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What is in Lakeland Products?

water, natural plus manufactured binders (all water-based, all non-toxic)

pigments (yellow ochre, red ochre, various - all non toxic)

mineral fillers - limestone, clays (non-toxic)

thickeners & builders - wood cellulose & resinous (all non-toxic)

white pigment - titanium dioxide (food grade - non-toxic)

levellers (all non-toxic)

waxes & texture powders (all non-toxic)

What is NOT in Lakeland products?

solvents and white spirit, turpentine, terpenes, ethereal oils, VOC'S glycols, coalescents,

animal products

heavy metals, - lead, cadmium, mercury etc Ecos is EN71 compliant

formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors, acrolein

vinyl chloride

phthalates

APEOs.

Acrylic Softeners

Packaging and the Environment?

We use recycled/recyclable steel 5L UN cans, 1L recyclable polypropylene & polyethylene pots and recycled/recyclable card boxes. Energy usage is kept to a minimum.

Many people say "Well, what is so special about Lakeland Paints? Surely, all organic paints are solvent-free and besides, I can buy low-solvent paint from the local DIY store".

Wrong on both counts! Many "Organic" paints DO contain toxic solvents such as turpentine Also, low-solvent does not equate with no solvent; ECOS contains NO Solvent

COMMON QUESTIONS/ENQUIRIES

Q - Is Lakeland Paints as good as the brand leaders ?
A - NO - it is far better because Lakeland Paints is made up to the highest quality and not down to a price. Including Exterior products ? Yes - these were tested over a six year period in all major types of weather environment : Desert, Rainforest, Arctic & Temperate and performed at least as well, if not better, than the brand leaders when applied as directed.

Q - Why use titanium dioxide instead of natural alternatives?
A - Firstly - it is safe, safe enough to eat. Secondly - natural opacifiers are relatively poor and often need four or five coats of paint to cover properly

Q - Does Lakeland Paints comply with EU paint directives?
A - Yes, by law all containers carry the following statement "the VOC content of this product is 0.000 g/L. EU 2010 limit value for this product (cat 1b decorative) is 30g/L.

Q - Why not just use natural binders rather than blend with the manufactured ones?
A - Some are animal products (bone, hide) - others take days to dry (oil based) - others (rosins) - need solvents to function (turpentine, white spirit) - in short, there ARE no adequate natural alternatives

Q - Why not use natural pigments/earth colours?
A - Some are highly toxic (vermillion,) - the others are limited to subdued shades - browns, reds, yellows , black etc

Q - Why is solvent-free important?
A - Because not only are lingering paint smells in the home unpleasant, but many paints including most matt and silk paints contain solvents which are positively harmful and cause Sick Building Syndrome, Danish Painters Syndrome, asthma, allergies and chemical sensitivities; also, many "natural" paints contain ethereal oils, or terpene oil solvents which are known to generate carcinogenic microparticulates with the ozone in your home. (Univ. Ca. Berkeley).

Brand Comparisons Paint Brand Solvent carrier used Greenhouse Gas Health Effects brand leaders aliphatic/aromatic yes brain/liver damage eco brand A Terpenes/Ethreal Oils yes carcinogenic eco brand E isoaliphatic/paraffinic yes nerve/liver damage eco brand B dearomatized yes nerve/liver damage ECOS water No Essential for Life

Q - Are Lakeland Paint products suitable for use in babies rooms or for those with chemical sensitivities, asthma, allergies, M.E. etc
A - Yes, ideally so - no need to vacate any rooms at any time. All are entirely Non-Toxic & EN71:3 compliant - free of heavy metals.

Q - Can I reduce my Carbon footprint by using Lakeland Paints products?
A - Yes.

Q - Is Lakeland Paints a Carbon-Neutral company? A - No. There is no such thing as a Carbon-Neutral company/community/building, etc.

All human, animal & plant existence involves the emission of CO2 & other greenhouse gases. Carbon offset or trading in carbon credits in no way equates to carbon-neutral. Low-CO2-Equivalent paint products are almost always equally misleading & require the input of inordinately high energy (CO2) levels to manufacture in the first place. The best that anyone can do is to reduce their carbon footprint as much as they are able, recycle sensibly & reduce energy consumption..

