The type of non-toxic paint you will choose for wood depends on how durable you need it to be, how safe you need it to be (is it going in a child’s mouth for example), what kind of wood it is, and what kind of paint or stain is on it already.
Some of the paints are all-natural and totally child-safe and food-safe, others are perfectly healthy to handle and be around if they are not going in anyone’s mouth.
This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Non-Toxic Paint for Wooden Toys
1. All Natural Milk Paint
Milk Paint is the most obvious first choice for wooden toys. It’s the only 100% natural paint and it is the safest choice.
It’s made of milk protein (casein), limestone, clay (in some brands), chalk, and natural pigments. It comes in a powder and you mix it yourself with water.
It’s very easy to apply this to raw wood, and that is the best application for this paint.
The Real Milk contains no clay but it does contain titanium dioxide and iron oxides. The green colors contain Chromium (III) which probably wouldn’t leave it Toy Safe (depending on real-life leachability and durability of the topcoat). The topcoat would likely be enough protection, but their paints are not tested (with or without topcoats).
Old Fashioned Milk Paint has tested its product against Toy Safe Standard EN-71 in Europe. Not all colors passed the metal leaching tests (whites and blues did not make the cut). The following colors are certified safe: Scarlett (red), Marigold yellow, Mustard, Pumpkin, Salem Red, Barn Red, Bayberry Green, Tavern Green, Lexington (dark green), and Pitch Black.
If the wood already has a finish on it, I would likely skip Milk Paint. If it needs to be primed with an acrylic bond coat it defeats the purpose of going with a non-acrylic paint (just use a conventional paint in that case).
It requires a topcoat to be durable in any way to water otherwise the finish is quickly ruined.
Top Coats for Milk Paint
If you are painting toys you almost certainly want an all-natural and completely food-safe topcoat.
Natural Oils
You can use any of the drying oils which do form a film that makes it durable to water and cleanable.
Tung oil is the most durable of the organic drying oils (just be sure to give it the full 30 days to cure). Hemp oil and walnut oil are not quite as waterproof but the odors are milder.
The oils darken the Milk Paint and cause the colors to lose some vibrancy.
Natural Shellac Resin
Shellac is a food-safe resin that is even used to coat some foods. It’s a resin from a beetle and when dissolved in alcohol it can be used as a wood coating.
Zinsser has said their shellac formulas are not food safe. If you wanted a purist option you can buy the flakes and mix them with Everclear alcohol.
Of course, the real purist option would be to not paint the wood at all, and just use the all-natural drying oils and/or shellac.
2. Non-Toxic Acrylic Paints
ECOS Paints and other acrylic paints can be used on toys as well. Once these paints are cured (at two weeks). ECOS Paints are EN-71 certified for use on children’s toys.
If you don’t mind the shiny look you can always put a protective coat of shellac over paint.
3. Non-Toxic Latex Paint
Farrow and Ball is a extremely low odor and low VOC paint, even when wet. This is a non-acrylic latex paint. It is certified Toy Safe.
Non-Toxic Paint for Wooden Furniture
When painting furniture it doesn’t need to be as food-safe as toys. There are a few more options.
1. Milk Paint
You can still use Milk Paint on raw wood, with an oil or shellac topcoat as above.
You could also put a hardy water-based coating over it (either acrylic or polyurethane), like ECOS acrylic coating or AFM Safecoat polyurethane.
It would be easier to use an acrylic paint in my opinion, if it’s a high wear use item.
2. Chalked Paint
Chalked Paint is also a very low toxin ultra-low VOC option. The benefit of using Chalked Paint is it can prime over many other finishes. It is still a good idea to sand a little bit even though technically you don’t have to.
This is helpful if you need to go over a natural oil finish, oil-based paint, or unknown varnish. I have not yet found something this can’t go over.
You do need a top coat to make this durable. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is another brand that I like a lot.
3. ECOS Zero-VOC Paint
No-VOC acrylic paint is another option for bare wood or previously painted wood.
Raw Wood
On raw wood you can prime with Lullaby Furniture Primer, followed by their Semi-Gloss or Gloss Paint.
If you need extra durability, you can use another clear coat sealer over top like AFM Polyureseal BP on interior furniture or AFM Safecoat EXT for exterior furniture.
If the furniture is made of pine (like IKEA dressers and beds), use ECOS Stain Blocking Primer to prevent bleed-through of the tannins before painting.
Previously Painted Furniture
If the furniture was painted with water-based paint (or has a water-based polyurethane) you can paint over with ECOS water-based paint in most cases with some light sanding.
If you are going over oil-based paint you can use ECOS Universal Primer first to transition it to water-based paint.
Non-Toxic Paint for Wooden Panel Walls
I have a slightly different list for walls, first because in some cases it’s a good idea to keep the walls breathable, and second because wall paint doesn’t usually need to be as durable as furniture paint.
1. Milk Paint
You can use Milk Paint on walls. If it’s raw wood then I would consider it since it takes well to raw wood. If it’s previously painted wood I would not consider it.
You can add Outdoor Additive to decrease tannin leaching and discoloration from knots.
You do need to think about the work of adding a topcoat like oil to the walls which is wiped on and wiped off on top of multiple coats of Milk Paint.
