Intro from Corinne
ECOS Paint has consistently been the top pick of wall paint amongst the chemically sensitive and it’s a great choice for anyone who wants a low-tox option.
I have tested samples of ECOS Paints and it does dry really fast.
To me, it always seemed offgassed almost immediately after drying (though for the more sensitive, they can need more time, and it’s officially 0-VOC at 11 days).
ECOS is also the only paint brand I know to have a full line of 0-VOC primers.
And it often is a good idea to use the same brand for both paint and primer.
This is certainly a high-quality paint brand that can go head-to-head with the best in-store brands in terms of coverage and quality.
Because of how popular this paint is I asked a reader for a full review so we could get more details.
I’m also going to chime in a bit with reviews from other folks.
This post is not sponsored by ECOS nor did they provide free paint for the article. The article does include affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Now The Review From B….
B says – we had decided to go with ECOS Paints for our new home and remodel prior to move-in.
At the time, I had severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and reacted to most scents, essential oils, and chemical smells.
I tested out a few samples of ECOS Paints myself on a wall in our old house, wearing a KN95 mask.
Upon application I smelled a bit of a faint chemical “paint” smell coming through my mask, but none of the searing toxic smell that usually comes with standard paints.
It didn’t affect me too much so I was able to continue the paint swatch.
After applying the paint, it seemed to dry incredibly fast, and after about 2 hours the small patch seemed almost completely dry.
The smell dissipated immensely after it began to dry.
After about 30 minutes, I could be in the room without a mask on.
I was impressed!
The paint smell seems to be most strong when wet and just applied, but fades very soon after.
Overall we are very pleased with the paint, and the safety to our health and zero-smell once dried has been worth the extra cost per gallon.
Blocking Odors
For our new house (a remodel of a 20-year-old home), we had professional painters apply the paint.
The rooms were previously occupied by fragrance users (scented bath soaps, cleaners, and baby powder mostly), and I’ve found the ECOS Wall Primer and two coatings of the Interior Eggshell paint weren’t enough to fully block out all of the smells stuck to the walls, but it’s been enough of a seal for me to comfortably live in these rooms.
Application
The application of the ECOS Wall Primer and Interior Eggshell Paint seemed to be very easy for our professional painters using a spray application, and I was amazed at the drying time for the walls.
How did you choose the color?
We ordered the paint chip color cards, as well as the full color fan deck from ECOS Paints, which were pretty helpful in narrowing down colors.
I narrowed it down to a few colors from there, ordered the colored paint samples from ECOS, and tested out a few blues.
I chose a rich robin egg blue called Restful Retreat.
I’m really happy with the choice I made!
The paint matched the paint chip and samples really well.
Something to note is that if you see the ECOS paint wet on the walls and notice it’s a much lighter or brighter color, it will darken a lot once it dries.
Corinne here, while this was an ECOS Paints color, if you’re color matching to another brand it seems best to send in your color swatch as there have been some complaints about matching to other brands.
How was the coverage?
The painters did two coats of the Eggshell Wall Paint. (In other words, the coverage is really good).
Is it easy to wipe down and clean the eggshell paint?
I have had to wipe dog dirt off the walls and it comes off great.
This past winter both dogs came inside and shook and got muddy splatters all over the kitchen wall.
I got most of it but some I missed and it dried on the wall.
When I eventually found it, it cleaned up super well right away.
No soap or cleaner needed, just a damp cloth.
No paint came off and I even rubbed a little hard on the textured wall. The paint was perfectly intact.
Why did you use ECOS Wall Primer?
We wanted a primer because we wanted to cover up the original paint which was a darker blue, and wanted to make sure the new paint was an even coat and look.
But we also hoped the wall primer would help seal in some leftover smells from the previous residents.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it did well for keeping the scents in, so next time we will try the Air Purifying Paint and Primer and see if that works better.
However, I’m glad we did the regular primer just to ensure an even wall color over a darker color.
Did you consider the Air Purifying Paint and Primer to block odors?
We considered it briefly but decided to opt-out, mostly to save on cost.
If we had to do it over though I would probably have splurged and tried the Air Purifying Paint and Primer for some odor blocking.
