A guide to eco and natural paints

Repainting your home can be overwhelming. With all of the color swatches and shades it may seem impossible to ever decide on just one. However, picking the perfect color shouldn’t be the top of your priority list. Let’s talk about what else you should be considering when picking out which paint you are going to buy. Typically, when we are looking at our paint options, our first thought isn’t which one is healthiest for us. But should it be? Paints can be filled with a number of toxins so researching eco-friendly and organic house paints can be very beneficial to you and your home. This is common concern in our service area, a lot of customers in the South Bay bring up questions about the fumes, smells, and chemicals used in paint products, so we thought we would give you an overview here on our website.

What are VOCs?

Let’s start by talking about VOCs, what they are, and why you don’t necessarily want them in your house paint. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. They are the reason for the unpleasant smell that comes after painting a room. They release into the air upon application and continue to release for several years after. Research supports that exposure to VOCs can cause symptoms such as skin irritation, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, allergic reactions, problems breathing, nausea, and more. Luckily, there has been a rise in interior and exterior home paint that contain fewer or no VOCs. Low VOC house paints may still give off the paint smell until the paint is done drying. The benefit of low VOC is there are many more color options than there are if you go with no VOC paint.

No VOC house paint may still contain small amounts of VOCs, but they are still the environmentally friendly choice by a long shot. They can be life changing for someone who is sensitive to smells or who has a lot of allergies.

Natural paints are exactly what you think… made from natural ingredients. They don’t contain the chemicals or metals and are made from water, plant dyes, essential oils, clay, etc. The downside of natural paints is the cost and fewer color options.
No matter which paint you go with, just be sure to do further research so you know exactly what is going into your home. If you have more questions about paint or are interested in having a painting project completed, contact us today for a free consultation.