Low Voc Paint

Low voc products typically have little or no odor.

Low voc paint.

Paints labeled zero voc may actually contain a small amount of vocs usually fewer than 5 grams per liter. Today 100 of our interior and exterior water based broad wall paints are low or zero voc and nearly all our interior wall paints are greenguard gold certified. Adding pigment to a paint base may also increase its voc levels up to an additional 10 grams per liter. Most low voc paints are latex based.

The current standard for a paint to be labeled low voc requires that it have fewer than 250 g l. Zero voc paints have to meet a less than 5 g l requirement. Ultra low voc products have voc content that s below 50 g l. Latex paint which has lower voc levels and is generally more environmentally friendly than oil based paints uses water based solvents.

There s are no standards that define what low means so the labels are arbitrary at best. In the chemical industry low voc is used to describe a product with voc content at or below 150 g l. There are also completely natural paints such as milk paint or chalk paint that carry no vocs. It s important to remember that when it says low it s only in comparison to some other paints.

Low voc paints have reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds meaning they don t off gas as much as traditional paints. Behr premium plus enamel low luster. Our chemical policy published in 2017 outlines chemicals of concern we have banned from paint products. Volatile organic compounds vocs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter the surrounding air a trait known as volatility for example formaldehyde which evaporates from.

Image insert place holder solvents tend to be either oil based high voc content or water based low or no voc content. Get free shipping on qualified low voc or buy online pick up in store today in the paint department.