One reader commented:
“I would not be able to move house without their air purifying paint as extremely sensitive.
We used their ordinary paint for the first coat and air purifying for the second coat to save money, but they also advised us to use it this way.
You use the same color for both types of paint.
One coat of air-purifying paint usually works to seal all fragrance behind unless on a wall near where there has been something like scented candles, sticks, or plug-ins.
In which case for that area you may need a second coat of air purifying.
I’ve found it is the only one that seals fragrance behind it.
I once scratched a wall accidentally carrying a chair about 8 months after painting with air-purifying paint and from the scratch I could immediately smell laundry product.
Touched up with air-purifying paint and the smell was sealed away again.
That was an interesting thing to learn about how effective the paint is.”
How was the customer service?
I did call customer service to ask about the amounts of paint we should order, and they were super helpful and professional.
I had to estimate the sizes of our rooms because I didn’t have exact measurements, and they advised the right amount of paint, with a little leftover for touch-ups.
Corinne chiming in…. other reviews have complained about shipping times. Though this is the fault of the local shipping company, it’s best to factor in an extra week for delays especially if your reno has specific deadlines. Also, in winter, be sure to select “signature required” or send it to a local UPS access point for pick up so it doesn’t ge left outside.
Is it easy to touch up?
I have definitely had to do touch-ups (2 of them).
There was an especially large area where the contractor hit a low part of the ceiling and one corner on a wall with his ladder, and it scraped off areas of paint the size of a credit card in both places.
I grabbed a small brush and touched it up very easily.
There were no defined edges or marks to show where I had re-painted.
Even if you stand very close to see any marks where the original paint ended and the touch-up began, it doesn’t show.
Why did you choose this brand?
I chose this brand because it was one available at green building stores and I of course found out about them through your site, Corinne!
Overall I’m happy with our choice.
We would definitely order from ECOS Paints again.
Thanks so much, B for doing this review! And for readers, if you would like to get paid to contribute a review for the site please see this post – Corinne
PS. I thought this review from a parrot owner was helpful: “Paint is great- I have parrots and had to have 0 VOC, and I am thrilled, literally no smell at all! I am doing cabinets, got the semi-gloss. It’s a little more matte than I expected, kind of wishing I did the gloss, but overall great experience. Will be buying all of my paint from you guys from now on. And color match service was great! ( I just named my selection).”
(Note: most people find it has a smell when wet, but most people cannot smell anything once it’d dry.)
PPS. If you want to compare ECOS to other non-toxic, 0-VOC paints, see my main paint comparison article.
Tmz
my concern is cleaning brushes rollers pans etc..
does the paint have plastic polymers that go into the ecosystem (nano plastic)
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
yes all conventional paint is made from plastic and can contribute to microplastics. while many people wash the brushes in the sink that is actually not what you are supposed to do. the left over paint needs to be disposed of properly like other plastics.
Tmz
how do you suggest cleaning brushes and equipment
DKI
I have used both their matte and eggshell paints, both dry very quickly. The smell is strong when wet but not strong after drying if you have good ventilation. I can walk in the rooms the next day after having the windows shut and smell a slight paint smell. I stop noticing the smell at 2+ days.
I agree with the author of the article, the ECOS paint dry color is much darker than wet and you cannot go by the colors on their website, the colors look WAY different when you get a physical color card or sample. I havent sent in a color to match yet, but I might because I find their selection a little limited compared to the main brands, and notice from samples that everything is darker than on their website. The quality of the paints I have used have been good, although did get a couple of burgundy/purple samples that were watery and did not cover the primer.
DKI
Also even though the paint dries very quickly, I haven’t found that it shows lap marks. Which is great because I am not keeping a wet edge all the time.
They advertise you only need 1 coat, but I use 2 because I have textured walls, ceilings. One coat was not adequate for my situation.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
yeah that is true of every paint that says 1 coat, as far as I know
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
thanks for sharing
DKI
I ended up using their color match by giving them the info when I ordered; I did not send in a physical sample for them to match. They did a great job color matching Behr’s terra cotta clay, and the quality of the Ecos paint is way better!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
nice
Stacy
Hello!
