Are you dreaming of freshening your home with new color? Do you detest the smell of wet paint? Today’s Benjamin Moore paints are not what you’ve experienced in the past. Culture has shifted, consumers are now leaning towards more eco-friendly products and companies need to keep up with this growing demand. Home painting projects are no longer just about changing the color of a room. You may have heard low- or zero-VOC as a way to describe many paints in recent advertisements. What are VOC’s, why do they matter, and what does it have to do with being “green”?
VOC’s are volatile organic compounds that are emitted as gasses from certain materials. They include a variety of chemicals and are found in several different household products such as paint, cleaning products, cosmetic products, aerosol sprays, some building materials, and furniture. Concentrations of VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors, typically two to five times.
When these compounds enter the air, such as when a room is painted, these volatile organic compounds react with other elements and cause air pollution. Not much is known about the effects that VOCs may have on your health. Some people report eye, nose and throat irritation or headaches. Individuals with asthma and/or allergies are particularly susceptible to irritants in the air. The current federal recommendation to reduce exposure has been to provide adequate ventilation when using products that emit VOC’s.
Customers have been demanding that these products be made in a healthier, more eco-friendly formulation and manufacturers have delivered. Benjamin Moore is proud to offer their entire paint line in a low-VOC or zero-VOC formula. Benjamin Moore’s Natura is a zero-VOC and zero-emission paint that has been certified asthma and allergy friendly with users reporting very little to no smell when using the paint. The asthma and allergy certification program independently tests consumer products and certifies those that considerably lower your exposure to allergens.
Under current regulations, for a paint to be considered low-VOC the amount of VOCs must be under 250 grams/liter. While there are many paint lines that are considered zero-VOC, this can change upon tinting when colorant is added. Usually, the VOC levels of a product are reported as they are before colorant is added . To maintain the zero-VOC certification not only must the paint be zero-VOC, but the colorants as well. Benjamin Moore offers zero-VOC colorants, ensuring the VOC levels in the paint does not change upon tinting.
So you can breathe easy — Natura offers superior coverage, durability, and is available in over 3,000 Benjamin Moore colors. To learn if Natura is the right paint for your project, visit any Babel’s or National Lumber location and speak to one of the Benjamin Moore Paint Experts on staff.
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