apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Theoretically, I love the idea of green paints, so to speak. But the truth is, I kind of figure that for me, since I don't smoke or anything, whenever I end up painting, I CAN stand the fumes. I think they actually smell kind of clean! Ammonia isn't good for you either, but when you smell it, you say "Somebody's been cleaning!" But I guess if you're kind of a delicate flower, you probably say, "Call 911."

Yes, but do these paints come in Ralph Lauren's Suede Finish?

I hear Suede Finish is awful to use.

curtis--
I'd say, given some of your comments on the latest "Chair &" thread, the fumes ARE getting to you. ;)

Is it just the fumes when you paint, or are volatile compounds a gift that keeps on giving?
That is, is it like carpeting that keeps out-gassing for a long long time?

I really appreciate Apartment Therapy as a resource for things like enviromentally friendly housepaint. It's really made me think about how enviromentally friendly I can be with my choices.

The websites themselves that sell these paints have been hella informative.

Does anyone know what the price point differentials are for a "standard" gallon of Benjamin Moore vs. a gallon of one of the ZERO VOC paints? On average?

On the Board of my building and the halls are being painted... Paint is about to be bought.

I've just painted 2 rooms with Benjamin Moore's Eco-Spec. The gallons were a few (less than 10) dollars more than the regular fume-y paint. The Eco-spec primer appeared to cost about twice as much ($24 vs. $14 for the regular). I think the Eco-Spec goes on better and goes further (square footage) than the regular BM paints. That, and the fact that I don't have the 2-week headache that I usually get from sleeping in a freshly painted room is well worth the money.

Check out the AGLAIA paints. They have clove oil, citrus oil, and tea trea oil in them (apparently these things do the job of preservatives.) I used them and my apartment smells wonderful. The paint is super thick, too, so it didn't splatter at all.

The link above didn't work for me, but there is a website at www.aglaiapaint.com

DK

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/

You guys consistently fail to mention Devine paint by Miller. It's long been low-VOC and now they have a zero-VOC line as well.

Devine is extremely popular with designers/decorators here in the NW. And it's great to work with. I wish it would be mentioned at least once in one of these articles.

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.

Are there Lowes hardware stores in the NY area? they carry Olympic brand no VOC paint, about comparable price to the Behr sold in HD. just used it to paint my mom's bathroom, as she has asthma issues and sleeps with a C pap machine. the primer is great. previously i've used Sherwin Williams primer consistently and the texure is comparable.