Floor Talk!

Another Green Build Expo find: YOLO Colorhouse is a Portland, Oregon based paint company developed by 2 female artists (Virginia Young and Janie Lowe self titled Co-Founders/Head Color Nerds) that has stood for premium, environmentally responsible paint products with a user friendly color pallete since 2000. Their paint is Green Seal Certified. Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that sets standards for environmentally responsible products that is based on VOC content, (Volatile Organic Compound) the absence of chemicals, durability, performance and manufacturing processes. Green Seal Certification automatically qualifies YOLO Colorhouse for LEED certified projects.

Their paint line has some unique features that set them apart from what you find at your average paint store. Their sampling process differs from the traditional paint fan deck. First, they offer 23″x27″ giant color swatches that are made with real paint. This is significant because the samples on a traditional fan deck are made with ink rather than paint, therefore not giving you an accurate color representation. Another benefit of their giant color swatches is that you can move them around the room during different times of the day. The light in your room will change throughout the day and it is extremely helpful to be able to see large swatches of color in different lights on different walls in the room. The samples even come with repositionable tape on the back to make it easy for you. This process also eliminates the shelf in the garage full of quart cans of test paint! As true environmentalists, they even recommend reusing the samples as wrapping paper, art paper and party hats! Other sample types are available such as the design kit with all 40 colors on 8.5 x 11 cards as well as 7 family cards.

The paint is made with 40% volume solids so it performs like a premium paint and is 100% acrylic giving you a good quality paint with low odor, no harmful chemicals and no added solvents. Of course, they also offer a ZERO VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) primer for a complete zero VOC system. They also offer a primer to allow you to transition a surface from an oil based paint to a water based paint.

YOLO Colorhouse paint makes it simple to select and sample color by organizing color into distinct color groups that reflect how color is seem in the landscape, including: Air, Grain, Leaf, Water, Stone, Clay and Petal. The idea is to simplify the process of choosing color for living and work spaces. The paint is available in three sheens: Flat, Satin and Semi-Gloss

You can click on your state from their website for a dealer in your area or order directly from YOLO Colorhouse on line.