Paint me GreenRecently I have made a conscious choice to go green in my home remodeling. What do I mean? Well with the growth of ECO consciousness in cleaning supplies, paints, stains and other household items, as well as the energy efficient movement, I have decided to reduce the chemicals my family comes into contact with in our home.

When you think about that room or rooms you are going to repaint in your home or business, think about buying No VOC paints. You want to know what VOC stands for?

VOC stands for “Volatile Organic Compound,” which refers to chemicals that turn into a vapor in the air. VOC’s are in the vapors given off by paints, glues, cleaning products, building products, and furnishings as well as many other things.

Some VOCs, are known to cause very serious health problems and some cause slight irritations. Several factors can contribute to how badly a person is affected, like how much of the substance there is, how long it continues to off-gas into the air you’re breathing, what other substances are in the air mixing with it, or how sensitive your immune system is to that particular substance or combination.

Now with that being said, the next question I think you the reader might be asking is, “Where do I buy this ECO friendly paint, and is it more expensive?”

Green Paint SuppliesI will tell you that more and more national paint suppliers across the United States and I’m sure abroad, are carrying this type of paint. The cost of this type of paint varies with each manufacturer or retail supplier. I did a little research on this for this article and found that the average was approximately $40.00 and upwards of $100.00. Can I say that the $100.00 paint was better than the $40.00 paint? I cannot. I dare say that the inflated prices of some stores is due to the lesser known, uniqueness of a product that hasn’t caught on with everyone. Right now I will say if you have a Lowes in your area, they carry the most inexpensive No VOC paint I have found, even competitively priced with known brands that don't carry the No VOC label.

The last thing I will have to say when selecting paints with the No VOC label, pay close attention to it saying “NO” VOC versus “LOW” VOC. Low VOC means there are less chemicals in it that cause off-gases, but it does not mean there is none. As well consider asking if the colorants they use to mix your paint colors is No VOC as well.