Earth-friendly paint predicted to be a hit in Yuma

A new kind of paint coming to Yuma may be called green, but it comes in many shades - and is kind to the environment. The locally owned Plaza Paint Store has been experimenting with a new line of green, or earth-friendly, paints. The store's workers say the new products from Pittsburgh Paints are earning rave reviews, too.

"We're finding that it's a nice paint to work with," said employee Jeff McVey. "There's no odor. It's extremely scrubbable and touch-ups are easy. This paint has all those qualities you would want from a good paint. It goes on smoothly."

Plaza Paint is testing the green paint on houses being remodeled by employees. McVey said they hope to have the alternative paint products fully stocked and ready for sale by the end of this summer.

"I think this paint will do extremely well, especially with medical complexes. You don't want anything that will irritate the patients. We also have a lot of people with allergies who are interested in products without odors."

McVey predicts that Yumans boasting an environmental bent will also seek out this option for their homes.

"We all want a better future for our children," he said. "We need a better environment for everyone."

Environmentally-friendly paint isn't exactly a new trend nationwide, but it's certainly one that's gaining speed.

"This is somewhat of a new revolution. Over the past few years, we've seen products pop up," McVey said. "We've been studying the options out there for about a year."

Plaza Paint chose the line by Pittsburgh Paint not only because its performance has impressed them, but because of the security a brand name can give.

McVey declined to guess how many other paint stores in Yuma are experimenting with earth-friendly products. He noted that Plaza Paint is probably in the proud minority.

"I'm not aware of anyone else doing this right now. I was just at a trade show, and green paint was a hot topic. But people were just talking about how they are thinking about carrying it."

The environmentally-friendly product with which Plaza Paint is working is a latex, water-based paint. So far, the various products are only for indoor uses.

"The outdoor products will come around in the near future," McVey said. "There are some other (brands') products out there for exterior paint, but they are hard to find right now."

The earth-friendly products currently cost more than their traditional counterparts. McVey gave the example of a gallon of semigloss, light-colored paint that might be $17 for traditional paints.

"You're going to see $22 to $25 for the new stuff. I think most of that is because these are newer products. I think that we'll see that price come down a little bit."

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PAINT:

- ODORLESS

- SCRUBBABLE

- EASY TOUCH-UPS

- SMOOTH

- INDOOR USE

- COSTLY

- VARIOUS SHADES

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.