Question
Is the no-VOC paint Freshaire Choice a good pick for painting my son's room?
I would like to paint my 6-year-old son's room. I was looking for a natural paint and found no-VOC paint Freshaire Choice sold at Home Depot. Can you please tell me if it's a good choice?
Answer
Green paint is ideal for a child’s room, as children are, by definition, sensitive receptors. Other considerations are:
- how much paint you’ll need (coverage)
- longevity (will you get bored of the color and want to repaint)
- washability (because this is a child’s room)
Coverage
Non-VOC paints tend to not cover as well as their ”conventional” cousins. Paints with less pigment tend to cover better. Do plan to do a great job with priming and plan to make another trip to the paint store for more paint.
Longevity
So that you won’t have to repaint in 10 years, choose a color that you’ll all enjoy for years to come. Greens and blues are more calming and better for studying than bright reds and yellows.
Washability
An important consideration for high-use areas. Freshaire is manufactured by ICI, the parent company of Glidden, Fuller O’Brien, and Devoe Paint (a non-VOC paint) to name a few.
- Freshaire did a study in 2007 against Aura (not a non-VOC paint) for washability, so I would question how they stack up against other non-VOC brands.
- YOLO has a special line of non-VOC washable paint and AFM Safecoat also reports superior results.
For more information:
Check our green painting Q&A to see what other homeowners and contractors are saying about no-VOC paint, natural paint, etc.
GreenHomeGuide has an excellent article on paints in general, "Selecting Green Paint."
Non-VOC paint is also making its way into mainstream media, such as the New York Times and Consumer Reports.
