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Expectant and Postpartum Moms
low-VOC versus no-VOC paint
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Anonymous
| Thinking of painting the nursery this weekend & just wondering whether anyone's OB has opined on the safety of painting during pregnancy using low-VOC (as opposed to truly eco-friendly, zero VOC paint). Duron and Benjamin Moore appear to have only low-VOC options and I'm frankly too exhausted to go driving around the city searching for zero VOC options. Thanks. |
Anonymous
| My OB didn't seem too concerned, just said to make sure the room was well ventilated by opening the windows. Being the cautious person that I am, we did go with the Benjamin Moore low VOC paint and I got a mask at Home Depot to wear over my mouth and nose. |
Anonymous
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Sherwin-Williams has a no VOC paint - it's low odor too - the line is called Harmony.
That said, my OB had said that the low VOC is perfectly fine. I could still really smell the paint though (my sense of smell has gotten MUCH more sensitive since being pregnant). We kept the windows open, and when I was in the room, I wore a mask (bought from the paint store) so that I could avoid the smell and that really helped. Hope this helps - good luck with the painting! |
Anonymous
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I haven't heard much about the difference between low and no VOC, but we used Benjamin Moore's low-VOC paint, and when I checked the specs, the level of VOCs was a tiny fraction of what regular paint would have in it (actually, it was also a small fraction of the highest low-VOC level). If I remember correctly, to be called low-VOC, a paint had to have a level of 200 or lower of some measurement--and Benjamin Moore's low-VOC was less than 10. Hope that makes sense.
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lmayr
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| I've heard that Mythic Paint is a great option "non-toxic, ultra low odor paint." the website says. A friend used it for her nursery and loved it- we had already painted when I found out about this. It is carried at 5th Street Ace in NW DC near the new convention center. |
Anonymous
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Actually, Home Depot has a no VOC paint now too, I don't remember what it's called. Not a huge choice of colors though.
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Anonymous
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According to the Benjamin Moore website, the VOC in the low-VOC paints comes from the tint, not the paint itself, so it is pretty low. I've never smelled fumes when using it.
Now walking into a paint store to buy it . . . I had to walk out while pregnant and send DH to get it, the fumes hit me so hard. |
Anonymous
| My OB said that as long as we painted in a well ventilated room and were not sanding or scraping, we'd be fine. He also advised against drinking the paint, eating paint chips, etc... |
Anonymous
| We used the Freshaire line from Home Depot ($35/gallon, I think), which I think was no VOC (as a poster mentioned above). Definitely not a huge range of colors, but we were quite happy with it. We had the ceiling fan on & opened windows/door, and I wore a filter mask, but the smell was really not bad at all. Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec (low-VOC) has also been recommended to me. |
Anonymous
| My doctor also said no worries-- just to keep the windows open. She seemed more worried about me over-exerting myself and cautioned me to take breaks if I started to feel tired. |
Anonymous
| Another benefit to the BM low VOC paint (Aura) is that it is self-priming, so that saves a step. We just had our whole house painted using it and the colors are so saturated and lovely. NO odor the same day the painters came and they said it was great to use. |