Tips and Advice | Skip's Tips | About Health and Safety

Paint is a safe product if it is used properly and if the sensible precautions and instructions that manufacturers provide are followed. Make sure you protect yourself by reading the instructions on the label and any other material provided.

A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is available to professional painters (and all purchasers for that matter) on any paint product they purchase. This sheet gives complete information on all known hazards associated with the ingredients used in a product.

Water-based paint products have come a long way since they were first introduced about 50 years ago. Certainly, because the solvent in these products is water itself, they have less environmental impact and are generally safer than paints with a solvent base which is typically a petroleum derivative. Still, there are applications where a solvent-based paint will outperform a water-based product.

If you have any health or safety questions about a painting project, I urge you to speak to your paint seller or directly to the manufacturer to get the answers.