Natural Beauty with Unearthed Paints products

Unearthed Paints use natural raw ingredients in their paints - like clay, lime, chalk and Italian marble

Here in California, spring is bustin’ out all over with blooming fruit trees, nesting birds and wildflowers everywhere. With all this come thoughts of sprucing things up and household “projects”.

Before you head to the hardware or paint store, you’ll want to check out Colorado-based Unearthed Paints and their line of natural paint products.

Made with non-toxic, raw ingredients like clay, chalk, lime, and Italian marble, their paint, plasters and wood finishes are made without using petrochemicals or synthetic ingredients. They’re 100 percent VOC-free, biodegradable, vegan and never tested on animals.

Unearthed Paints uses earth and mineral pigments to create their line of paints, which include milk paint (made with vegetable casein instead of milk), lime paint, clay paint and their distemper, “wipeable” paint called Unearthed Plant Glue Paint.

Many conventional paints require large amounts of energy to produce. Natural paints like these are made with ingredients that are minimally processed, abundantly available in Nature or are recycled – like the reclaimed Italian marble that’s used as a whitener in their Vega Paint.

The earth and mineral pigments used by Unearthed Paints are minimally processed and contain no synthetic chemicals

Unearthed Paints is the U.S. distributor for Kreidezeit, a quality, thirty-year plus German company that manufactures natural paints, finishes, plasters, etc.

Unearthed Paints’ co-founder Jessica Pfohl says the German company does something unique that their American distributorship follow through with. They provide a full list of ingredients on the label of all their products.

“You can’t expect consumers to believe you when you tell them your product is sustainable and non-toxic if you aren’t willing to tell them what’s in it.” said Jessica.

American paint manufacturers at best only give a partial list of ingredients, often only of the chemicals they include.

There’s a lot to know about when you’re dealing with natural paint, says Pfohl.

The past years, the conversation has been about VOCs (volatile organic compounds). But there’s more to it than that, she said.

An example of how Unearthed Paints brings life and color to a baby's room

“It’s also about the amount of energy that goes into producing the paint,” Pfohl said, “and whether it’s being made with readily available or renewable natural resources.”

Using natural paints offers a different experience.

Unearthed’s natural paints go on a little bit thicker and aren’t watered down like some conventional paints. Also, some of the paints they make are sold in powder form, which requires mixing in the pigment just before you’re ready to use it.

For example, if you order a gallon of white paint, you’ll get the gallon of white paint and a pre-measured amount of pigment you’ll need to mix in to get the color you’re after.

Both their Vega and Clay paints are sold and shipped as powders. Because they’re vegetable-based, you can’t ship them in liquid form, said Pfohl. “You need to use it the same day you mix it,” she said.

If the company mixes it first, it shortens the life of the paint. The paint can be stored without spoiling in powder form for several years.

“We could add chemical preservatives like conventional paint, but we don’t want to do that,” she said.

They do sell liquid-based paints as well.

But, says Pfohl, “there’s an endless palette of colors you can create by combining the pigments.”

Unearthed Paints' Hard Wax Oil brings out the color and texture of wood

Her company uses rich reds, ochres (like yellow or golden browns) and blues and they’re currently working with a color consultant from Kreitezeit bring out a wider palette of blended colors.

Unearthed Paints also makes a durable Hard Wax Oil. Made of natural oils and resins, it penetrates wood on floors and furniture, protecting it from stains.

It doesn’t hide the wood, Pfohl said. It brings out its color and texture.

That makes it easy if you need to do a spot repair, she said – you don’t have to sand it down first.

And it’s pure solid. It has no VOCs and doesn’t require water, the sign of a good paint product said Pfohl.

Most applications only require one coat, she said.

Currently looking for retailers to carry their product lines, Unearthed Paints products are available online at Unearthedpaints.com.