faq
¦ What are your hours of operation?
The main office for development and order fulfillment is normally open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 MP except for most National holidays. However, we may be closed on occasions when working off site manufacturing. You can still get in contact with us by calling the office as all phones are auto forwarded to the business cell when we are not here.
¦ What is the process for color matching other manufactures colors?
We can match most other manufacture colors through a special process of converting the colors from its petrochemical colors to our mineral colors. The process sometimes can take up to a week though. If you order online and select custom color, you will need to add the manufacture, color name and color number in the notes section when checking out. If we have already matched the color in the past, the fee will be credited back to your card or a check enclosed in the box when shipped to you. If we cannot find the color locally, you will be contacted as asked to please send up a color swatch to match the color by. Or you can state in the note section that you are mailing the sample out to us and we will wait for it to show up. Please remember that the color swatches you get from any store are printed with printer ink which is much different than the pigments used for tinting paints. So, just like the commercial name brands, we get very close; but there may be a slight variation when you paint it on the substrates.
¦ What size containers do you sell?
We offer our paint in Quarts, Gallons and 5 gallon pails.
¦ Do you sell samples?
No, we do not have samples available anymore; however, we do have hand-painted color cards that are available for purchase through the website, at a nominal cost. The card included several additional colors on the back. We also have a color palette area on our website that allows for viewing of the colors in a larger format, but have found there are issues with the colors for some reason. So, we also have a photo of the color dot card, you need only to select the words below the sample of the color card. It i snot 100% accurate, but way close than the pallet selection colors. Last, we also offer color matching, the key to this option is if we do not have the color sample here, then we will need you to mail us a sample swatch. There is a fee for color matching, unless you order more than 5 gallon of paint regardless of the co/s ordered.
¦ I see your colors online, do you have color card samples?
We do have the original Renaissance palette hand-painted color card and fan deck samples available for purchase through our website. There is a nominal charge for these samples which is less than the actual cost to make them, but it’s well worth the investment to ensure you select the perfect color. Note that the color dot card has had 12 additional colors added on the back side of the card. We have close to 300 now, but to paint them all out and then sell then, the cost would be much higher than we feel anyone would be willing to purchase them at. So, we are still working on possibly ways to make them in a way that is similar to the way conventional paints companies make their samples. Please note that going by the online samples, you run the risk of the color not even looking close to what you think it will be. Thei is no difference than any of the name brands, the difference it we tell you this in big bold wording unlike the name brands who have quick popup messages stating the same thing.
¦ Should I order from GPP or can I purchase the paint locally? And do they carry all the colors?
We support our retailers, as they are the frontline for our paint. However, they might not necessarily carry all of the colors Green Planet Paints® offers. Ordering directly from the factory allows you a greater variety of color selections/full palette of color selections if the retailer doesn’t carry the entire line. The other issue now is most of our past independent retailers have been forced to close their doors due to the past recessions and Covid. We are still trying to find new ones, but have not had much luck, some who carry conventional paints are prevented from selling ours due to threats from the name brands if they do take on our paints.
¦ What is the coverage of the paint?
One gallon of paint covers 350 to 400 sq ft depending on what the base is. We recommend two coats of paint.
¦ What is the coverage of the AgriStain’s?
One gallon of stain covers 400 to 650 sq ft depending on what type of wood you are applying it to. We recommend testing the stain out on a spare piece of like wood or somewhere inconspicuous first before doing the entire project. Note the Agri-Stain’s are all plant and mineral and contain no chemicals and clean up with soap and water. Yet they work much like the old chemical solvent stains did years ago. Application is much the same.
¦ How do you apply GPP?
GPP can be applied with any brush, roller or sprayer in similar fashion to any other conventional paint for the most part. Please read and follow the instructions on the can label.
¦ How do you apply GPP AgriStain?
AgriStain can be applied with any brush, roller, sprayer, rag or by hand in similar fashion to any other conventional oil/solvent stain for the most part. Please read and follow the instructions on the can label.
¦ Dose AgriStain work like todays conventional water-based stains?
NO, todays name brand conventional water-based stains are not stains, they are actually semitranslucent paints which care called stain. The few that use different component like Linseed oil to name one is water soluble solvent stain. To get the linseed oil to work, it has to go through a process that turns it into a petrochemical solvent. This is why these so-called green stains are so flammable. AgriStain is nonflammable and totally safe, made of plants and minerals.
¦Can GPP be sprayed?
Yes
¦ What surfaces are appropriate for GPP?
Like any conventional paint, application on plastic and metals and various unconventional items, is not recommended nor was it created for these types of surfaces even though if left alone for 14 plus days, seems to stick really good. GPP Agri-Paint is best used in its originally intended form- interior/exterior walls. If you wish to paint an unconventional substrate, you are welcome to do so, but we do not guaranty the durability is all.
¦ Do I need to prime before painting?
NO. We now have built in primer technology in the Agri-Paint line that actually works. If a primer is needed, then apply the first coat as outlined and spread it out as thin as possible, coverage should be around 600 SqFt per gallon. Best to allow it to dry for 3 to 6 days. Then apply the final coat at about 400 SqFt / gallon. This is particularly important for new construction or patch work. Doing a "primer coat" will ensure a polished, beautiful finish.
