Paint

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When it comes to furniture rehabilitation, I am still in the imagination phase. I love daydreaming about finding some awesome piece of furniture sitting by the side of the road. Sure it may be rusted and dinged up — a lot of TLC and a little spray paint would be all it needed. After all, even I know that I handy can of spray paint is the trash digger and thrift store shopper’s best friend. The problem? Spray paint isn’t exactly good for the environment, spewing all those nasty chemicals into the atmosphere and whatnot.

To say that it makes me happy to find natural interior paint that is non-toxic would be a serious understatement. I’m like a kid in a candy store when I find products like this. I get excited and immediately want to try a little bit of everything. And with good reason…

Paint inspires me. Not the smelly, toxic, dizziness-inducing paint that most of us are used to. I’m talking about the low- and zero-VOC paints that come in a tremendous color palette, able to satisfy even the pickiest decorator. And when it comes to painting a nursery or child’s room, non-toxic paint should be more than a fleeting desire: it should be a requirement…and absolute must.

The versatile Serena & Lily low-VOC, low odor paint collection will meet your qualifications. You will have no problem finding your standard pinks and blues, but the range of soft greens, chocolate browns and lots in between will give you lots to choose from. So your baby won’t have to suffer for style. And that, dear readers, is the bottom line.

It’s great to see so many of the companies that we know and love rolling out products that we can use with our children in or pets in the room without worrying about harmful odors or offgassing. It’s even better to find companies that were built on these principles from the start. 

Because toxic gases can leak from paint for up to six years after application, there is much more to consider than whether you’ll have to open all your windows while painting. It can affect your indoor air quality long after the paint dries. Mythic Paint, available in a dizzying array of colors, is classified as a zero-VOC paint and also has zero toxins and zero carcinogens.  This means that it won’t hurt you, or your children, or Fido, and it won’t release any gases or substances that will hurt the ozone layer.

Since painting is one of the easiest ways to spruce up a room, I want to give you lots of environmentally-friendly options. Pure Performance from Pittsburgh Paints was the first paint to receive the Green Seal Class A Certification for meeting environmental standards. It is a Zero-VOC paint collection that has very low odor, so there will be no need to send the kids and pets packing when you get ready to paint. It is also certified as a top quality paint by the Master Painter’s Institute. It is available in primer, flat, eggshell and semigloss for all of your painting needs, and best of all it tints to all of the 1,890 colors available in Pittsburgh Paints’ Voice of Color System. So you can literally find almost any color on the spectrum.

AFM Safecoat zero VOC paints are premium quality, fast-curing paints designed for interior surfaces. They are designed for optimal indoor air quality and minimize exposure to toxic chemicals. Safecoat® contains no formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, heavy metals or other VOCs. Their products are structured to seal surfaces (wood, metal, concrete, carpets, and more), which helps to reduce “offgassing,” or the emission of toxins into your environment.

Price: $38.90/gallon. Or you can find dealers in your area

YOLO Colorhouse® and little YOLO is another paint solution with zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Their little YOLO Sprout Collection is meant specifically for nurseries and kids rooms in playful, gender-neutral colors. It has a durable, washable finish to help maintain the beauty and purity of the color. All YOLO Colorhouse® interior paint colors are based in nature. Their zero VOC paints and primer are certified by Green Seal®, an independent non-profit setting standards for environmentally responsible products. Green Seal® certification is based on VOC content, the absence of chemicals, durability, performance and manufacturing practices.

The FreshAire Choice is a complete line of wall paint along with primer and ceiling paint with No-VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the paint or the colorant. What that means is the paint is completely free of harsh chemical odors that make paint smell like paint and contribute to poor indoor air quality. There are also no chemicals to contribute to greenhouse gases. All you will smell, literally, is fresh air. With these products, you can even let your children help you paint. It is available in 65 colors, and even the packaging is eco-friendly. The label is made of 75% recycled fiber and printed with soy ink, their brochures are made with recycled content and can be recycled, and the paint can is made of 100% recycled materials.