What's in your paint? VOCs and Paint

I am sure many people are familiar with the new paint and new car smell. These familiar odors originate from Volatile Organic Compounds. While many people may enjoy these smells and even call them a fresh odor they are far from safe. VOCs and other chemicals that are in paints, stains and finishes can cause short term health problems such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions and sore throats. They have even been linked to long term problems like cancer. The VOCs in paint can even contribute to several environmental conditions such as fog.

The good news to all this is that there is an alternative to VOC containing paints. Many people have heard of low or no VOC paints but they may not know that there is even variation among these classifications. For that reason let’s take a look at the different categories and what some of these variations are.

Low and No-VOC

These terms mean exactly what they say. Low VOC paints will have a reduced amount of VOCs in the paint base. The paint base is the tintable base that is regulated with these classifications. Similarly in the no VOC paints these paints will contain no regulated VOC in the tint base. All your major manufacturers carry low VOC paints and the majority of them now carry no-VOC paints.

As you may notice I continue to state that the base contains low or no regulated VOCs. This is because the federal regulations that apply to VOCs in paint only cover VOCs that contribute to the formation of smog. There may be other VOCs in the paint base but this depends on the manufacturer. Also tinting the base can add VOCs to the paint because the pigments used to tint the base may be dissolved in solvents that contain VOCs. The deeper the tint the more VOCs that paint will contain. To avoid the tinting pigments from adding VOCs to your no-VOC paint you can seek out companies that use zero-VOC colorants.

Zero VOC

There has been a new trend in paints with some of the paints being classified as zero-VOC paints. You may ask what is the difference between no-VOC and zero-VOC paints? As I mentioned before to obtain the classification of no-VOCs the paint must contain none of the regulated VOCs. This means that the paints can still contain non-regulated VOCs and even some other potentially harmful chemicals such as ammonia or antimicrobials.

The zero-VOC paints contain none of these chemicals and are considered non-toxic. These paints are a great choice for individuals that have multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) or facilities such as hospitals that may contain individuals that do. There are several companies that produce zero-VOC paints like Mythic, AFM and Biodhield.

Painting with these paints

These paints apply like any other paint and clean up with water as well. You can get a wide variety of colors and sheens just like conventional paints. The only difference that you may find is that the dry times may be slightly longer, especially with deeper tints. You may want to allow a little longer drying time between coats for the darker tints to allow for a quicker overall dry time. Like conventional paints these paints also need to cure over time to full hardness (just because they are dry doesn’t mean they have cured) but you may find that it takes a little longer for them to become completely rock hard especially for the glossier sheens. However just like conventional paints they are hard enough to touch up and hang pictures in just a few days.

Other than these minor variations the zero-VOC and no-VOC paints cover and paint the same as their conventional counterparts. The major upside is that they don’t provide your home and you with the harmful chemicals that are associated with conventional paints.

If you are looking to use these paints it is recommended that you look at your choices and if you have any questions regarding the overall VOC and chemical content of the paints ask to see the material safety data sheet (MSDS). This will list any potentially harmful chemicals that are in the product. If you will be working with a contractor make sure they understand the differences in the paint and take the time to make sure you are getting the product you want. Due to the limited local suppliers in most areas for some of these paints you may even want to purchase them yourself so you are sure you are getting the paint you want.