¦ Will this paint cover gloss paint?
If attempting to cover a semi-gloss or gloss or high-gloss surface, we recommend that you first lightly scuff sand the surface to minimize the gloss and break the surface tension. Please mist the surface with water before sanding to mitigate possible airborne paint dust. Wipe the surface dry and best to use tac cloth over surface before applying the Agri-Paint. Allow 24 to 48 hours drying before recoating.
¦ Is the GPP paint harmful to my children or pets during application and/or after painting?
No, Green Planet Paints / Agri-Paint’s allows you to maintain a safe environment for your children and pets even if they are in the home while the application is being made to walls. Any odor if any from the Agri-Paint you may smell should not be harmful to you or your family. Note that we have no control over the underlying paint/s. As all paints are engineering to slightly penetrate the existing coatings so they can adhere, this process sometimes will reactivate the chemicals in the underlying paint. It is best to try out a small place first on pre-existing paint to make sure you will not be activating anything in the underlying paint. If there is an activation, we recommend applying the paint as a primer first, before applying a regular coat.
¦ The paint and stain has a smell -- why is this?
Our paint Agri-Paints have a unique slight smell from the plant, clays and resin which is much like a vegetable oil. It is not toxic though. These are non-chemical, zero VOC, Bio based paints and stains. The smell normally will dissipate over a short period of about a day to a week, depending on temperature and humidity. Using plant-based raw materials means that there is natural variation in the chemistry making up our product -- which results in a different set of smells, which humans’ sense at parts per million.
¦ I'm chemically sensitive -- will this paint or stain be OK for me?
While our paints and stains are simple products, we understand that there are a wide range of chemical sensitivities and allergies. We recommend testing the paint or stain in small-scale application before committing to a larger project.
Note that if you have an issue and find a chemical smell coming from the painted surface. It is not coming from our paints. It would be from the underlying paint/s. Stains we have seldom gotten calls on it, but those we got it was due to a composite wood causing the chemical small and not the Agri-Stain.
¦ How long will it take to dry?
The amount of time for the paint to dry is dependent on the temperature and relative humidity in which it is applied. But normally dry to touch within 24 hours and fully cured within 14 days like most conventional products. Yes, Agri-Paint is a little slower, but that is because we do not add heavy metal carcinogen dryers. Agri-Stains do not really dry for many days. However, they absorb into the wood and may looks dry on the surface. Once this is achieved, it is best to rub the stan with a dry cloth to force more of the pigments into the wood and remove the excess pigments.
¦ How many coats do I need?
We recommend two (2) coats with the paints. With the stains, it all depends on the type wood and dryness of the wood.
¦ Can the paint be color matched?
Yes, we can create custom colors at our facility all the time, there is however a small surcharge if the color has not been matched in the past.
¦If I need to order more paint, will the color match the first batch?
Not necessarily. Like any other paint you purchase, there is potential for slight variation. While small in scale most of the time, the difference can appear quite drastic when painted on a wall. We, much like every other paint distributor or retailer, we cannot guarantee an exact color match between various batches of paint. To avoid this color mis-matching, we recommend the mixing of the multiple cans to create a cohesive blend in the event that the multiple cans were not purchased from the same ‘batch’. Also, if ordering additional paint later, we do our best to make sure it matches the previous order, but cannot guarantee it will. So, it is best to plan on painting not patch work, but the entire wall that needed the patch work. But of course, try painting the patched areas and feathering the paint out, this normally will work.
¦ Is this paint acrylic or latex?
The paint is neither a standard acrylic or latex acrylic. Agri-Paint is a plant-based water born natural acrylic and does not contain the same petrochemical components as a latex-acrylic or acrylic paint.
¦If I need to order more stain, will the color match the first batch?
Normally it will be extremely close and more than likely not far enough off to notice. The best part is repairing a traffic pattern area, you need to make sure you have prepared the area correctly, then apply the stain as you did before over the traffic pattern area and 1 to 2 inches past on either side. Treat the areas in the same way as the original staining. Once it has been all buffed, leave alone for 2 days and it should all blend together on its own.
¦ If this paint or stain has 0.01 grams per liter or less of VOCs, how is it different than other zero VOC products?
VOC levels are broad in spectrum and the way in which the ratings apply. The term zero VOC is defined by the EPA for paints as less than 5 grams per liter and this is the base only. Our paint is much lower than what you will find in other products. What we can offer and how we differentiate ourselves from other zero VOC products is in our chemically free altered paint and plant/mineral foundation. As well, stains need to be at less than 100/gl to be called zero VOC by the EPA, yet our stains are at less than one. Additionally, we place significant emphasis on our overall contribution to sustainability. As well we have completed C14, C16, C18 SCAQ testing by Cal Poly and ASTM D6866 testing by the USDA. Results are. The lowest VOC levels of any coating they have tested to date, the highest bio content of any coating products to date, the highest sustainability of any coating manufactured to date, the highest percentage of recycled waste stream materials of any coating manufactured today. This includes durability and non-mold or mildew growth over past four years in on going environmental testing in Florida.