Being in the Interior Design and Home Staging world, I know a lot about paint. I suppose that I began to take it for granted that everyone knows what low VOC and Zero VOC paints are. Silly me!
Today I'm going out on a paint color consultation. When speaking with my client on the phone I asked her if she had a preference for low or zero VOC paints. She had no idea what that meant. --- No, she didn't ask me if it stood for "very odd colors" ... that was just for my fun title --- Well, I could certainly understand her lack of knowledge. She doesn't do this for a living and may not be an obsessive watcher of HGTV nor spend endless hours perusing designer magazines extolling the virtues of eco friendly products. But imagine my surprise when recently I contacted a paint contractor who shook his head in puzzlement when I told him the brand and color my client had chosen and instructed him to have it mixed in that vendor's zero VOC paint. Well, if a paint contractor is clueless about these eco friendly choices, we have quite a job ahead of us in continuing to educate people about the options that will be better for our planet and better for our health.
Did you know that indoor air is 3 times more polluted than outdoor air, and that according to the EPA, it is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health? Yikes!! Paints and finishes are among the leading causes of this pollution. So, whether your client will be living with their choices, painting prior to selling, or you are a broker explaining to a buyer what the advantage is of a house painted in non-toxic paints, ... we have a great opportunity to get the word out.
I won't bore you here with all the details of what constitutes "low" vs. zero VOC, but for those of you who would like more info, here's a great informative link with explanations of the types of paint and links to lots of brands.
Pangaea is an interior designer and home stager passionate about modern design and eco friendly design, based in Portland, Oregon. You can find out more about me at Pangaea Interior Design
Comments(13)