Low VOC Paints

We've been doing some painting around the house so I thought this might be a good time to talk low VOC's paints. VOC stands for "volatile organic compounds" and these compounds can be found in a variety of different things including paints, cleaning agents and adhesives. Did you know that it can take years for high level VOC paint fumes to disappear while low VOC paints take only days?

The gases that these chemicals release can cause all kinds of very unpleasant physical symptoms. Things like dizziness, skin irritation, nausea, headaches, breathing problems and lung irritation just to name a few. And you certainly don't have to be sensitive or even have allergies for them to affect you. In higher concentrations VOC's can damage the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and it's even been known to cause certain types of cancer. So being aware of VOC's and avoiding them whenever possible is not only beneficial for your own health but everyone else's as well.

While doing this research I've come across several articles suggesting that painting a low VOC paint over top of an old existing paint can seal it to some degree (although how much is still apparently uncertain). There are however non-toxic sealing primers available that you can use that will block dangerous VOC's and Formaldehyde. Most brands now have low VOC options including Behr, Benjamin Moore, CIL, and Cloverdale paints.

I've mostly used Benjamin Moore on walls. They offer Low and No VOC paints and I've found that they stand up very well and offer good coverage. I've also used Behr's low VOC paints for doors, baseboards and furniture and it does very well as well.  

Even when using low VOC it's still a good idea to have good ventilation.  If that's opening windows or cranking up the air purifier, keeping the air around you as clean as possible will help with any irritation you may feel from any paint fumes.

I should also mention that there are natural paints like milk paint available too.  Although I've never used them myself they are made with natural ingredients  such as clay, pigments, and milk protein.  They're often water based and they are non-toxic.  I've included a link to a great article by Elizabeth Gulino titled " So What Exactly is Milk Paint" on housebeautiful.com if you would like to know more.

source:

canadianhomeworkshop.com
How to Reduce VOCs from Existing Paint in Your Home
Allergy-Friendly painting: How to Skip the VOC's
housebeautiful.com home remodeling, what is milk paint.

lung.org  healthlinkbc.ca