Frequently Asked Questions

Call your municipal waste and recycling service provider to find out how to dispose of unused household hazardous wastes which includes paint. When you drop off your paint, encourage them to contact Calibre Environmental in order to recycle, rather than destroy post-consumer latex paint. The City of Calgary is a leader in dealing with post-consumer paint in an environmentally friendly way. The City's Household Hazardous Waste program operates five fire halls and three landfills where residents can drop off unwanted paint and other chemicals. The paint is then delivered to Calibre Environmental for recycling of the latex paint and containers. For more information on the City of Calgary's program, visit http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/Waste-and-Recycling-Services.aspx?re....

* Not all latex paints are recyclable. The Recyclable Latex rate of 70% is granted only to good condition, recyclable latex paints in original container with original label.

Although EcoCoat paint will feel dry to the touch within an hour or less (in average temperature and humidity conditions), we recommend waiting at least two hours prior to applying a second coat. Of course, the cooler and/or damper the air conditions, the longer you should wait to apply a second coat of any paint.

The large size, 18.9L is for the bigger projects. Gallon containers are perfect for accent colours and smaller projects. With the variety of sizes available, you should be able to choose the right amount for almost any project.

One gallon of EcoCoat paint should cover about 400 square feet of a typical smooth surface. A gallon of EcoCoat paint should cover a similar area to a gallon of premium quality latex paint. For an estimate of how much surface EcoCoat paint will cover, we provide a chart in our colour brochure and on our website that shows approximately how many square feet each pail of EcoCoat paint should cover.

EcoCoat paint is well suited for residential, commercial, or light industrial applications where you would normally use a low-luster latex paint. It performs best on vertical masonry, drywall, stucco, block, primed wood, and over other substrates that have been previously painted with low-sheen paint. Generally, EcoCoat can be used anywhere virgin, low sheen acrylic latex would be used. Do not use EcoCoat for any application where you would not normally use a typical low-luster latex paint.

To ensure proper adhesion of EcoCoat paint, you must be sure the surface is properly prepared. On bare drywall, stucco, block or vertical concrete, ensure the surface is clear of dust and other contaminants. On previously painted drywall, wood, or another properly primed surface, repair any holes or other deficiencies, soft sand surfaces to be painted and ensure the surface is clean and clear of dust and other contaminants, then paint as you would with any other quality latex paint (use a brush, roller or sprayer).

- Lightly sand and clean all surfaces prior to painting
- Stir your paint thoroughly prior to, and during use.
- Purchase sufficient paint from the same batch (see label on pail).
- Touch ups are not recommended when using the same colour from a different batch. Instead, paint the whole wall from corner to corner to minimize any noticeable difference with previously painted surfaces.

Whatever surface you would normally paint with any virgin low-luster latex paint, you can use EcoCoat on. There are some applications that EcoCoat is not recommended for, like walked-on surfaces or direct-to-metal applications. EcoCoat is produced in 14 original colours (The Parkland collection) and 12 secondary colours (The Nautical Collection); so, colour selection is limited and mixing EcoCoat colours together to create secondary colours should be left up to you. Minor colour differences from one batch to the next may happen, so, always purchase enough of one colour from the same batch to finish their entire project.

Post-consumer paints have, generally, been exposed to air before reaching the CEL recycling plant, and the recycling process further exposes the paint to open air, so some of the water solvent evaporates from the paint, leaving behind the pigments, binders and resins - all of which are the quality ingredients of premium paints. This is why EcoCoat is a heavy-bodied paint and covers so well - it is thick due to water evaporation and we do not add any water to the paint during the recycling process. Furthermore, many of the water-based paints that go in to EcoCoat are of the highest quality, so the best ingredients for superior resins, binders and feature additives are included in EcoCoat.

As a 100% recycled product, the ever increasing cost of raw materials used to produce a virgin paint does not affect the cost of production for EcoCoat. Stewardship programs also pay for the collection, transportation, and part of the processing of post-consumer paints, which helps to reduce the cost of recycled paint.