You might be wondering what a VOC is and why we aren’t too keen on it.
VOC stands for ‘Volatile Organic Compound’ and is a chemical solvent that is also a type of air pollutant. We like air and we know there’s no planet B, which is why we make sure all our paints are low VOC. Here’s the lowdown for anyone wanting to know more!
VOCs — the lowdown
As we mentioned, VOC stands for ‘volatile organic compound’. In short, they’re unstable, chemical solvents that are often found in household goods including many paint products. In paint, VOCs are used to help with application and drying – they’re traditionally added to make the painting process easier for you, but with a toxic cost.
VOCs = nasty
When a paint containing VOCs is applied to a surface, the VOCs in the paint transform into gases. So as you roll, the paint on a wall will continue to leak VOCs into your environment (even months after painting). This process of leaking VOCs into the air is referred to as ‘off-gassing’. Not only do these gasses harm the environment, but they also pollute the air inside your home, which isn’t great for your health. Unfortunately, as we seal up our homes to make them more energy efficient, those double-glazed windows and insulated walls also lock air pollution in. So, now more than ever, it’s important to reduce VOCs in the home.
Paint is a major contributor to VOCs in the home and that’s why we made sure that Tint paint is as low VOC as possible. The technology behind Tint paint means that we can stay extremely low VOC without making any compromise on coverage, application and durability – pretty neat, huh?
How paint VOC levels are determined
In Australia, there are strict guidelines around what can be classed as low VOC and it’s quantity is measured in g/L (gram per litre for those playing at home). So to keep you informed, all Tint paints are classified low VOC (containing less than 49g/L) and the majority of our paints actually fall into the very low VOC category (containing less than 5g/L) – you could imagine we’re pretty proud of that.
Zero VOC colorants
You may not know that the colourants used to give your paint that pretty colour can also contain high amounts of VOCs. Unfortunately, there’s lots of brands that will say their paint is low or zero VOC, but sneak plenty of VOCs back in when the paint is coloured – this we do not do. Tint’s colourants have zero VOCs, so no matter what colour you want to spruce your wall, ceiling, trim, exterior or furniture up with, your paint will remain low VOC – as promised by yours truly (the Tint crew).
Reducing VOCs in your environment
There’s never been so much awareness around VOC pollution (yes!) and healthy household products available (double yes!). So now is a great time to make an informed decision about what you use in your home. That paint on your walls makes up a large part of any room, so that’s why at Tint we wanted to make sure all of our paints were as low VOC as possible.
We believe healthy paint makes a healthy home and gives you peace of mind. It's also pretty nice to paint your room without that strong smell lingering and being able to sleep in it the very same day!
All our paints are not only low VOC but also low odour, water based and free from many other common chemicals. If you have a specific allergy reach out and we can go into more detail.
We love talking paint — jump on the chat or email your questions to help@tintpaint.com.au to get the conversation rolling!
