Boy, there are lots of options when it comes to paint these days. With an exterior house-painting project in the works, I’ve been spending some time on the net doing my homework on environmentally safe paint.

Let me reiterate, there are LOTS of options, even beyond the myriad of color samples that make me dizzy, with names that often make no sense at all (I’m looking at a sample of green called “Old Mr. Toad”, no kidding.)

Somehow, we are incredibly lucky and have a hard-working friend who knows how to prep a house and is willing to work for peanuts. (No, you can’t have her number.)

Right now we’re agonizing over the color choice (actually, I’m agonizing over Jim’s color choices).

After drive-by examinations of house colors for months, it’s been narrowed down to four different shades of green. These colors now dot the house in places of sun and shade and frankly our house looks like a bad day palette of yellow (original color), white (primer patches) and four shades of green (including Old Mr. Toad).

Our poor neighbors.

Thank goodness Jim has an art background. If it’s really wrong it can be his fault.

When we decide on the color then hopefully my research will help us choose an environmentally good choice that won’t cost us more than the house.

My late-night investigations have revealed that a good exterior latex paint is made with all-acrylic resin and that lower-quality varieties are made with vinyl acrylic and other additives. The all-acrylic paints may be more expensive, but on the other hand they offer better adhesion, gloss, and color retention as well as being a better environmental choice.

Other points to consider are that exterior paints have fungicides (I’ll be looking for one that uses zinc oxide) and the range of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) runs the gamut from zero to unhealthy. I’m shooting for a technical “pretty low” on the VOC scale.

Sigh, so much to learn. Happily, there are many good eco-paint choices here in Seattle. Let the shopping begin.

Rhonda lives in Ballard and is the Urban Crop Circle Project Leader for Sustainable Ballard. Questions, Comments, Ideas? You can reach her at Rhonda@sustainableballard.org.