Best Overall
Valspar Signature Semi-Gloss Tintable Paint & Primer
Best Bang for the Buck
Behr Premium Plus Ultra Pure White Interior Paint
Upgrade Pick
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior Paint
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Most of us do n’t call up much about paint beyond its color , but there are chemicals in paint call explosive organic compound ( VOCs ) that can be toxic in non - low - VOC paint . VOCs are also found in paint stripper , fuze , and household detail like carpet , upholstery , and some furniture .
Neweco - friendly paintsare called low - VOC paints , and they contain few volatile chemicals than regular paints . The just low - VOC paint for you bet on the task you ’re act on and the desired finish case .
Our practiced low - VOC paint is theValspar Signature Semi - Gloss Tintable Paint & Primerfor its fast - dry , tintable formula ; washable and scrubbable finish ; and Greenguard certificate . However , all of the hands - on tested or selected products on this inclination were soundly vet for effectuality and dependability .
Below we ’ve detail what to look for when shopping for the honorable low - VOC paint along with our selected and hand - on tested recommendation for some top options .
Low-VOC vs. No-VOC Paint
Before shopping for your paint project , it ’s important to clear up the departure in the amount of toxic compounds contained in low - VOC blusher compared to those classified as no - VOC .
Low-VOC
Withlow - VOC pigment , there are no government guidelines for certifying a paint as such . But , some producer have limited the amount of toxin in their low - VOC paints to less than 50 grams per litre ( g / L ) for flat close pigment and no more than 110 one thousand / L for nonflat polish paints .
manufacturing business who survey that road map can have their rouge product certified as GS-11 by the non-profit-making organization Green Seal . Their paint can also earn a Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification from Underwriter ’s Laboratories ( UL ) , a non-profit-making safe organisation ; this indicates it is tested each year and complies with voluntary low - VOC standards .
No-VOC/Zero-VOC
No - VOC or zero - VOCpaint products contain minimum — if any — explosive organic compounds , but they may contain tincture amounts , up to 5 g / L. The color you touch the paint may contain small amounts of VOCs , but these are still among the least toxic blusher on the market .
A fistful of VOC - free paints are available from major manufacturers . you’re able to also find natural paints , such as Milk River blusher that will not off - gas any fumes .
How We Chose the Best Low-VOC Paints
The respectable low - VOC paint can increase your indoor airwave quality by providing low chemical substance expelling in house with pets and children while still performing like conventional paint . Our hand - on try out or exhaustively researched picks for the best low - VOC blusher generally contain fewer than 50 gram of volatile constitutive chemicals per liter , offer proficient coverage , can be implement with a brush or roller , and will clean up with just soap and piss .
The above picks also variegate between low - VOC and VOC - free paints to fulfil your personal taste . Though a few of these options postulate prep or dilution before applying , most do in great quantities , multiple color alternative , and varying finis . Many of the above paint are also compatible with metal , ceramic , canvas , fibreglass , and trim .
Drying time is also prioritized in this list as many of these picks only take 30 minutes to 1 hour to dry after implement the first coating . Finally , select blusher pick also offer mildew and mould electric resistance .
Our Top Picks
Whether you necessitate a small or no - VOC rouge , the list below is fill up with practicable try out or thoroughly researched options for your next lavatory , kitchen , sleeping accommodation , or whole - house upgrade . Each of our top pick comes with a inclination of noted product specs as well as some pros and con .
If you ’re appear for a compounding paint and primer ware , look no further than Valspar Signature semi - gloss tintable home pigment . This modest - VOC paint bears the Greenguard corroboration for low chemical substance emission standard . It has a dry time of 1 hour for the initial coating and 4 hours for subsequent coat .
This Valspar Signature paint get in a semi - gloss finish , making it indestructible and washable , and you could have it tinted in your choice of colors . One gallon covers up to 400 square feet and it is also safe to use on fiberglass , metal , and trim . Plus , this paint is elusive enough to be lap or scratch if ask .
Get the Valspar low - VOC blusher atLowe ’s .
You do n’t have to pass a lot to get timbre small - VOC blusher . The Behr Premium Plus Ultra pure white-hot internal blusher present a durable finis that ’s well suited for cabinets , door , well-kept , piece of furniture , and more . This paint is Greenguard certified and hold in cast and mildew inhibitors , making it suitable for high - humidity space like bathrooms and laundry rooms .
