I admit it, I am a paint snob. I love color and its ability to transform the look and feel of a room. I have my own fan deck of color samples and carry paint chips in my bag even when I don’t have a specific project in mind. After finishing a 10 month renovation, it was time to paint our home. I took my time comparing color samples with fabric samples, the colors in our tile, granite countertops and the tone of our wood floors. Finally I decided on the palette we would use. In the back of my mind though, I was thinking about the fact that it would cost more than just money and time to get the house looking the way I wanted it. It would also cost weeks of wicked chemical induced headaches. Still, I knew I wanted the walls in my kitchen to remind me of a sunny day in Tuscany and the only company that could deliver the exact color produces paint with hefty doses of VOC’s. Volatile Organic Chemicals are known to cause short and long-term health problems. I told myself it got really bad, we’d temporarily relocate to a hotel.
At this point you may be thinking why didn’t you just buy low or no VOC paint? I’ll tell you why. I thought it would be inferior. Let’s face it, paint is expensive. If you are hiring a contractor to do a professional job, be prepared to lay out a big chunk of change. I just didn’t feel confident that these “new” paints would cover as well or last as long as the conventional paint I was use to. Until that is…we got a free sample. After returning from the hardware store, my husband pried open the can of no VOC paint while the painters and I gathered around. The first thing we noticed was its lack of odor. I got in close and inhaled as if to smell a bouquet of fresh picked flowers. No instant headache! Color me impressed. The next question was…is this a quality product? I stepped back to let our eager painters try it out. The paint covered well leaving no streaking which you usually see inferior paints do.
We used our sample paint in our powder room. The color worked in there. Unfortunately, at the moment there are no non-VOC paints available in dark or intense colors. If you’re looking for something darker, you can try low-VOC paint for a wider selection of colors.
I learned a vital lesson here. If you want to “green” your lifestyle, some experimentation is required. Not all green products are created equal, but many are actually superior. What makes them superior is the fact that they work just as well, but they won’t harm your health or the environment.