After making about a gazillion gallons of paint and stain… give or take a few… we’ve managed to learn a few things. Well, actually a lot of things. And none more important than this: We know what we sell can and has been potentially harmful to our environment.  So, what we are choosing to sell is changing before local and national governments require us to make those changes.  We are finding more sustainable ways of doing business and more sustainable products to sell so we can continue to make a gazillion more gallons of paint.

Sometimes our progress is notable while at other times the improvements are harder to come by. We find products that work great and products that don’t work so great.  The important thing is we’re committed to selling products that are sustainable, low in VOC’s (volatile organic compounds – what makes a product toxic and smelly), and that work! Finding materials and processes that make our products sustainable is a process. It isn’t magic. It is a compass that, we hope, points to a bright green future.  Which pretty much is where we are today… at the crossroads of here and now, aware of our responsibility to the planet while trying to pay the bills.

We feel pretty lucky that we get to influence one of the major roles in our local economy, home building.  The building industry as a whole is slowly changing the way people build and remodel homes by offering greener and more sustainable products.  Along with our vendors like Benjamin Moore we are able to make the right decisions to carry products that will help protect our unique environment.   We are the local supplier of environmentally friendly building and home improvement supplies for the Gunnison Valley.   We may not have it all in stock but we have the ability to get anything you need to keep your home green, clean, and sustainable from paints, adhesives, and cleaners to flooring and tiles.

We are constantly testing and adding new products to our existing lines as they become available.  We have a state of the art colorant machine which allows us to tint our Low and NO VOC products such as Aura and Eco Spec with no VOC colorants.  This keeps them low in VOC’s no matter how dark the color.   This is just another way we our investing in our sustainability as a paint store.

Keep on the look out for more sustainable products as companies make the switch over. Soon you won’t be able to make the choice between low VOC and normal products – it will be the standard, it is our goal!

Eco Friendly Products we carry:

• Bona Floor Products – not only do these products actually work better than any floor cleaning product I have ever used, they are non-toxic so they are great for pets, children, well really, for all of us!  Bona comes highly recommended by the local flooring installation companies.
• Benjamin Moore Eco Spec – a premium low VOC paint that is affordable so everyone can have low odor, eco-friendly paint in all of Benjamin Moore’s thousands of colors!
• Benjamin Moore Aura- a superior paint with primer built into it that covers better than any paint we’ve seen and is low in VOC’s – what a concept, works well and environmentally friendly.
• Benjamin Moore Arborcoat – a superior low VOC exterior water based stain in a wide variety of colors and opacity. This is our 4th summer using this product and it has been holding up remarkably well – retaining color better then it’s oil based equivalent! Arborcoat also works great on the inside for staining trim, doors, furniture, and everything else wood.
• General Finishes Water base stains and clear coats – finally, a company that gets it.  They have managed to make Low VOC water based stains and finishes that look, act, and cost the same as an oil.  Local painters and cabinet guys are loving this product because it has tons of colors and has a quick learning curve.
• Recycled and biodegradable brushes, roller covers, drop clothes, buckets, and paint trays.
• Energy efficient light bulbs including LED light bulbs and compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Low VOC caulking for sealing around windows – a great way to help save on your energy bill in all seasons without stinking up your home with VOC’s from traditional caulking and sealants.

Mountain Colors is certified by Crested Butte’s local Office for Resource Efficiency (ORE) to be a part of the Energy Wise Business Program.  This certification declares that we have taken action to conserve our local resources and reduce our carbon emissions.  Check out ORE’s facebook page for pictures and to see how Mountain Colors is working hard to reduce our carbon footprint.

The Benjamin Moore’s Green Promise® designation is their assurance that its environmentally friendly coatings meet and exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the premium levels of performance you expect from Benjamin Moore.

Mountain Colors is proud to be a member of 1% for Open Space.  1% of all our sales are collected to support of preservation of Open Space in Gunnison County.