The Behr Premium Plus paint comes in multiple finishes with primer mix in so there ’s no motive to apply a separate base coat . This eco - friendly paint dry to the pinch in 1 hour , and you could apply a 2nd pelage after 2 hours . It comes in bright whitened but can be tinted , and 1 gal covers up to 400 square feet .
Photo: amazon.com
Get the Behr modest - VOC blusher atThe Home Depot .
Neither bacteria nor lineal sunlight will mar a coating of this mildew- and fade - resistant line of paints . This high-pitched - destruction acrylic key and primer combo comes in a broad variety of colors to suit dissimilar interiors . The water - based blusher is classified among low VOC paint and is formulated with stain - waiver engineering science , so it ’s easy to pass over clean with minimum scrub . It also come with a Green Seal certification .
This nontoxic national key prohibitionist in 1 hour , leave near no brushstrokes behind . It ’s pricier than other acrylic paints , but the tone formulation makes it worthy in the foresighted run .
Photo: amazon.com
Get the Benjamin Moore low - VOC key atBenjamin Moore .
Kitchens and Bathroom Pick
Glidden Premium Base 1 Flat Interior Latex Paint
For a durable finish and security against mold , check out this Glidden Premium paint . This blusher is zero - VOC , but the tint you pick out to colour this paint may add a pocket-sized amount of VOCs , especially if you opt for hues of crimson , yellow , or orangish .
This Glidden Premium nonpoisonous paint is an interior paint and priming jazz group , and 1 gallon will cover up to 400 straight feet . It ’s available in flat , eggshell , satin , semi - gloss , eminent - gloss , and radical - level finishes . Plus , this paint takes 1 hour to dry out to the touch and is undestroyable enough to scrub up and wash if call for . This option also has a selection of exterior paints .
Get the Glidden scummy - VOC pigment atThe Home Depot .
Photo: lowes.com
Best for Furniture
Rust-Oleum Ultra Matte Interior Chalked Paint
If you ’re look for chalk paint , weigh Rust - Oleum Ultra Matte interior pigment . This low - VOC pigment dry out to a soft , flatness finish and is suitable for use on your preferred furniture and home plate interior decoration projects . The paint features high adhesion for metal , ceramic , canvas tent , and prepainted items , and it dries to the touch in just 30 minute .
The Rust - Oleum pigment come in a variety of premixed colour in a 30 - apothecaries' ounce can , which is about a quartern of a Imperial gallon . One can render up to 150 square feet of coverage .
Get the Rust - Oleum low - VOC pigment atAmazon , The Home Depot , Walmart , orDK Hardware .
Photo: homedepot.com
Best for the Environment
Old Fashioned Milk Paint Non-VOC Powder Paint
For a completely VOC - destitute picture experience , try Old Fashioned Milk Paint non - VOC powder paint . This nontoxic , all - innate paint comes as a pulverisation you mix with water to use . It ’s available in 32 colour , or choose a bloodless base and impart your own natural pigments , such as ground mica paint pulverization ( sold separately ) for a custom feel .
For the best results , apply Old Fashioned Milk Paint with a brush or froth applicator . This rouge is also suitable for rag - type software program to reach a textured , glazed , or distressed finish . Due to the variations in texture , this paint is not ideal for coating with aspray gun . Coverage will depend on the heaviness of the rouge when mingle .
Get the Old Fashioned Milk Paint low - VOC blusher atAmazon .
Photo: benjaminmoore.com
Best Primer
Kilz 2 All-Purpose Interior/Exterior Paint
Though paint does a spate of the profound lifting when improving a distance , a fuze like this option from Kilz can control that rouge live longer and looks better . come in 1 - gallon , 1 - dry quart , or 13 - Panthera uncia sizes , this indoor / outdoor priming coat is made to seal off poriferous open , advance attachment , block filth and mould , and hide any previous water - based or oil color - establish paint on walls , wood , plaster , paneling , wallpaper , Freemasonry , brisk , and other building materials .
This low - VOC option is ironic to the pinch in 30 arcminute and can be quick for another pelage in 1 hour . The 1 - gallon size provides enough product for 300 square foot of space but can handle a maximum area of 400 square foot .
What our examiner aver : Debbie Wolfe , Bob Vila product examiner and writer , notes inThe Best Paint Primersthat “ in examination , it allow a smooth pedestal coat on wallboard and unornamented Ellen Price Wood . It did a moderate job impede dark stains on rampart , but it effectively freeze light stains like pencil marks , minor mule , and marker . We recommend using Kilz 2 for prim sometime walls before repainting or for any exterior surface as a theme coat for exterior rouge . It ’s also ready to hand to use a undercoat for craft painting project . ”
Photo: homedepot.com
Get the Kilz low - VOC paint atLowe’s , Ace Hardware , The Home Depot , orWalmart .
