Oikos Paint

Moving to the new house inevitably meant painting. As delightful as poo brown walls are to some people, it’s just not my thing ;-) We had used some eco-friendly paint before but weren’t impressed with the durability of the end result. I’d also heard some not so positive reviews on Bio Paints and the ability to DIY with them. And finally, I am also particular enough that I didn’t want just white walls throughout the house.

So during the research process, I came across Oikos paints. I found a store in Melbourne that only sell non-toxic paints and have the most incredible customer service. The other thing that amazed me, is that on visiting their shop front, it didn’t smell of anything. They were mixing these paints just off main reception and there was quite simply no smell …zip, zero, nada!! And bonus points for being able to colour match any paint colour from Dulux, Wattyl etc.

So how did we go with the DIY paint job?? In one word……disaster. These paints that started with such promise, were horrible to use. The paint itself was thick and gluggy and hard to mix. Upon painting they left little spots of darker tint all over the walls. And worst of all, I ended up with a badly blocked nose, really sore throat and a cough during the morning that I was painting the bathroom with these paints.

So that same day, we conceded defeat and went out and bought low VOC Wattyl paint. So now the living area and bathroom are newly painted, don’t smell and feel more like home.

Am I disappointed we didn’t use a more non-toxic paint? You bet I am. I console myself with the thought that Wattyl paints meet the environmental choice standard in Australia and are low VOC. And I will keep my eyes open and hope something else works better for us in the future.