painting questions

[wilkiecoco]

My son wants to paint his bedroom - i was wondering what type of paint is safe for Kiwi. Is it enough, if i use a safer paint, to move him from upstairs - where my sons bedroom is, to downstairs. How long does he need to be away from the fumes for his safety? I would appreciate any advice - I want to make sure Kiwi is safe and sound.

[linda040899]

Water based paint is safe to use around birds. I simply move the birds to another room until I'm done working in the room I'm painting, wait about 24 hours and then move the birds back in. I've done this any number of times without incident. My favorite brands of paint is Behr and Glidden.

[Pips mom]

You are in Canada.....if it was me, I'd wait until it's nicer outside, like spring, summer, fall weather so you can open windows and air it out. No or low VOC's paint is what you need. I see a really nice commercial on TV for one all the time that isn't even too expensive.
http://www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/lowvoc.shtml

[michael]

We used Olympic zero VOC on two downstairs rooms and it produced very little odor. Cost about $20 a gallon. Although they must mix it for you, there is a good variety of colours. ... Primers on the other hand, can be a bit more stinky, even in low VOC. ..... Needless to say, our little peepers spent a couple days upstairs. .............:)

[wilkiecoco]

thanks for the replies. I was pretty sure that water based was the way to go, but it is important for me to be sure that I am doing what is right by Kiwi.

Pips - I agree - I would love to wait until spring, and i strongly suggested that to my son. However......he is 20, and he wants to do it NOW!!!! :whistle: :whistle: My hubby and I are going out of town for a few days next week, and he wants to do it then. Luckily, he loves Kiwi as much as I do, so is going to find the safe way to do it. Cold weather or not, windows will be open and door closed in his room, and Kiwi will be downstairs away from the smell.

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a non-oil based primer?

[linda040899]

The newest thing out now is paint/primer in one. It's a bit more expensive but I used this when I painted the bedroom where I now have my computer. What I used is water based and it only required one coat of paint. Cost was something like $35.00/gallon but it was worth it in time/effort spent to cover a dark color with a lighter one!

[jimpierce]

Most interior latex paints are good to use when you relocate the bird for the day. Most often the paint will be done off gassing with in 24 hours. If you want to add an extra measure of safety to it simply put a fan in the window sucking the air out side. This will also help speed up the drying and off gassing.

[CompassionAk]

I think this would be a good topic for the resource library!I'm not planning to paint any day soon but if I do this information is great to know.

[Birkah]

Have you researched milk paint? It's a bit more expensive, but is completely fume-free.

[wilkiecoco]

Birkah - Wow - never even heard of milk paint - do you know for sure that it is safe for birds?

Linda - thanks for the info about the paint/primer in one. I will have my son research that one.

Thanks again everyone for the replies and suggestions.

[Birkah]

Proper milk paint is free of VOCs, hazardous air pollutants, solvents, poisons, lead, mercury, petroleum byproducts, plastic, and synthetic preservatives. It just has a bit of a slight milk smell when you put it on. It's even recommended for people with chemical sensitivities. My doctor told me that I could apply it even when I was pregnant.

[linda040899]

It's even recommended for people with chemical sensitivities.
This is something new for me. I've never been sensitive to anything and now I react to just about everything! I will have to remember this if/when I need to paint again!

[wilkiecoco]

Tomorrow is the painting day - should be interesting. David and I are going to be out of town when it happens, and we are hoping the house is still standing when we come home!! :omg: :rofl:

Thanks again for all the suggestions and tips. :)