12 Great No-VOC and Non-Toxic Eco Paints
It’s a very common question here on Re-nest: what’s the best non-toxic paint? You want to paint your home, but you don’t want the fumes to make you sick or off-gas for years to come. So, readers, we put together this top
ten
twelve list of what we think are some of the best no-VOC, non-toxic interior house paints.
Follow Topics for more like this
Follow for more stories like this
According to the EPA, the average home’s interior air is three times more polluted than outdoor air, and interior paints are often the prime suspect for the source of this indoor pollution. Volatile organic compounds can slowly off-gas for years after initial application, and thus, you can now purchase “non-toxic” formulas made from natural raw ingredients such as water, milk casein, natural latex, plant oils and resins, plant dyes and essential oils or with formulations containing VOCs in the range of 5 grams/litre or less per can (so technically, these do still contain toxic ingredients; adding a color tint usually brings the VOC level up to 10 grams/liter). Here are 12 interior paints with no or low VOCs and/or natural ingredients.
Benjamin Moore Aura and Natura: The Aura line is low VOC and the Natura line is no-VOC. Practically odorless, 100% acrylic paint and primer. Goes on smoothly, covers well, and and it dries in about an hour.
Bioshield Clay and Casein paints: natural raw ingredient paints; just add water to ready-to-mix powder. Be sure to check out their closeouts section (we like the Mandarin Milk Paint).
Yolo Colorhouse: water-based, Green Seal certified, and zero-VOC paint created by Portland, Oregon-based artists, Janie Young and Virginia Lowe. Available in a palette of 40 hues are specifically designed for interiors and categorized by nature’s spectrum of air, grain, leaf, water, stone, clay and the bright hued petal range. And their packaging is really lovely.
Sherwin-Williams Harmony Interior Latex: A Good Housekeeping choice, the Harmony line uses sustainable raw materials, like soy and sunflower oil in their formulation to keep solvent content low and VOCs in the zero-VOC range. Advertised as mildew and bacteria resistant.
Green Planet Paints: Soy-based resins with clay formulations and mineral pigments keep this line of paint as organic as your farmer’s market produce. We also like that they disclose all ingredients in their paint formulas right there on the can.
Homestead House Paint Company: a 100% acrylic paint formulated to perform well on top of existing previous applications and has the appearance of milk paint.
Dunn-Edwards EcoShield: an MPI Green Performance Standard rated product, the low odor EcoShield line was created initially for use in schools, hospitals, hotels, homes and other closed-ventilation buildings, and is ethylene glycol free.
Devoe Wonder Pure Interior Latex Odor-Free Paints: available in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss, the Devoe Wonder-Pure line is advertised as odor free and can be applied without sanding.
Olympic Premium: A Green Seal Certification “Class A” paint also awarded the Home Safety Council’s Commendation Awards for Product Innovation for Consumer Safety.
Anna Sova Latex Wall Paint: the eco-branded Healthy Wall Finish contains 99% food grade ingredients, making this no-VOC paint a good choice for interior with children and pregnant women.
AFM Safecoat: AFM Safecoat has really great palettes. We also use them for all of our bases and white trim paint. They have a no-VOC line called Ayurveda Essence that has fantastic colors (108 of them!). AFM Safecoat’s paints come in flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss.
Mythic Paint: Mythic Paint has a huge amount of colors available, and they’re all fantastic. Our editors have used them plenty of times and they’re a running favorite. Non-toxic, ultra low odor paint.
Do you have a favorite eco-friendly paint?
Related Links:
•How To: Buy the right amount of paint
•The Best Interior Paints are Low-VOC and Non-Toxic
• The Best Interior Paints with Low Toxicity