Green DIY

August 16, 2007 – 2:23 pm

DIY is something some of us enjoy, and others do because it needs to be done. It’s often expensive and we find ourselves throwing away a lot of old used materials and buying new things to replace them, but what about the environmental impact this has? Could we be greener in what we use, and even where we buy it? My answer to these questions is yes, we could.

My husband and I recently put in a floated timber floor in our living room, and we decided that we wanted to insulate it between the beams under the floor boards, so we looked into insulation and discovered that there are many different sorts available, and some are better for the environment than others. The one we settled on was called ecotherm which is a rigid thermal insulation board (looks like a very large polystyrene sheet with silvering on either side). It was more expensive to buy, but it’s insulating ability was a lot greater for a thinner sheet which meant that over it’s lifetime, it will hopefully save me more money than the cheaper non-environmentally friendly board of the same thickness.

Reclaimed materials are another way in which we can be environmentally conscientious. Reclamation yards are cropping up more and more around the country and that’s a good thing. Most are quite happy for you to have a wander round and see what they have, and a HUGE variety of different building materials and other useful things can be found there. From assorted different bricks, roof tiles, slates, and timbers, to fire places, banister railings, sinks, paving slabs, chimney pots, radiators and even pieces of marble and granite that have been removed from old houses. I looked in one the other day and asked how much their spindles are (for banisters), and they told me £1 each! A quick look in Homebase and I found that a similar spindle in there would set me back £4. Yes, I’ll need to do a little more work on the reclaimed ones sanding them back and re-finishing them, but it’s one heck of a saving, and I get to feel good because I’m reusing something instead of buying new as well.

Freecycle and other similar groups are another place that can be real food for thought when you’re beginning a DIY project. I’ve given bricks that I no longer had a use for after knocking down a wall to someone who wanted to build a wall in their back garden, and I’ve received paving slabs from a woman who’d taken them up to create a vegetable patch.

Paints and varnishes that are environmentally friendly are a little more expensive than their more harmful counterparts, but they are still available, and if you can work it so that you’ve saved money on your project by using recycled or reclaimed materials in part, then perhaps the extra cost for these paints and varnishes is worth while as overall for the complete project cost won’t be any greater than if you’d bought all new materials. Most paints contain volatile organic compounds (voc’s) which can be harmful to humans, wildlife, plants and even building materials, so if you can choose one which has the lowest impact possible for the job you’re doing that’s good. Many paints have a label showing their voc content, so even if you’re just going to stick to buying a non organic paint, try to choose the one with the lowest voc content. However, if you can then look for ‘natural’ or ‘all natural’ paints, and milk paints and white washes can have a lower impact than ordinary paints too. Try not to use more paint than you need, and if you do have paint left over then give it to community repaint which is a network of projects around the UK that distributes paint to charities, community projects and people living on low incomes.

Ecospaints, The Green Shop, Naturaldeco and Rendona are all companies that produce and sell ranges of paints and varnishes that are greener and contain either less or no harmful chemicals. While Eartheasy is a site with lots more information about the different types of paint & varnish that are available, and tips on how to dispose safely of any toxic paints and varnishes etc. that you do have, and where to look for safer alternatives.

By Vialdana