Real Eco Oils & Paints

After painting the walls with Lepanto paint that bares the EU eco label, two of our readers pointed out (comments in Spanish here) that even though they are labelled as such, the paint is really not that ecological. No wonder, because as we checked out the pain we discovered the paint is fossil fuel based. I guess it would have been too easy to get away with just buying an eco product in your local shop!
So, for our wood finish, we researched a little better and found the sustainable options we were looking for in Germany at the company Livos. Livos produce all-natural wood treatment products (like sealers, stains, finishes, thinners, etc.) that are based on renewable raw plant materials. All their products are harmless to humans, animals and plants which to me is proven by the fact that the oil we used, doesn’t hurt your hands at all. In fact, the oils smell so nice, you almost want to eat them. If you don’t believe me, read the ingredients of one of the products and you find things like orange oil or rhubarb roots. In fact, Livos have all the raw materials they use listed on their web site for total transparency. The products are environmentally friendly and completely recyclable. For the interior carpentry like doors and beams we used a transparent oil called Kaldet and for the outdoor balcony doors we used a chocolate-coloured (typical for Barcelona's fincas) natural gloss paint Vindo. To give you an idea about pricing, 2.5 litres of Vindo cost €76,98 but the application is really efficient and one thin coating is more than enough. For the exposed brick wall we used the transparent oil Dubno for absorbent bricks, which costs €14 for 0.75 litres.
All the oils were very easy and quick to apply and left us with a great finish and without a nasty smell in the house. In Barcelona, Livos products are available from ProyectoBio (contact Cristina Rueda +34 934516927) and other international distributors are listed online.