Firsthand ECOS Paints Review (Not Sponsored)

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….

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 Paint 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 assure 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 for saving on cost. If we had to do it over though I would probably have splurged and tried the odor-blocking / Air Purifying Paint and Primer. 

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. To save money but they also advised us to use it this way. You use the same colour 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 in. 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.

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).”

PPS. If you want to compare ECOS to other non-toxic, 0-VOC paints, see my main paint comparison article.