EP!C Sustainable Living Festival

This weekend was EP!C. Greenworks Building Supply invited the patrons of the Epic Sustainable Living Festival (www.epicfest.ca) to take a load off and enjoy the sun. Located strategically between the moon bounce and the Sip and Savour Garden we met so many wonderful families! Our luxurious Gallant and Jones Sling Chairs were a welcome sight to parent and children alike.  These locally crafted white oak chairs are a perfect addition to any deck, patio or lawn for the glorious summer months in Vancouver. Historically, white oak has been used to make wine barrels and ships due to its water and rot resistance. Gallant and Jones finishes all of their exterior furniture with  Osmo Woodwax Finishes to create a truly superior eco-friendly  product. With every deck chair purchased, this local company donates to plant a tree through the Love Trees Program. Other products showcased at our relaxation station were Coyuchi Organic textiles, worm composters and beekeeping hives. We enjoyed learning new ways to effect positive change while making new friends in this rapidly developing industry. The music was incredible and so was the food! Keep checking back for new updates as we approach the best  months of the year!

Last week we created a new wall covering in our bedding section using Milk Paint on pine paneling. We did it in several steps to achieve a nice rustic look.
First, we stained all the pieces with Homestead House wood stain in the Sherwood brown colour.

Then we applied Hemp oil in some areas so the next layer wouldn't adhere to it, showing the previous finish.
That second layer was a mix of 2 Miss Mustard Seed milk paint colours (Ironstone & Grainsack). Once that was dry, we sanded lightly the areas that had Hemp oil.
After we painted spots as if they were natural mineral streaks with the colour Typewriter.
Again we put some Hemp oil, mostly where the knots were.
The final colour was a blend of Shutter Gray & Typewriter, painted uniformly and then again, we removed the paint where the oil was applied.

After we installed them, we put a protective/finishing coat with Furniture Wax.
The end result is just amazing, there's so much depth to it, the secret was those multi layers.
What I liked most in this project is how easy it is to work with Milk Paint, the drying time is so fast you can achieve so much in 1 day!

The Little Burro does Science World

On Saturday, Steven and I packed up the Little Burro and took it down the street to Science World.  The Burro had a rough time through the winter, and with the move last month she was looking a bit worse for wear; but we managed to fix her up to look as good as new for her first outing of the summer season.  April 18-May 17 is Green Month in Vancouver so Steven and I headed down to Science World to participate in the festivities as sponsored by VanCity (for more info about the events coming up this week and weekend click here).  There were booths set up, ranging from the Wilderness Committee, to the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, to GreenWorks.
 

All the art hanging to dry

 We had the Burro parked around the side and open for visitors, but the most fun was making the spin art at our booth.  One of the paint companies we work with, Yolo Colorhouse, lent us a spin art machine.  I had never seen a spin art machine before, but it’s basically a big barrel with a little motor and a clip that you use to fasten a piece of paper near the bottom.  The machine then spins the paper while you drop colors of paint in, creating dynamic and exciting (not to mention easy!) art.  Using Yolo’s Full Bloom Color Trend for Spring 2013 of Petal 01, Petal 02, Dream 05, with an off-white base of Imagine 04, (to see more beautiful colors click here) we plugged the machine in and created some awesome art.

Quarts of the Full Bloom Colors

The kids completely fell in love!  Okay, the adults did too.  It was a lot of fun waiting to see what your creation looked like when the motor stopped, which each one different, and unique.  The weather was perfect for the outdoor event hosted by Science World.  Steven and I had a lot of fun.  A big thanks to Science World for hosting us, VanCity for sponsoring us, and to Yolo Colorhouse for lending us the spin art machine!  We definitely don’t want to give it back.   

 

Spin Art, thanks to Yolo Colorhouse

Getting down and dirty!

Finished Sample Boards

 Stucco Italiano Fun!

On Friday April 26th, Greenworks Building Supply was pleased to host one of the first of many workshops in our new space on 3rd and Manitoba! Students from all walks of life gathered to learn from the Venetian plaster master Aaron Cohen. This two day intensive course covered techniques of application on a range of decorative finishes. Our instructor was attentive to each students' level of experience. From the at home do-it-yourself-er to the seasoned professional, the participants gained valuable knowledge and hands on skill. Having no experience with Venetian plaster, I enjoyed familiarizing myself with this incredibly diverse  medium. The process of plastering at first felt very awkward, but after an hour or so the trowel became an extension of my body. I enjoyed to organic flow, smell and texture of this ancient medium. It was fascinating to hear experienced journeymen share stories and converse with other tradesmen seeking to diversify their skill-sets. The students were Eager. The food was excellent. Its never too late or too early to learn something new!

