‘You often hear the phrase ‘there’s no need to reinvent the wheel’ or ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ I reflect on  these universal truths when I think about linseed oil paint. Though few companies offer it now, until the fossil age, it was the go-to paint for protecting wood and for the finest decoration- Edward Bulmer 

Michiel and Edward  formed a friendship based on their mutual respect for the climate and the world we live in. Both have worked extensively on large projects in London and overseas, always ensuring that the materials used reduce waste, lower impact and ultimately are the real deal. They know so much information combined, from colour matching and the earth and mineral pigments they use to the more scientific and formulaic aspects of modern paint making based on practises that have been used for millennia.

Read on to learn more about linseed oil paint, why we love it here at Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and how it can help protect and restore your building exteriors, working symbiotically with our plant based wall paint for interiors.

But what is linseed oil?

Also known as flaxseed, an ingredient used in the past as far an Ancient Egypt, and widely grown for its fibrous abilities in producing linen, this humble seed doesn’t only have one calling. Pressed, linseed oil can create the base for durable, reliant paint to use on external joinery and metalwork, only replaced by fossil fuel derived ingredients in more recent years due to cost and possible efficiency.

But when you are seeking a natural alternative, made by hand not machine, where can you go to acquire such a product? Our good friend and fellow paint mixer and enthusiast Michiel Brouns, author of ‘Linseed Paint and Oil, A Practical Guide to Traditional Production and Application’ has all the answers and a range of reliable paints that can play a pivotal role in reducing microplastics and making building and restoration much more sustainable.

The combination of Edward Bulmer Natural Paints indoors and Michiel Brouns Linseed Oil Paint on for your outdoor painting needs can result in a matrimony of plant based paint used in all it’s glory. When choosing your paint we are drawn to colour, Michiel argues that this cannot be the whole story.

‘We should be giving due consideration to what paint is made of, what its embodied energy is and what its function is. Linseed paint is a great example of this, not only does this natural, historic paint have a wonderful decorative effect, it’s also very hard working, it’s main role to protect from the elements’- Michiel Brouns

Around 70% of the worlds flaxseeds are grown in The Netherlands and France for fibrous use, but can be seen growing in the UK for seed use too!

Benefits of using linseed oil paint

Linseed oil paint and our natural plant based paint compared to other modern oil and acrylic paints.

Acrylic polymers, plasticisers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilisers and metal soaps- these are all quite scary sounding ingredients and are what makes up most modern paint. There is a lot of jargon and greenwashing going around when infact white spirit, or other nasty ingredients have infact come into play.

Linseed oil paint has a lower surface tension than water giving it big advantages over petrochemical, latex or acrylic alternatives, this means:

• Linseed paint is able to penetrate deeper into timber than water ever will
• Linseed oil paint has ‘wicking’ properties, which does not mean it’s breathable, it means it has a second defence against any moisture that does find its way in!
• It doesn’t create a trapping film barrier like most conventional paint, allowing a one way ‘repellent’ for water.
• It’s ‘Gore-Tex™’ for woodwork essentially, allowing rainwater to bead off.
• It can protect against mould if formulated correctly.
• It can keep Termites at bay, keeping exterior surfaces dry.

Made with renewable, natural materials which require little energy to process compared to the  petrochemical supply chain. Edward Bulmer’s career in interior design in period and historic buildings, most of which are protected by law.

‘These buildings are seen to be part of the warp and weft of our culture. My job has been to look after them, so I have always looked beyond colour to how the material will perform.

For me that has been its ability to PROTECT.

By protection I mean the actual substrate – plaster, wood, stone – but also the occupants of the building and wider than that, the planet home we all depend on. To capture this intent into a product specification the easiest way to filter it is to assess the percentage of a product that relies on natural materials and traditional/low energy processing.’- Edward Bulmer

Michiel explains in his book about the reality of the time we live in and that we need to consider carefully the materials we are using in terms of the impact on our environment.

It comes down to reducing our plastic consumption and use in general, even if it is slightly more labour intensive to  make and more expensive to buy. The care that goes into growing the flax, harvesting, boiling the oil, selecting the pigments he believes are very deliberate and ‘add soul’ to the end product, and we couldn’t agree more.

‘To this day very few paints are sold because they can provenly outperform the natural paints that came before them. They are sold to us on price, or ease of use, or limitless colour.’– Edward Bulmer

The trouble with greenwashing

Back to greenwashing and brands piggy-backing the movement to towards the use of more environmentally friendly products and application methods. We hear day after day words such as:

Low impact

Biodegradable

Climate friendly

Eco and Natural

We must remember that there is no such thing as a water based acrylic paint, they are merely diluted, in quality and in consistency. The only proven way to lower VOC levels is to replace them with something even worse, phthlates, weakeners and emulsifiers, all known to be carcinogenic! Michiel mentions in his book the likeliness of these toxic ingredients being banned in coming years. A scary thought when you realise how many people are not opting for a natural alternative when it is readily available to them.

Read about Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s honest ingredients here.

‘One of my paint heroes, Michiel Brouns has largely solved this for us though. His excellent book details all the painter needs to know about the time-honored skills required and his company Brouns & Co supply all the materials needed. His paint is made in Yorkshire and used here and extensively in the US, where protecting wooden buildings against extreme weather is a primary concern.’– Edward Bulmer

This comprehensive guide from ingerdients, harvesting raw materials to specialist application, pigments, storage to cleaning brushes is such an interesting read for those who might be thinking about introducing linseed oil paint to their repertoire or using it in a project in the future.

Clearly explaining the benefits and very honest downfalls of linseed oil paint (in which there aren’t many) Michiel articulates clearly the environmental issues he is wanting to address, similarly to our founder, always looking for the next step, the next action to take to ensure we are putting our planet first.

You can purchase Michiels book in our London showroom or online HERE.

Read more about our difference  and what we are doing at Edward Bulmer Natural Paint to lower our emissions, carbon, reduce our waste, collaborate with likeminded brands and rally all other mainstream paint brands to do the same and eliminate all plastic from their paint.