You know what they say: Once you go no-VOC, you never go back. OK. So I’ve never actually heard anyone say that before. But it’s true-now that I’ve painted with VOC-free products, I’m never going to use the standard stuff again.
Over Labor Day weekend, I managed to paint an entryway, a hallway, a living room, and two bedrooms (with a bit of help, of course!). And we did it all with paint from Sherwin-Williams, which I picked because there was a local store and because they have a couple of paint options that are GreenSure certified (essentially, it’s a high-performance, more environmentally friendly product).
My first paint choice was Harmony Interior Latex, which is zero-VOC, low odor, and silica-free and has anti-microbial properties. But, alas, shopping at a small-town paint store comes with some drawbacks, so I ended up with a mixed bag of paint products. The stucco-color walls are Harmony, the green ones are Duration Home (low-VOC and low odor), and the yellow walls are ProGreen 200 (also low-VOC, it’s typically sold to pros rather than homeowners).
But I also have a red accent wall in my bedroom, and because I was purchasing paint from a small-town store with limited options (on a holiday weekend nonetheless), that paint color didn’t come in a can with an environmentally friendly label. I wasn’t so excited about that fact, but at least now I know first-hand how much better the other paints are.
The funny thing is, even before I opened any of the cans of paint, I knew what that standard paint was going to smell like. Why? Because when I got up close to the walls, I could smell the paint the previous homeowners used. And it didn’t smell good.
That’s because standard paints offgas volatile organic compounds (yep, that’s what VOC stands for). And even when the strongest smell goes away a few days after your walls have been painted, those VOCs continue to contaminate the air in your home for as long as a year after you’ve finished painting. According to the EPA, in addition to contributing to air pollution, VOCs can cause icky ailments ranging from respiratory, skin, and eye irritation to headaches, nausea, and worse.
Back to my painting tale … It came as no surprise to me that the GreenSure paints went on smoothly, the colors looked great-and there was hardly any scent at all. And that red accent wall? It made the whole room smell like paint normally smells, even though the other walls were painted with Harmony. Really. That’s why people often vacate the premises during and after interior painting.
All sorts of retailers besides Sherwin Williams are offering low-VOC paint lines now too. One caveat, however: There are often plenty of other toxic substances that come from nonrenewable resources and that are energy-intensive to produce in the paint can even if there aren’t many VOCs. So even the no-VOC paints and stains you buy might not be all that environmentally friendly. But at least it’s a step closer.
If you’re not sure what brand of paint is best, look for the Green Seal label. And, if you want more information, the green paint section at Green Home Guide is great-and they have a useful paint directory, which is where I started my search.
I’m more than a little disappointed that I settled for standard paint on the red wall. Sure, it looks nice, but the low-VOC walls in the rest of the room don’t have quite the impact when the red wall exudes a ton of volatile organic compounds. Plus, I recently learned that the deeper the hue, the more pigment needed, which means you’re getting more VOCs. Super.
Oh well. When it comes to green living (and first-time home buying, and painting your house when you’re still living almost five hours away from it), you live and you learn. And in the next house, you swear there won’t be any paint unless it’s VOC-free. (At least I have.)
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