Eco-Friendly Interior Paint
Looking for color that is beautiful and environmentally friendly? Here's how to go green -- no matter what shade you select for your walls.
By Bethany Kohoutek
- view all thumbnails
Green paint technology has come a long way. Years ago, eco-friendly paint was available in a very limited array of shades. Today, companies such as Benjamin Moore, whose Natura interior paint is shown in this kitchen, offer environmentally friendly paint in an extensive range of color options.
"Natura is the greenest paint Benjamin Moore has ever made," says Carl Minchew, Benjamin Moore's director of color technology. The Natura line is available in all of the company's 3,500 colors.
More and more consumers are opting for zero-VOC paint in their nurseries and children's rooms. VOC stands for "volatile organic compounds" -- or gases with an array of short- and long-term adverse health effects, often found in paints, cleaning solutions, and disinfectants. The paint shown in this nursery is from Benjamin Moore's zero-VOC Natura line.
Harmful toxins aren't only an issue with fresh paint. Up to 50 percent of VOCs are released years after a typical coat of paint dries. Mythic Paint, shown here in the color Southwest Magic, contains no VOCs and no cancer-causing carcinogens -- and it is ultra low-odor, meaning you won't be inhaling that "new paint smell" weeks after you beautify your walls.
Traditional paint and other surface products are thought to account for about 10 percent of harmful substances that deplete the ozone and increase global warming in the United States, according to Mythic Paint. Choosing a zero-VOC alternative is not only healthy for your family, but healthy for the Earth, as well.
Harmful chemicals are present not only in traditional paints, but also in primers. Enter Olympic's new zero-VOC primer, which allows homeowners to "go green" from start to finish of their interior paint projects.
The Oregon-based YOLO company takes green to a new level with its YOLO Colorhouse line of 40 zero-VOC interior paint colors inspired by nature, such as the one shown here.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that VOC concentration is two to five times greater in indoor air than in outdoor air -- another important reason to research and purchase healthier products, such as these zero-VOC options from YOLO Colorhouse.
Not all green paint technology is new. Old-Fashioned Milk Paint was created in 1974, mainly as a powder-based product for historically accurate reproduction furniture. Thanks to increasing demand for eco-friendly paint options, however, more consumers are using Milk Paint's 20 shades for interior walls. The company also offers Milk Paint Base, a formula with no color added, so artisans can add water-soluble pigments to create their own hues.
