Testing Non-Toxic “Green” Paints
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
Painting is more fun with non-toxic paint.
I was a big fan of Home Depot’s Behr brand paints, until I learned that mainstream paints emit dangerous toxins called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When it came time to repaint the rooms our house, I decided to use “green” paints that reduce indoor air pollution and are more environmentally friendly.
A friend who is a building contractor recommended we try “natural” paint. Seems easy enough, but the more I read, the more I realized I was green on the topic of green paint. (Eartheasy.com offers a great round-up of the types of non-toxic paints and who offers them.) I decided the best way to learn was to experiment, so I chose two types of non-toxic paints (natural and synthetic) in three brands: AFM Safecoat, Yolo Colorhouse, and BioShield. Here’s what I found:
AFM Safecoat Pros:
- Available at lots of green home improvement stores
- Zero VOC (be sure to ask your retailer to use tints without VOCs, too!)
- Low odor dissipated within two days–much faster than my old Behr paints
- Wide color selection (”Blue Wish” is the color shown in the photo above.)
- Good coverage
- Available in flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, and glossy finishes
Cons:
- Paint chips not easily available
(I know they are wasteful, but they are handy. Instead, I had to wait until the paint chip book was returned by another customer and then check it out for three days. Eco-friendly, yes. Convenient, no.) - Not an entirely natural paint
AFM Safecoat is my overall favorite of the three non-toxic paint brands I tried, the main two reasons being availability and color selection. I also liked that while it did give off an odor, it wasn’t the strong chemical-smelling odor found in standard high-VOC paints.
Yolo Colorhouse Pros:
- Paint chips and poster-size swatches made with real paint available for purchase
- Available at lots of green home improvement stores
- Zero VOC (be sure to ask your retailer to use tints without VOCs, too!)
- Low odor dissipated within two days
- Good color selection (though not as wide as AFM Safecoat)
- Available in flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, and glossy finishes
Cons:
- Fair coverage, it didn’t stretch quite as far as the AFM Safecoat paint for the same size room
- Not an entirely natural paint
I love the Yolo Colorhouse color choices, and the big swatch gave me a good sense of what the color would like in the room we painted (much better than a standard 1-inch paint chip). But the coverage wasn’t good enough to make it my top pick.
BioShield Clay Paint Pros:
- Water and clay based, so I consider it a “natural” paint
- Odor dissipated within four days (a little longer than the others, but faster than standard paint)
- Odor was earthy smelling, not like that chemical, solvent smell present in nail salons
- Excellent coverage, the same amount of paint stretched further than the others
- Free chips available to order online; a kit with real paint swatches of all their colors is also available for $12.50
Cons:
- Costs more than AFM Safecoat or Yolo Colorhouse paints: $44/gallon versus $38
- Not available at as many retail outlets (You can order online, though.)
- Color selection, while attractive, is limited compared to the other brands
(Eco Home Improvement in Berkeley taught me how to blend two colors to achieve the shade I wanted, but I prefer to buy off the shelf.) - Not available eggshell or gloss finishes (They do offer a trim enamel, but according to instructions, it requires sanding between coats–too fussy for me!)
I love the BioShield clay paint we tried. If I hadn’t been in a hurry to finish my work, I would have used it for all my walls, if not the doors and trim. But the hassle of ordering and waiting for color swatches, and then ordering and waiting for my chosen colors was not worth it for me. If you are a good plan-ahead type though, this brand of paints comes highly recommended.
If you can’t find these brands at your local retailer, you might consider trying Home Depot’s new zero-VOC paint called Freshaire Choice. You can order free color chips online and purchase the paint at your local Home Depot.
