If you’ve got a baby on the way, you probably also have a room in your home that you are turning into a nursery, which includes painting the walls. Painting a nursery or a child’s room has its own challenges, different from most other rooms in your house. Many parents like to cover the room in bright, engaging colors—pink, blue, or every color of the rainbow. Others prefer a neutral color that highlights furniture and furnishings and allows the space to be easily repurposed into a functional and attractive guest room. And then there’s going all the way with custom wall paintings and murals to theme the room—circus, ocean, safari, any look you can imagine.
Whatever you choose, your first priority is going to be paint safety. Babies are highly sensitive, some more than others. Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you choose and apply paint to your nursery.
- You’ll certainly want either low-VOC or zero-VOC paint—that’s Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs are solvents that are released into the air as paint dries. Even in adults, VOCs can trigger asthma attacks, nausea, irritated eyes, and other symptoms.
- Look closely when selecting your paint. VOC regulations are voluntary and may not always mean that every unpleasant chemical has been removed. Look for the Green Seal logo as a guarantee that the paint is as safe as can be and then some.
- Take care if you’re mixing in colors at the paint shop. The paint you chose may be safe, but the colorant used could have some unwanted chemicals.
- It’s best to take care of painting two or three months before the baby is due to make sure the paint has plenty of time to completely dry, and be sure to leave the windows open as you paint.
Sherwin-Williams offers safe paint options, such as their ProMar 200 Zero VOC Interior Paint. While their Zero VOC paints comply with LEED, MPI, GREENGUARD, Environmental Institute (GEI) and more, they advise that green guidelines and regulations “vary greatly around the U.S. and are subject to change” and recommend that you “verifying that product selections meet the requirements of the area in which they are to be used.”
If you’d like some help choosing safe paint in the Denver area, we can help. We’d also love to take care of the chore of painting for you—after all, you must be pretty busy with a baby on the way! Give Zenith Painting a call and we’ll take care of all the work for you. We’ll even get you started with a free estimate.
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