No VOC Paint Does Not Disappoint
Over the Labor Day weekend, Sonia and I decided to change the color of our half-bathroom. A trip to Home Depot with the intention of finding low or no-VOC paint, led us to the Freshaire color choices. Freshaire claims to be completely free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). That means no harsh chemicals and no fresh paint smell. Freshaire also claims to be the first tinted paint product to be fully certified by GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI). To earn the GEI certification, 
Freshair had to undergo extensive testing to make sure that it meets airquality guidelines and standards, which are also in line with those of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to the Freshaire website, most paints claiming to have “no harmful chemicals” are not telling the whole story because the average paint colorant adds 150 grams of VOCs back into the paint once the color is mixed. But that’s not the case with The Freshaire Choice.
The mixing process is actually kind of neat. The Home Depot guy dropped a sealed bag of what looked like gun powder into the Freshaire eggshell paint. The bag instantly dissolves and the powder act as the tinting mechanism for the paint. It ensures the perfect color and maintains the no-VOC claim.
Keep in mind that the half-bath we are painting is pretty small. Both Sonia and I were able to paint at the same time in a confined space with no fumes and no headaches. I kept the bathroom fan on just as a precaution, but once we were finished, I turned off the fan and there was no odor left behind. The walls came out looking great. I did not use a primer and probably could have gotten away with just one coat. Being a little bit old school, I went with a second coat. The paint dries very quickly so there does not have to be much delay between coats. The paint can said it only takes 30 minutes to dry. Clean up was easy. I always manage to get paint on my hands and am happy to report hat it came off with soap and no scrubbing. The only downside is that the cost was about $10 more per gallon than the equivalent paint at Home Depot still containing VOCs. There are plenty of other green home and paint suppliers in town that you may want to check out to see how they compete.
In contrast to the above experience, the next day we decided to touch-up some of the walls around our house with the paint left behind by the builder. Two days later our entire house still stinks from the minor touch-ups, even with all of our windows open. Talk about instant headache. I am so done with normal paints at this point! These fumes are not only obnoxious, they have short and long-term health risks associated with them. We see a lot of stories about how polluted certain areas of the country are. Keep in mind that this is a measure of outdoor air quality. Pollutants such as VOCs can cause homes to be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoors. To learn more about the health risks of VOCs, visit the EPA website.
I’m looking forward to my next painting project and look forward to trying another one of the 66 Freshaire colors.
We invite you to sign up for out monthly e-newsletter where we share tips on healthier, more efficient ways of life.
Leave a Reply
Real Estate Search
Meet Arbour Realty
Related Posts
Categories
- 365 Things to Do in Arlington
- Arlington Real Estate
- Fairfax County Real Estate and Community
- Northern VA Real Estate and Community
- Home Buying Advice
- Home Selling Advice
- Investment Spotlight
- Green Homes
- Green Ideas
- Consumer Advice
- New Construction
- Video – Market Update
- Arbour Realty
