Low VOC Paint
Photo by Yolo Colorhouse
I had mentioned that about the current colours in my home, my dislike of them but the decision to keep them. And I was certain there’d be no painting involved. However, the yellow colour in my bedroom is driving me insane (and it seems like yellow rooms drive others crazy as well). Besides, I really want to get the green duvet from Brocade and it wouldn’t go well. I need paler, greener, walls.
There are a couple of concerns for me when painting: low VOC and great colour availability. Usually low-voc paint doesn’t have that great of a colour choice or it’s hard to find. So I was excited to discover the wonderful Yolo Colorhouse. From their site:
What makes your paint environmentally-friendly?
VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are the solvents in most paints that evaporate and contribute to the depletion of the ozone. VOCs are also a part of the stinky odor in paint that is offensive and continues to off-gas which contributes to poor indoor air quality. YOLO Colorhouse® is formulated without the use of these solvents, as a result it is a 0 VOC and low odor, premium interior paint.What is Green Seal® Certified?
Green Seal® is an independent non-profit setting standards for environmentally responsible products. Green Seal® certification is based on VOC content, the absence of chemicals (www.greenseal.org/standards/paints.htm), durability, performance and manufacturing practices. Green Seal® certification automatically qualifies YOLO Colorhouse® for LEED certified projects.
Offering large colour swatches is such a great idea; I’ve ordered a few to test. I’ll let you know how it works out.
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March 14th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Hello,
We discovered Olympic Premium Interior Latex at Lowe’s is 0 VOC but not overtly labeled as such. At about $20/gallon, it was much cheaper than the other alternatives, and there was a wide color pallette from which to choose (though they could not match a paint chip from Sherwin Williams, there was a near match in the Olympic swatches). The coverage was good (primer plus 2 coats for a newly-textured wall). I’ve read that dark colors do add VOCs, but even the very dark red we used on one wall had no detectable odor. Certainly I’m no expert, and some people prefer to shop from smaller, independent stores, but I do like the idea of making affordable, environmentally-friendly products available to the masses, so for us it was a good choice. Have fun!
March 15th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Farrow & Ball have free wallpaper samples; you can buy hand painted sample cards of their paint. They offer sample pots of paint so you can try the colour before buying a large can. Plus they are in Canada.