Painting interior - safety of staying in home question

[Anonymous]

Hello, we want to paint the inside of our whole house. I was told this could take a one week to two weeks. What do you do with your family? Do you get Low VOC paints? Do you all sleep in one room for a couple of days and then switch when that one is painted? Is it even safe to stay overnight? I'm having a hard time finding much online about how safe it is to stay in a house after painting has been going on all day. I have a call with the painter, but it's not for a few days and thought i would ask here while I wait.

Also, I've been reading that the low / no VOC paints arent as good, but I'm not sure I understand in what way.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It's fine. You'll just need to stay out of their workspace.

[Anonymous]

It's fine no need to do anything different

[Anonymous]

Benjamin Moore no VOC paints (Natura, and maybe some of the Aura line) are excellent paints. I don't know what you've read that would lead you to belive otherwise, but they are higher quality than much of what you buy at HD, Lowe's, etc.

They have nearly no smell at all.

The issue with painting is the prep work, so if there is sanding, cutting/patching of drywall, etc., that could get messy and could involve releasing lead-based paint particles into the air, but if you're not doing any of that, you should be okay. It's a little disruptive, okay a lot disruptive, but it's manageable.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much all paints now are low VOC and don't smell. I have asthma/allergies and they don't make my chest tight like they used to.

[Anonymous]

Second for the Benjamin Moore noVOC paint. I've used the EcoSpec contractor line which is the same as Natura but less expensive.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous]

Really op? most people paint their own houses and are just fine.

[Anonymous]

Yes, really. I've never painted. We are doing the whole house at once and I had this question. I appeciate everyone who responded positively.

[Anonymous]

Paint is fine. The no VOC paint is much better. If you have an old home and are sanding, though, test for lead. Generally won't have problems on walls but sometimes windowsills or door framing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all paints now are low VOC and don't smell. I have asthma/allergies and they don't make my chest tight like they used to.

It is still well worth the upcharge for some of the better low VOC paints. I still find a lot of off-the-shelf stuff miserable.

As an aside, a one to two week estimate is quite long unless your house is insanely large. I am a little skeptical your painter is trying to manage a couple different jobs and would try to pin him down on several days in a row he will have people working full time on your house.

[Anonymous]

Paint dries quickly, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all paints now are low VOC and don't smell. I have asthma/allergies and they don't make my chest tight like they used to.

It is still well worth the upcharge for some of the better low VOC paints. I still find a lot of off-the-shelf stuff miserable.

As an aside, a one to two week estimate is quite long unless your house is insanely large. I am a little skeptical your painter is trying to manage a couple different jobs and would try to pin him down on several days in a row he will have people working full time on your house.

Thanks, I'll do this. We do not have a large place by any means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paint is fine. The no VOC paint is much better. If you have an old home and are sanding, though, test for lead. Generally won't have problems on walls but sometimes windowsills or door framing.

Thanks for the tip on the sills/framing.