We Got Green: Gruppie Girl selects no VOC paint from Sherwin Williams

January 29, 2008

sherwin williams no voc Zero VO What?

The battle between living green and having nice, new, shiny stuff is a theme that often runs through my life. Blame it on all of those home shows that I am addicted to, but I have a need to redecorate my house. Recently I discovered how green my home decorating choices can be.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that the air quality inside your house can be two to five times worse than the air outside. Most Americans spend 90% of our time indoors. That is a dangerous cocktail.

Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s are those sneaky gasses that are contained in conventional house paints, cleaners, lacquers and some furniture. They are responsible for much of the toxic air in our homes. When we paint the inside of our homes with paints that contain volatile organic compounds, our family breathes them in long after the paint is dry. VOCs can cause nausea, loss of coordination, kidney damage, repertory infections and memory loss just to name a few of the lovely side effects.

There is a better way! Zero VOC paint.

sherwin williams paint My research started on the phone. The Big hardware stores weren’t sure what I was talking about and the Benjamin Moore dealer I called even told me that there is “no such thing as Zero VOC paint”. I eventually chose my local Sherwin Williams store because they seemed to be the most knowledgeable.

When I arrived at Sherwin Williams the friendly paint specialist presented me with all of my options. One being zero VOC paint and one being a low VOC paint. I asked what the difference in quality was and the paint specialist told me that they were essentially the same in terms of quality. They cover well, go on to the walls easily, clean-up well and have rich colors. So I decided not to let anymore VOCs into the house and go for the zero voc paint. My gallon of Harmony Interior Latex zero VOC eggshell paint in Friendly Yellow was $30.49 on sale. The paint specialist even carried the gallon of paint out to my car.

sherwin williams paint no voc low The paint specialist was right on all fronts. The zero VOC paint was easy to paint on the walls. The color was rich. Clean-up was simple. My kids could even be in the room while I painted. (Not that my floor and sink would recommend tiny helping hands.)

Taking a step towards keeping your family’s indoor air safer is an easy one. Put down that conventional paint and pick-up a gallon of Zero VOC paint. You will love it.

Gruppie Girl
www.GruppieGirl.Blogspot.com