Review Week: Battle of the Eco-Friendly Paints Pt. 3: Olympic Paint (+Giveaway)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part three in a series of reviews of three eco-friendly paint options. Lots of companies are now making paint like this. Some are from companies that make traditional paint, but have added a low-VOC line. Others are from companies that were founded on the principles of sustainability. Either way, what you really want to know is how well they perform. How many coats does it take to get good coverage? Read on to find out how Olympic did.

Olympic Premium Zero-VOC Paint

Olympic developed a zero-VOC paint, and it is apparently standard, as opposed to a separate line. In other words, their standard premium interior paint is now zero-VOC and low odor before colorant is added. My color of choice was interior flat in “First Light,” a very pale blue. The colorant did contain VOCs, so the resulting paint was low-VOC instead of zero. When we moved to Tennessee, we painted three walls in our bedroom this color.

Coverage

We had a gallon of paint to work with and three walls to cover. The color in the can was a beautiful pale blue and perfect match to the color of the swatch I selected it from. When we began painting, however, it looked almost white. It was hard to tell there was any blue in it at all. It did dry darker, so while the blue is still paler than I would have liked, it isn’t almost white. This is a good example of why you should always try to get a paint sample and put it on your wall before you make a final decision on your color. If I had done that, I would have gone a few shades darker. The coverage was excellent, however. After a coat of primer, it required only one coat and a few touchups. We went over it in a couple of places more than once simply because the color was so light when wet that it was hard to tell which parts were well-covered. Even after painting all three walls, we still had a little less than a half-gallon of paint left. Although the room was small, I was still impressed that the gallon went as far as it did.

Odor

I was very impressed by the almost non-existent smell of the Olympic paint. Even with a colorant that contains VOCs, the smell was minimal at best. We closed the window in room as we were painting when night fell and the room started to get cold. It was no problem at all. There was almost no smell — no gagging, no gasping for air, no covering our noses. The same was true for the Olympic primer. It was awesome! An added bonus? The paint and primer are also Green Seal certified.

Colors

The paint is available in all 1,200 of Olympic’s colors, so selection is not an issue. I received a color book from which to select my color, and I had a tough time only because there were so many colors to choose from. Again, I would recommend trying a paint sample on your walls to see how it will look once it dries, no matter what paint you use.

Availability & Price

Lowe’s carries Olympic paint, and as one of the largest home improvement chains in the nation, that means it should be pretty easy to find. This is a plus, in my opinion. Although buying paint online is an option, buying paint in person is a better idea. Colors are often not the same on-screen as they are in person, so an up-close inspection is your best bet at getting accurate color. Olympic paint is also very affordable at between $16 and $25 a gallon depending on finish.

Overall Performance

I really liked Olympic paint. It went on the walls well, offered great coverage and had almost no smell. In fact, I liked it so much that when I needed an accent color for my daughter’s room, I headed straight to the nearest Lowe’s to pick up a pint of Olympic, and I also wound up buying a gallon of semi-gloss to paint some furniture. It offers awesome performance for the price, and it was easy to find. I’d definitely use it again.

Why It’s Green:

• Contains no-VOCs (without colorant)
• Very low odor
• Carries a Class A Green Seal certification

Price: $16-25/gallon

More Paint Reviews:

• Battle of the Eco-Friendly Paints Pt. 1: Elements by California Paints
  
• Battle of the Eco-Friendly Paints Pt. 2: Mythic Paint

WANT TO WIN?

Olympic Paint is offering one gallon of zero-VOC paint and primer in your color and finish of choice to one lucky reader of Green Your Decor. If you want to start the new year with a new look in your home, this would be a great, eco-friendly start. So how do you win? Visit the Olympic website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned about the company and what color you would choose if you won. Comments that do not answer both of these questions will be deleted. And don’t worry — you can change your mind about the color if you win. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.

So that means every participant can receive up to 6 entries. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!