From traditional...

To contemporary

:Testimonial from other Stucco Italiano Classes

David Gibson
Coeur D’alene, ID 
"Great class! A lot of hands on. Professional yet Personal."

Cassandra Wallstrum, Architectural Finishes
San Diego, California “I just wanted to thank you for the awesome class, and let you know I truly think you are one of the best teachers I have had… and I’ve had a few… You made every one feel very comfortable and at ease with the product… Teaching is truly an art and you’ve got it.”

Transforming space with Beautiful finishes

Moksha Yoga

In January Greenworks was lucky enough to work with Monique Harris and Marie-Eve Boudreau, owners of Moksha Yoga in East Vancouver, on their new studio. They were very thoughtful about all the finishes they chose and were committed to building as green and sustainable as possible.  Greenworks supplied them with the Bamboo floor from Symmetry Bamboo for the studio as well as Green Planet, a clay-based paint which is a zero-VOC paint made without the use of petroleum. They also chose American Clay for two feature walls in the studio space. American Clay’s negative ions help to neutralize the static electricity associated with electronic gear from TVs to computers. For the bathrooms Greenworks had 2 custom vanities built with no added formaldehyde cases.  They topped them with Icestone counter tops. Icestone is a recycled glass and concrete countertop made in Brooklyn which is certified Cradle to Cradle. They painted the rest of the space with Yolo. They used some green products that Greenworks did not supply. They put some water filters on the taps to provide fresh drinking water and they used radiant heating panels to heat the space. They also have Caroma dual flush toilets which Greenworks now carries. This was a truly green renovation and Greenworks is very proud to have been a part of it. The studio is beautiful and they have great classes and events. Check them out.

 

American Clay in the Little Burro

We decided to use American Clay on the truck. We put some American Clay primer sand in some of our zero VOC paint primer to prime the wall. We used Loma with mud glue, no pigment, for both layers. Used one of our special Japanese pointed flexible polycarbonate trowels. I compressed the wall at the end with a tile sponge (big rectangular sponge).

Overall it was really fun. Just using a natural clay product was a really enjoyable experience, since I felt as if I was sharing in the experience of many people around the world over the centuries by using such a product. I probably put too much on since it's just supposed to be a credit card thickness for both layers, but I was trying to cover up some screw heads on the wall. American Clay is also nice in that it's forgiving and I could play with it for a while while it dried to get the texture I wanted, and then I could go back with the spray bottle, wet it, and work it again to make it look like what I wanted. It is definitely easy for a non-artist like myself to create a really beautiful clay texture on the wall. I found myself playing with the texture longer than I needed to since the artist in me emerged as I wanted to experiment and explore what textures looked good. I ended with a mostly smooth, even texture with a bit of variation. I really like it.

This has definitely made me want to experiment more and explore putting it on my own walls at home. I think I will put it on a test board, let it dry with a certain texture (writing down how I achieved that texture), take a picture, then rework it to create a different texture until I've created a few textures and can decide on one for my wall. I would also love to experiment with pigment and colour, and then there's also lime washing to brighten the colours and a penetrating sealer to try out if I'm putting it near splash areas. If I can do it on my first try (and I'm sure I could do it better/quicker if I practiced) and it still looks good, it's a keeper! 

Steven

Little Burro Progress

We have been busy working on our Little Burro project. We have built an L shaped bench out of Sunflower Seed Board. We finished it with Vermont Natural Coatings Furniture Finish in gloss. It is looking great. I am going out today to see if I can find some fun vintage drapes to use as upholstery fabric for the seat. We are now priming the walls and the back door with AFM’s Transitional Primer. We will be painting one wall with Yolo’s Thrive 02 which is in the Yolo 2012 Summer pallet. We will then be using Yolo’s Imagine 04 for the back door and one of the side panels. We will also be doing a panel of Stucco Italiano’s plaster and one in American Clay. We just got the fantastic Agates that Interstyle made up for us. They are made from recycled glass and are produced locally. They are beautiful we have chosen a citrus green and an earthy grey mix. Next up we will be working on our cabinets and countertops.