How To: Find Low & Zero VOC Paints

Did you know...

that indoor air is THREE times more polluted than outdoor air?
Did you know that the EPA considers indoor air pollution one of the top five hazards to human health?
Did you know that paints and finishes are among the leading causes of indoor air pollution?

These are all good reasons to check out low-VOC and zero-VOC paints (VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds, which used to be necessary for paint to work well). We found a few good sources:

The GreenHome Guide has a great section on green paints, coatings and know-how. There's also a listing for all of these paints and their cousins at Eartheasy.com, which we now pass on. It includes info and sources, among which are...

Natural Paints: Aglaia, Livos, Bioshield, Auro
Zero-VOC Paints: AFM Safecoat, Devoe Wonder Pure, Sherwin Williams
Low-VOC Paints: Benjamin Moore AURA paint, Benjamin Moore Pristine EcoSpec, Cloverdale EcoLogic

Here's more:

• Toolbase.org
• Cleanaircounts.org
• TreeHugger.com
• homerepair.about.com

(ReEdited from 2005-06-08 - MGR)

Comments (4)

This isn't much help for the non Quebecers, but if there are any of you here Fripe Prix Renaissance (which is like Goodwill) sells recycled paint. I'm not sure about the logistics of how they recycle it or how they make the colours consistent, but I know the limited palette they do offer is very nice if you are looking for muted/greyed down colours, and the cans are affordable.

But how do they do it?!

Has anyone tried the Anna Sova paint with the scent in it?

Has anyone heard of Yolo? Our local green building supply store (http://www.greenworksbuildingsupply.com/default.aspx) carries it... http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/

I used two Auro products- they get high points for their natural ingredients and ecological integrity. And they are beautiful, beautiful paints and finishes. There is just something about knowing that your walls are covered with plant oils and resins that makes the room feel wonderful. The colors are all natural pigments, so they are very soft, and you can get beautiful effects from them. I actually had the whole exterior of my house painted with Auro paint.