Written by Maia, President
I’m working with an Atlanta-based client right now who wanted to know which paints are truly safe to use in her new home that will house her 4-year-old daughter as well as a newborn. I’m sure others of you are in the market for paint, so I thought I would share the list of Good Stuff we compiled for this client. A few notes on selecting safe paint:
- A “low-VOC” paint isn’t enough; there are plenty of zero-VOC choices out there.
- When selecting paints, you can look for certifications (such as Greenguard or Greenseal) which indicate that at least some of the very worst stuff has been left out of these paints. Seals can be misleading, however, because some certifying bodies rely on the manufacturer’s specs, while others do their own testing, but may check for only VOCs but do not consider other potential toxins like phthalates, flame retardants, and biocides.
As always, selecting a safe paint is more complicated than it should be, but from our research, here are the brands we think are the best. (Please note that you should always check with manufacturers on their ingredients and processes yourself, as formulas often change.)
The Good Stuff
Milk paints come in a variety of appealing colors.
- AMF Safecoat
- Anna Sova Latex Wall Paint
- Bioshield Clay and Casein paints
- Ecos Paints
- Green Planet Paints
- Mythic Paints
- The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company
- The Real Milk Paint Co.
- Yolo Colorhouse
Stay sane,
Lance Lawson says
Do you know anything about Lullaby Paints? They claim to be free of harmful chemicals as well.
Maia James says
I haven’t heard of those! But will look into them:)
Sarah D says
Did you ever find anything else about Lullaby Paimts? I believe they’re the same company as Ecos Paints?
Maia James says
Yes, they are Good Stuff!
Haylee Bell says
Have you looked into the Sherwin Williams EcoSelect line and happen to know if it is good stuff? It states to be Zero VOC and has the Greengaurd certification.
Maia James says
I will add to our list for a future investigation, but certainly GreenGuard is a solid certification, and Zero VOC sounds promising!
Samantha says
I’m having trouble finding where to buy these paints? Mythic paint seems reasonably priced and has tons of color selections but I don’t see a place to purchase on their websitw?
Maia James says
If you contact them, they should be able to point you to a dealer!
Kira says
If someone recently (in the last year) painted walls with a regular paint, will painting over them with a zero-VOC paint help to “trap” or suppress, the VOCs from the other paint? Or is the only reason to paint over is to change the color but you will still have off-gassing from the previous VOC paint?