paint, or color mismatches. My old Audel’s Builders Guide from 1960 still offers guides to mixing one’s own paints, which would address this problem. One other approach which some of the paint stores offer is taking back the unused paints, who then batch them and resell as full gallons of this new “mismatched” color. This is not justifiable from an economics standpoint, but perhaps in community goodwill, and lagniappes to offer customers. Old paint is a problem – no matter what.

So is there another option to paint? In my last house, we used a Venetian plaster mix, which was just a tinted a sheetrock mud. You only mix up how much is needed for the walls, and the remaining mud can be washed into the soil. American Clay has a similar wall coating, albeit more expensive and without the depth of color striation. A bit trickier for mounting pictures, as holes have to be drilled, but are also have the advantage being reparable with more of the same “mud,” and being very durable. A good sustainable choice, but perhaps not economically viable for a rental.

In truth, the durability is not so much related to the finish material on walls or woodwork, as it is to the condition of the substrate. For example, new houses are notorious for paint failures, where walls are coated with construction dust which prevents good adhesion. Similarly, remodeling requires the washing of the walls to remove oily film build-up on the walls. But this is a step which is not in the job description of the painters, and thus rarely gets done. That affects the durability far more than the warranty on the paint.

Another point to consider is that any surface coat is more likely to fail than a penetrating coat. Take wood trim, or doors. Stained an oiled doors will just age gracefully with time. The extra dents and dings are considered “antiquing,” – while those same marks on painted woodwork makes is look battered. The other point is that paint is like a plastic bag which doesn’t breathe, so any moisture trapped in the wood will make its way out be blistering and peeling. Penetrating sealers won’t create that problem, and will allow more natural wetting and drying of materials. They age better.

Landlords and property owners certainly have to weigh in current costs of materials, but it would seem that durability would be of equal importance. My vote for the best ability to withstand some level of wear and tear, be easily repairable / maintainable, and have the least impact on the environment is stained and oiled wood, plaster or milkpaint walls, and plaster ceilings. Classical and timeless – both from the past and into the future.