Recently I saw a yard sign for an “environmentally friendly painting company” that was apparently doing some work for a homeowner.  I think it’s pretty cool that there’s demand for a painting service that uses no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and safer cleanup materials…and smart of this particular firm to market themselves in that way.

Ten –even five – years ago, you would never have seen such a sign, and the fact that I noticed it shows how rare it still is!   I’m guessing most contractors haven’t jumped on this particular bandwagon yet – although I imagine most would use safer paints if you requested it.   From what I’ve learned, it seems that requesting it would be a smart thing to do, too.  Not only do they smell bad, but VOCs have been linked to nervous system problems, eye and nose irritation, and possibly even cancer.

I’ve known about safer paints, but I hadn’t realized there were so many options in low- and even no-VOC paints.  I got a press release recently from California Paints, which has several lines of eco-friendly paints.  I’ve looked around a bit on the web and found that Benjamin Moore, Devoe,Sherwin-Williams, and a company called Old-Fashioned Milk paint all also have no-VOC options, and most (if not all) paint brands offer low-VOC paints.
Have you used any “green,” no-VOC paints?  How did they compare?  What brand do you like?