Jump to Our Top Picks
What to Consider When Choosing a Low-VOC Paint
midland paints come with an oil or water base of operations , but the former character hold back more VOCs . Eco - friendly , nontoxic paints normally bear latex or acrylic water - based formulas , with various elements to consider based on the nature of your project . Keep the following paint characteristic and feature of speech in mind when piss a choice :
Durability
How durable an upcountry paint is bet on several factors ; remark that color fastness ( fade electric resistance ) is a disjoined topic discussed below .
Amount of VOCs
explosive organic compounds are chemic accelerator pedal that have short- and long - term wellness effects , which is why the VOC level in paint should be a top consideration when select an idealistic paint . The federal government restrain level blusher with more than 250 grams per l and 380 grams per liter for other finish . As such , the best crushed - VOC pigment will have between 50 and 100 guanine / L of VOCs , which is good than most other paint option .
Colors, Finishes, and Tints
humiliated - quality blusher may hold cheap pigments such as talcum , clay , and silica that tend to fade over time . This is particularly true if the painted airfoil has a southern exposure and receives direct Lord’s Day . coloured colors are also more likely to melt than light hues when unwrap to sun .
Beyondchoosing an internal paint color , settling on the proper finish is also crucial . Paint finishes vary in optical effect and VOC message , making them more or less suitable for certain spaces :
Paints with a harder , shinier last , like glosses and enamels , contain high VOC levels because those surface are create by toxic chemicals and solvents . You ’ll feel the most depleted - VOC choice in vapid paint , and a growing variety of satin and semi - gloss options are uncommitted as well .
Photo: amazon.com
insurance coverage and Drying sentence
Some downsides to miserable - VOC paints are reduced reporting and longer dry times . However , there are newer varieties withprimerincluded for better reporting that can also dry quickly . blusher manufacturers are improving these eco - friendly paint , but you may experience longer dry metre with some brands ( up to a few twenty-four hours for some types of milk pigment ) and may have to look longer to apply a second coating .
If you ’re covering a dark wall with a light colour paint , you may need three coating of low - VOC paint for full coverage . Standard low-down - VOC paint coverage is 300 to 400 satisfying feet per gallon of blusher .
Photo: amazon.com
Prep and Application
For optimal adherence , the interior surface must be clean and wry , as key does not adhere well to damp surfaces . Any loose or peeling pigment should be scraped away . Smaller projects , such as pieces of furniture , can be prepped using a paint stripper to take existing paint . Draping nearby objects with drop material keeps them protected from splatters , and usingpainter ’s tapehelps create a clean , nippy paint edge .
Most interior paint is easy to apply with a pigment brush or roller . Using apaint sprayeris the prompt coating method , but these prick risk accidental overspray . A combination of technique can be used for good resolution , such as spraying or wander on a pelage of paint followed by brushing in a process bonk as “ back brush . ”
FAQs
Still have enquiry about depressed - VOC pigment ? Here are some answers to help you pick the best depleted - VOC paint for your project .
The federal government does not ready guidelines for low-down - VOC paint , but some paint manufacturers have voluntarily correspond to crest the amount of VOCs in their paint products to less than 50 g / L.
No - VOC paints are recommend for use in an infant ’s room since these emit no harmful chemicals to a developing immune system with chemical substance predisposition . Though down in the mouth - VOC paint are safe for adult , these chemical substance are not ideal for a baby ’s elbow room .
Photo: lowes.com
It may turn back chemical and solvents not classify as volatile organic compound . For the least toxic paints , depend for all - lifelike materials list on the label .
Low - VOC paint have much less odor than other paints , but they may still have a slight smell . However , this smell should dissipate promptly after software .
Drying time depends on the brand . Some humiliated - VOC paints dry to the tinge in one hour and can be recoated in two hour , while others may require a twenty-four hour period or more to dry completely .
Low- or no - VOC paints are typically piss - based and run to be sturdier ; they can last twelvemonth without demand another coating . However , users will need to see a primer to ensure that this nontoxic wall paint adheres to the surface aright .
Though low - explosive organic chemical compound blusher has few chemical substance , it does not last as long as some other options on the grocery . A new coat should be give more often to ensure that the blusher hold its reportage .
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