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Paint
Buy low- or no-VOC latex paint
AFM Safecoat paints and primers
All Safecoat paints have very low VOC content. The VOCs that are present are considered to be neither toxic nor hazardous.Benjamin Moore Aura paint
Aura paint is low-VOC (although EcoSpec paint offgases fewer VOCs than Aura). EcoSpec paints have limited colors, whereas Aura offers the full spectrum of Benjamin Moore colors. Aura paint is thicker than standard latex paint, but costs nearly twice as much.Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec
Benjamin Moore, a well-known and favorite paint manufacturer, now provides paint that meets the most stringent national standards. Eco-spec paint is odorless and does not harm the environment.HealthyHomes Baby HealthyHues
Ideal for baby rooms. Low odor when wet and odorless when dry. It also does not contain any toxic chemicals or harmful solvents that are usually found in regular household paints.Olympic paint and stain
Olympic carries a range of zero-VOC formula paints that are odor-free. With the Green Seal stamp of approval, you're sure to be getting a thoroughly tested product.Sherwin-Williams Harmony Interior Latex
This low odor, no-VOC formula can be applied in occupied rooms without causing a disruption. It comes in Eg-Shel, Flat, and Semi-Gloss finishes and can even be used in baby's room.YOLO Colorhouse
With both interior and exterior Green Seal Certified paint and locations in both Canada and the US, this environmentally friendly paint company supports local communities and promotes environmental and social values.
Estimate paint coverage using a paint calculator
American Clay Try-It Kit
Get samples of American Clay's most popular products to try out before you buy (costs $36). Comes with a bag each of their Loma, Porcelina, and Marittimo premier finishes as well as practice boards, a sponge, and an applicator.Benjaminn Moore Color Samples
Color Samples are 2 oz. sizes of Benjamin Moore paint for $3.99. Use for small projects (painting a mirror, side table, trim) instead of buying a larger size (pint) of paint.Ralph Lauren Color Testers
Explore a few color choices with one of these 2 ounce packets. The contents will cover a 2 foot by 2 foot section of wall and you can choose from over 500 colors. $3.99 per packet.Real Milk Paint Co.
Just add water! This nontoxic paint is made of completely natural ingredients and can be tossed in the garden without any threat of harm. Purchase their 1 pint package to try out the color before buying more (covers 35 square feet).Sherwin-Williams Color To Go
Use these Twist-n-Pour samples to sample almost any color you can imagine. With this sample, you can cover a 75 square-foot area to get a feel for how your color choice looks in your space.True Value Auditions
Buy one of these little 4 ounce samples to test out a color before you buy gallons and gallons of the stuff. This small jar covers approximately 4 square feet of wall space.
Choose natural paints
American Clay Wall Plasters
A pioneer in paint alternatives, American Clay now has a variety of wall plaster options. Some are smooth like paint, while others come in a range of textures and finishes, giving you loads of unique choices from which to choose in a surprising array of colors. They even carry mud glue and natural sealers.Anna Sova paint
Anna Sova produces paint products with up to 99 percent food-grade ingredients. The paint contains no VOCs or any ingredient known to cause cancer or birth defects.Auro USA Natural paint
AuroUSA boasts the highest environmental, toxicological, and technical performance among natural paint brands. The company claims to have created the highest quality paint while making the fewest ecological compromises.Bioshield Natural paint
Bioshield pledges to uphold the highest environmental and social standard of responsibility and accountability. They carry clay paints and plasters, solvent-free paint, color washes, kinder paints, and casein milk paints in a wide range of colors.Green Planet Paints
Green Planet Paints contain Mayan clay-based pigments developed over 1,000 years ago, as well as a soy-based resin and other natural ingredients. The paints contain no VOCs, rendering them especially safe for pregnant women, children and people with allergies or asthma.LIVOS Paint
LIVOS, a research development company based in Germany, has been committed to high environmental standards since its foundation. Products contain organically sourced materials and are never tested on animals.Real Milk Paint Co.
Just add water! This nontoxic paint is made of completely natural ingredients and can be tossed in the garden without any threat of harm. Purchase their 1 pint package to try out the color before buying more (covers 35 square feet).The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company
The Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company produces a milk-based paint as close as possible to home-made paint created using skim milk or buttermilk, crushed limestone, and natural pigments.
Choose recycled paint
Boomerang Recycled Paint
Made from the unused portions of recovered domestic paints and stains, they contain only about 1 percent new material. All of their latex paints are durable and washable. They also carry some recycled alkyd paints and stains, as well as some semi-luster interior varnishes.Calibre Environmental Ltd. Ecocoat Paint
Based in Calgary, Alberta, the company won an Alberta Emerald Award in 2006 for environmental excellence. It produces 100 percent recycled latex paint in 14 colors.Chittendon Solid Waste District Local Color
Chittenden (VT) Solid Waste District recycles a maximum of 60 percent of the latex paint collected through its hazardous waste program. Available at three different sites within Vermont.Dunn-Edwards Corporation RECOVER paint
Dunn-Edwards was one of the first major paint companies to voluntarily remove the additive ethylene glycol, a hazardous substance and a toxic air contaminant, from its water-based paints. Their RECOVER line is made with at least 50 precent post-consumer material.Kelly-Moore Paint Company E coat
E coat paint contains a minimum of 50 percent post consumer waste and has a low-VOC content, as well as low odor.MetroPaint Recycled paint
This company has been collecting extra paint from businesses and households, and processing it into new, high quality paint since 1992. The recycled paint is extremely affordable.
Comments
12:15pm
How do I know which of these is worthwhile?
11:13am
Use Amazon Environmental's paint. It is the highest quality because it has passed all of the Master Painter's Institute's tests. It is also the most environmentally friendly company, not only because its product is made of at least 98% post-consumer materials, but because they have an alternate use (cement manufacturing) for the unusable paint (about half of all old paint collected), whereas the other companies listed dry out and put their unusable paint into the trash, where it goes into a landfill.
www.amazonpaint.com
2:01pm
Tip for saving the roller covers from painting. This unit is call the Paintrifuge-www.paintrifuge.com- American made and easy to use-takes all the paint and dry the cover in less than 3 min. uses only 1-1/2 gallons of water. Let' not throw the rollers away because there is no away.