Seeking suggestions of VOC-free interior paint

12 years ago

Hi All,

We will be painting our entire house starting this week, and I have three young kids. I would love to use a VOC-free paint, but it is hard to know which one to choose. I have mainly looked into Natura from Benjamin Moore (since I live right up the street from a Ben Moore dealer) and Safecoat (since a nice, local store sells it.) I really like that Safecoat actually seals in toxins in addition to being VOC-free. However, I don't know anyone who has used it. I am open to other ideas too, but we need to start painting this week! :-)

Many thanks,

Sara

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Comments (8)

paintguy1
12 years ago
"I really like that Safecoat actually seals in toxins". It's marketing hype, not science, that feeds off sometimes irrational thinking about what is toxic and what is not. Treat any claims about non-toxic paint as a red flag. That aside, it is a decent bucket of paint.
Faron79
12 years ago
There are MANY good Low/No-VOC paints nowadays.

I wouldn't get too hung-up on the "NO-Voc" idea though!
The nature of Voc's is SO fleeting....relative to immediate effects on Humans.

Also-
VOC-levels and PERCEIVED-ODOR aren't even remotely related!!!
* Some "NO"-Voc paints may actually make people ill due to a perceived odor. I've read about some people complaining about a few brands "odors".
* Obviously, ODOR is an individual thing. What YOU find objectionalble...I may not even notice!
* Voc's CAN'T directly make you ill. You'd have to work in a paint factory for years to have any effects.
* 99% of us aren't around paints for long enough to do ANY damage to us anyway.

Faron
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I would definitely avoid Benjamin Moore Aura and their other low VOC paints. Benjamin Moore had a class action suit filed against them because of lingering odors with their Natura paints and I've had the same problem with Aura. I've been a Benjamin Moore fan for years. Most of my house is painted with Regal classic, but like you, health reasons made me decide to use a low VOC paint in the bedrooms. I painted the guest bedroom and bathroom with Aura. The smell was initially quite strong but it dissipated more quickly than their regular paint, so I decided to use the Aura again a year later when painting the master bedroom and bathroom. It's been a complete nightmare. ThereÃ¢ÂÂs an odor that wonÃ¢ÂÂt go away and has made the rooms uninhabitable for close to 10 months. I tried to sleep in the bedroom about 3 months after it was painted but I woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding headache and feeling suffocated by the smell. Now I go in the room as little as possible. Benjamin Moore was initially somewhat responsive. They admitted the smell was caused by the paint and promised to fix it. But when it became clear that sealing the paint hadn't worked and drywall would need to be replaced, they started to backtrack and now blame my plumbing. I am so disappointed in this company. I guess because I used their paint for so many years, I expected more ethical behavior. I have never been reimbursed for the "fixes" they promised to pay for (over $1000) and now they say they'll only reimburse me if I sign a waiver. Why would I sign a waiver when they still haven't fixed the problem? I've done a fair amount of internet research and my sense is that the low VOC paints are just less stable. Some people have a great experience with little smell. Some people say it smells more than regular paint but goes away quickly (as happened with my guest bedroom) and others experience a nightmare situation with a smell that wonÃ¢ÂÂt go away and nothing works but removal of all painted surfaces. In the future, IÃ¢ÂÂll stay away from Benjamin Moore paints. Great colors but not worth the risk.
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Bobby99
12 years ago
I use the Benjamin Moore Natura and I'm really happy with it. As far as I can tell, it performs as well as the Aura and it really doesn't smell - which is a great bonus when you're painting in January in Canada and don't wish to open all the windows :)
ionized_gw
12 years ago
I agree with most of what is written in the responses so far. There are, however, a small number of people that are exquisitely and measurably sensitive to some organic compounds. Paints can have an acute effect on them as compared to the effects of chronic exposure as a result of a career in a paint factory or painting professionally.

I looked at Safecoat's demo of their ability to cut formaldehyde emission from plywood. It is a very poorly designed test. They should have compared their coating to a few other coatings
jodokus
12 years ago
I have used the Benjamin Moore Natura paint and am extremely happy with it and very impressed. I'm pretty sensitive to paint fumes (I learned that the hard way.) Another no-VOC paint to try is one made by ICI Dulux. They were making a no-VOC paint years before it became fashionable to do so, and it is excellent. I used it in a kitchen and it has held up there very well.
If you are sensitive to paint fumes, be aware that low-VOC and non-VOC are different animals. Go with non-VOC if you are very sensitive.
PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
12 years ago
try here

Here is a link that might be useful: mythic paint
ionized_gw
12 years ago
"non-VOC" paint? That is probably impossible unless you define it as something that is below detectable level or below some arbitrary level. Of course. a biosensor may be the most sensitive detector and Jodpcus might be a very good one.
lynxe
12 years ago
Another vote for Mythic as an excellent "green" paint. Someone here has asthma that can be brought on by, among other things, odors, yet he did a lot of painting of trim with Mythic. His comments after finishing the job: he had no problems whatsoever either while painting or after. In the past, we could never paint during the winter, but our use of Mythic has changed that. I've painted several rooms with Mythic paints as well. I plan to redo two rooms and will again use Mythic.

Seeking suggestions of VOC-free interior paint

Comments (8)

paintguy1

Faron79

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