Alternatives to spray paint include water-based spray-applied paint, specialty water-based paints that stick to just about any surface, or shellac (alcohol) based primers which can also stick to almost anything.
These are my top choices for painting difficult to coat surfaces, crafts, murals, furniture for babies or kids, animal enclosures for sensitive pets, or for chemically sensitive people.
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Non-Toxic Spray-Applied and Brush-On Paint
One less toxic option to spray paint is to *spray apply* water-based non-toxic paint.
This eliminates the solvents and propellant in the aerosol cans.
Check the instructions on each paint brand for spray application, but generally, all you have to do is dilute it with some water and choose the recommended spray gun.
Other brush-on options in this article can work on very difficult surfaces that most paints don’t stick to.
1. Chalk or Chalked Paint
Chalk Paint, brushed on or spray applied, is an obvious replacement for many aerosol spray paints.
It’s extremely low in odor, even lower in odor than your typical zero-VOC acrylic paint.
It has excellent adhesion to just about every material including most metals, glass, ceramic, oil-based paint, shellac, plastics, wood, drywall, fabric, concrete, brick, and stone.
My review of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint goes over more details.
Chalk Paint is only for interior use.
For added durability, you can add a natural wax or synthetic zero-VOC protective topcoat.
Here is a video on how to spray apply it.
Where to buy: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint here. Chalked Paint from Amazon or Home Depot.
2. AFM MetalCoat Primer
AFM MetalCoat can be applied with an airless sprayer, brush, or roller.
This paint is low-VOC (though not as low as Chalk Paint or ECOS) and can be used on interior and exterior bare metal.
It can be used on galvanized steel, aluminum, and any non-ferrous metal.
It sticks to nickel, tin, titanium, iron, zinc, brass, gold, silver, platinum, cobalt, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, and zirconium.
It’s not recommended for copper or cast iron or any metal that has rust.
This primer is not made for functional radiators as it can not take that level of heat.
See this post which goes into more detail on brands for radiators.
This primer is for bare metal only and can be followed by any of the AFM paints. If you want to paint over metal that already has a paint on it, use AFM Transitional Primer, followed by their paint.
It is safe to use on pet cages, like bird cages, parrot aviaries, dog crates, etc.
They aren’t FDA-approved food-safe, but once it’s fully cured and if it doesn’t go into a dishwasher, it is considered to be safe.
Where to buy: GDC/Building for Health
3. ECOS Universal Primer
ECOS Universal is the best (and only) zero-VOC primer on the list, it’s a good pick for primed metal and some bare metals.
ECOS Paints Universal Primer that can be used on metals like bare iron and steel (not cast iron) and metal that is primed from a factory.
Metal doors usually come pre-primed and so do some metal furniture items like some cribs.
This would be ideal for those surfaces.
It is for both interior and exterior use.
I like ECOS because it’s zero-VOC and their products are high quality as well.
Where to buy: Buy ECOS Paints Universal Primer through their website.
4. Linseed Oil Paint
If you need to paint that sticks to just about any surface, or want a natural option, linseed oil paint is a good pick.
Allbäck linseed oil paint is made without solvents.
The main ingredients are boiled linseed and pigments made from titanium oxide, iron oxides, chromium oxide green, and ultramarine blue.
Allback linseed oil paint can be applied to most metals that are clean and dry with very little preparation.
Galvanized metal needs to be cleaned with soap and water (or other cleaning products) prior to painting.
You can even paint over rusted metal as long as you do some minimal cleaning and brush off any loose bits.
It bonds to virtually any surface that is clean and dry other than silicone.
You can use it on wood, concrete, sheet metal, iron, plastic, wallpaper, and more.
This is an interior and exterior paint. No primer is needed except on very dry wood a prime cost of pure linseed helps.
Where to buy: Buy Allback or Viking paint via their websites.
5. AFM Transitional Primer
AFM Transitional Primer falls into the category of stain-blocking primer, it forms an extremely tight polymer network.
You can use it in combination with AFM Safecoat Zero VOC Paint.
You can use it indoors or outdoors, over previously painted walls, ceilings, wood, and wood trim, fully cured plaster (below 10 pH), stucco, and masonry.
It can go over oil-based paint.
Not for new sheetrock or raw wood/wood with high tannins.
The perm rating is not known, so we don’t know if this can cause a point of condensation in exterior walls when AC is used inside and it’s humid outside.
Where to buy: Buy from Green Design Center.
6. Shellac Primers
BIN Advanced Shellac-Based Primer (water-based) and BIN Shellac-Based Primer (alcohol-based) can both are primers that can be used on almost any surface (though not SBR rubber, and likely not other rubbers).
The alcohol-based version is high in VOCs but that is because of the ethanol.
Alcohol is very volatile and so it offgasses very fast. It only needs 3 days for a full cure, the reps said on the phone.
The BIN Advanced, which is water-based, needs 7-10 days for a full cure. (And it starts at 96 g/l which is fairly high for a water-based paint/primer but it does seem to cure out nicely in my experience).
BIN Shellac is for interior use and sticks to just about anything. You can use any paint on top of it.
BIN Advanced is also for interior use.
It can be used under and over any latex or oil-based architectural paint, over bare or painted interior surfaces including wood, drywall, cured plaster, masonry, galvanized metal, and PVC, as well as over dense glossy surfaces such as enamel paints and varnishes, paneling, laminates, glass, and ceramic tile without the need for sanding or de-glossing.
You can also mix your own natural shellac flakes with alcohol for a totally natural version of this.
Where to buy: Buy shellac flakes from Amazon and BIN Advanced Shellac from Amazon.
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.
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rob
Hi Corinne been enjoying the content now for almost a year (and the archive!) Question. Is cerakote coating bad for you? I am looking at adding this coating to some gym cable attachment handles, ie theyll be chafing against my hand plus sweat alot. Guessing its not worth the risk but also wondering if there is very little risk of this material on a finished product. It is basically ceramic …being paranoid, so if it were to flake for some reason thatd obviously be really bad to see in the lungs or bloodstream Rob