2. Chalked Paint
If you don’t need the walls to be scrubbable, Chalked Paint is more durable than Milk Paint.
You need one or two coats. But again, if a topcoat/sealer is needed it would probably not be worth it.
3. RomaBio Mineral Paint
RomaBio EcoDomus Matte is my first choice for raw wood paneling. If you use the Matte that is the primer and the paint over raw wood.
You can probably do two coats total and be done.
It’s wipeable and breathable. This paint is a mineral (silicate-based) paint and is zero-VOC.
4. Acrylic Paint
You can of course use a more conventional paint like Farrow and Ball or ECOS Paints which are both low odor paints that are the healthiest of the water-based paints.
Non-Toxic Paint for Hardwood Floors
1. Farrow and Ball
Farrow and Ball brand is a very low odor paint. They make a floor primer. Their Modern Eggshell line is then used on top of that.
This paint does contain methylisothiazolinone as the preservative.
This works well for wood floors. Make sure to read all info on substrate prep on their website.
You can buy this paint via their website or in local stores.
2. ECOS Paints
ECOS Paints Floor Paint is formulated for wood and concrete floors. I love ECOS Paints, it’s usually my top pick of paint brand.
They disclose all of their ingredients and they don’t use methylisothiazolinone. It’s zero-VOC at 14 days.
You can order this paint from their website, they ship to everywhere in the US as well as to Canada and Mexico.
Over pine floors you can use the Sanding Sealer first (then sand), then ECOS Universal Primer, followed by two coats of their Floor Paint.
3. AFM Safecoat
AFM Safecoat Concrete Floor Paint is an acrylic paint with PVA. It’s mostly used on concrete floors, but there are some conditions in which you can use it on wood.
Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 7 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.
Did you find this post helpful? If so you can buy me a coffee to support the research behind this blog. Thank you!
Sofia says
Dear Corinne,
Thanks for your informational webpage. I just bought a bed, handmade in a small workshop by local people. It is made by natural pine wood and also has inner parts of plywood.
The wood has been painted with transparent color in the exterior parts.
I thought it is a very ecological choice BUT I could not sleep all night from the odor (it is a terrible odor like in the wood workshops in the stores) even with all windows open and I got allergy in my skin (I am not an allergic person though).
What can I do to stop this problem?
The plywood is mainly inside drawers and under the mattrass and it is without any finishing or paint, and the outside of the bed is made by pieces of pine with the transparent paint.
The problem is not coming from the mattrass because I used it before I received the bed, for many weeks, with perfect experience.
The man that made it sais that if he would use inside my house his transparent paint to paint the plywood , it will smell even more terrible than now and for long weeks.
He sais he painted the woods of the bed since many weeks and this odor is away. What smells is other thing. Indeed it smells more in the parts that have no paint,
What thing to paint on it to isolate it and stop this smell ? (wood and plywood) ?
Thanks and
Best regards
Sofia
Corinne says
You will have to figure out which part is bothering you, the pine, the clear sealant or the plywood, then choose the appropriate sealer. I have a number of posts on sealers.
Sofia says
Dear Corinne,
Thank you very much for the very fast answer.
If I smell separately, I think all of them bother me.
Where can I find your post on sealers?
Best regards
Sofia
Jack Burgess says
Corinne, I am a retired hobbist wooden toy maker. I attend craft festivals and give away a lot of toy to kids I meet. I am concerned about making the toys as safe as possible. The more I read the more confused I get. Too many options and varying opinions. I would like you recommendation on from the following concerns:
1. easy to apply
2. water base for clean-up
3. lot of choices in pastel colors
4. available to have semi-gloss final finish
Corinne says
The most obvious choices are ECOs or AFM Paint. Otherwise you will need a topcoat over the other options to get a semi gloss. Shellac over milk paint would be an example of the all natural route that would have some shine.
Marcella Reattoir says
Good afternoon. I am redoing a 30-year old crib and changing table that is varnished I believe. What type of paint do you recommend? Any thoughts on Rethunk Junk brand of paint?
Corinne says
I haven’t seen that paint, it looks like a chalk paint with more acrylic.
Cortney says
Hi Corinne,
Thank you for this helpful information! I’m currently looking at Farrow & Ball paint and primer for a kitchen island and I’m curious how it can be considered “healthy” when the product information states that all Farrow & Ball finishes except Limewash contain isothiazolinones, which may produce an allergic reaction, and it has a Prop65 Warning regarding acetaldehyde, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. Any insight here would be very helpful! Thank you!
Corinne says
Almost all paint contains isothiazolinones as the preservative – the only difference is that most don’t list it. If you are allergic or sensitive to that preservative then check out the few on the list that don’t use this like ECOS paints would be a good one.
Prop warnings are not usually helpful for me trace amounts of acetaldehyde should not be warning in my opinion, natural products like tung and linseed oil give off faaar higher amounts of acetaldehyde but they do not have to label it because they are natural oils. The body knows how to process natural (very low) levels of this compound since it occurs everywhere in the outdoor air.
Check out a sample of this and one of ECOs and you will see a huge difference in odor and VOC levels, (F&B) is much lower. I can’t prove that until folks sample it bc it’s not possible to show this on paper.
I’m not affiliated with them in any way but I want to get one of the best product out there more for sensitive folks.