Q - Can I put Lakeland Paints straight onto old paint finishes? A - Yes

Q - Is Lakeland Paints micro porous and breathable? A - Yes

Q - Is Lakeland Paints as good as the brand leaders? A - NO - it is far better because our paints are made up to the highest quality and not down to a price.

Q - Do Lakeland paints contain any animal products? A - None of our products contain any animal product of any kind and they are therefore suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. None are tested on animals.

Q - How long will Lakeland Paints paint last if I keep it? A - Most consumer products have a finite shelf life & this includes all types & brands of wet paint. If kept frost-free, we will guarantee any unopened products for 12 months from the date of purchase; many of of our customers report using Lakeland Paints products up to 5 years after purchase, but we could not guarantee the quality after such time.

Once opened, and to avoid spoilage of any wet paint by bacteria, it is best to decant as much paint as required into a suitable receptacle (pot or tray) & not to place the brush, roller, etc into the main container of paint unless you intend to use all of it at one time. Avoid putting any unused paint back into the main container, as this will introduce surface & airborne bacteria which will often cause spoilage with any brand of paint.

Q - Ordinary Distempers, Limewashes & ClayPaints are often solvent-free & sometimes even cheaper, so why would I buy from Lakeland Paints?
A - the widely available ordinary Distempers, Limewashes & ClayPaints are reversible coatings which re-dissolve in water. They normally take 3 - 5 coats to cover, will wash off easily with a damp cloth & often rub off onto your clothes. Worse still, when the time comes to redecorate, the product already on the walls commonly redissolves in the fresh paint or distemper & turns into a pasty mess - the only answer being a complete removal of the original layers down to bare plaster & to start from fresh. All such Lakeland Paints products are high quality & fully wipeable & easily recoatable.

Q - Why should I buy ECOS rather than the "low odour" products widely available? A - For your health, for your peace of mind and for your environment

Q - How pure is pure?
A - About 7000 times purer than our closest competitor! In the USA, EPA rules allow any paint with less than 5gm per litre ( 0.5% ) VOCs to call itself Zero VOC; in contrast to this, all Ecos Products are truly free of all VOCs and are approximately 12,500x purer than this (yes, more than Twelve thousand times better ! ).

Q - Why organic?
A - All Lakeland products are free of pesticides, free of herbicides and entirely non-toxic - a fact which I was happy to demonstrate recently to the HSE - and - witnessed by them - consumed a spoonful of Lakeland Paints paint chosen at random by them from any container in the factory.

Q - Does the use of VOC-free paint help to counter climate change? A - Yes, it really does, and in no small measure.

The use of paints worldwide emitted something in the order of 20 - 25 million tonnes of VOCs into the atmosphere last year * & despite measures & legislation to reduce this problem, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future year on year. By using VOC-free paints, you are helping to do your bit to save the planet, reduce air pollution & reduce this needless waste of our valuable finite resources.

*UN/WHO documents ehc 187 et al.

Q - Ecolabelling - Why do Lakeland Paints paints not carry the EU - Defra Ecolabel flower symbol? A - Firstly, because all Lakeland Paints products are better (purer) than the lowest Ecolabel category by a factor of about x 7000 ! Secondly, because this system, whilst well-intentioned, is pointless, because it allows the manufacturer to use the prestigious EU Flower Symbol on their paints whilst still containing very high solvent levels - ( if the boiling point is high, ie - 250c or above - the EU does not consider this to be a solvent at all ).

This is quite surprising as the boiling point of the world's # 1 paint solvent is...... 251 degrees c !

Q. - Isn't the whole current eco-movement just a fad ? - everyone seems to be "going green" these days. ?
A. - Eco-awareness & taking care of our planet and it's resources is vital for all of us and for future generations: going green is here to stay & many companies are going greener whether they like it or not - driven by legislation & carbon levies - and so will seek to maximise these eco-credentials. Lakeland Paints pre-dates the current popular surge of interest (2007) by about twenty years & was started in 1988.

Q. - In what ways are Lakeland Paints & varnishes different to their "natural" competitors?
A. - there ARE no such entirely Natural competitors - even worldwide. If one searches carefully the data of such producers, you will find that they all DO include synthetic materials. There is, in our opinion, nothing wrong with this, as long as this fact is stated openly, but that to hide this fact in the "small print" is simply misleading to the customer. *Also, all Lakeland Paints are specially formulated to be Ultra Low Spatter.

Q. - How much paint or varnish do I need?
A. - Visit Our Paint calculator here

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