Two questions:
For the eggshell ECOS, or really any ECOS brand paint is it necessary to use a primer before painting? Our walls are currently a light to medium beige color.
Second: is the Air Purifying paint really more to cover any issue with odor as noted in the article (Glade plug ins, dented candles used, smoking, etc) versus it having less odor than the eggshell?
Thank you!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
you do not need to prime over previous water based paint in light colors in most cases, like if the paint is in good condition. for the second question – both, but most people buy it to cover scents.
Maria Laughlin
Hi Corinne! My husband and I are looking for the healthiest interior paint for our home, as we have two young daughters and want to keep them save from carcinogens and other harmful substances. I see that you’ve highly recommended the ECOS brand. I’m concerned though that it doesn’t have a Greenguard Gold certification, like Clare paint does? Why doesn’t ECOS have that certification? Thank you!!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
every water based paint out there could make GGG certification, it’s way to high a level of VOCS to differentiate between paints, we want 0 VOC and we want to see the full ingredient list as ECOS provides so that we know it’s free of PFAS, APEs, etc
Meg
I would recommend James Alexander Thrive paint. Or Alkemis or Kiem mineral paints. Or JH paints- velvet paint (the first scrubbable water resistant paint on the market or so they claim. There are certainly other options out there that are less toxic and more friendly to the environment.
Meg
There is also classic lime wash paints that as they dry take in carbon and clean the air which are plastic free and non toxic by nature. Just drying to the skin so wear gloves but you’ll have a beautiful old world breathable and natural finish. Chefs kiss…. But a more modern route would be to go with any of those paints I mentioned above. I’ve used several and I love painting my walls with rocks and not plastic
Debra G.
I used Ecos paints in our new house just 2 years ago, both for new drywall and floor paint. Used their primers and followed all instructions carefully. The smell of the fresh paint cleared up shortly after the paint fully dried.
However, I’m having problems with the Ecos paint peeling off the surfaces when under stress. Light plates on an open shelf, periodically bumping against the painted wall, caused the paint to fall off in numerous flakes. I’ve never seen regular paint do that.
Then, when I removed a poster from the wall (hung with high quality poster putty), the paint peeled off with the putty (the putty was applied a full year after painting). And we’ve also had small areas of Ecos floor paint peel off the floor.
I have to say that I’m very frustrated about this. A brand new house, with patches of peeling paint. We paid an awful lot of money for this paint. I expected better quality.
Bonnie
What primer did you use?
Corinne
Hi debra, so something definitely went wrong here as this is definitely not the norm:
-did you use a wallboard that is not paper backed gypsum?
-did you use a odor blocking or shellac primer first or any other primer before ECOS?
-if you used paper backed gypsum with no other primer did you use the ECOS primer that is for new drywall?
-were your temperature and humidity in the proper range?
-did each coat have sufficient time to dry before the next was applied?
Meg
Paint with rocks and not plastic and you’ll get a beautiful matte and no flaking off. I suggest Thrive by James Alexander or JH wall paints has a velvet paint or Alkemis has crystals imbedded in their paint. Keim mineral paints has been around since the early 1900’s. There options you just have to dig. ECOSpaints is extremely GREENWASHED!!! It’s still plastic that goes on your walls to stop breathability and nanoplastics that go down your drain
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
ECOS is not greenwashed. All regular paints have plastics, it is semi vapor open and that is actually required by code. you don’t want fully vapor open on most standard walls in homes, too much moisture will go into the wall. There are some wall designs that would call for vapor open paint though. In modern passive house homes that would mean adding a plastic vapor retarder behind the drywall or other wall covering. So it’s still plastic. I do like Kiem for paint in those situations. I mention them a lot on the site. Only in old homes or earthen homes, log cabins etc would you not have any plastic in the wall at all. Also microplastics dont go down the drain because you are not meant to wash your brushes in the sink or pour paint down the sink.
Lynne W
Thanks for this. To seal in scents, we use de-waxed shellac. It is a good primer ahead of a paint job, too. Zinser/BIN has added some chemicals to their formulas so now we make our own. Happy to post more about what we’ve learned making our own shellac if anyone is interested.
Linda
I would be very happy to learn more about making shellac!
Please do post something about that!