Healthy Interiors

The following paints are the best non-toxic options for painting cribs and other nursery furniture.

With cribs, the paint needs to be safe to be chewed on since babies can chew on crib parts. So for this area we need a Certified Toy Safe paint which has gone through ingestion simulation tests.

We also want the lowest offgassing options out there, either zero-VOC or we know that it will finish offgassing in a reasonable amount of time.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Non-Toxic Paint for Wooden Cribs and Furniture

This first list is baby safe paints for painting raw wood furniture.

1. Milk Paint

Milk Paint is an exceptionally beautiful finish on raw wood. This is the application for which it works best. This all-natural paint is a safe option as it doesn’t offgas any VOCs even when wet since it’s only minerals, clay (in one brand), and casein. 

It does need a sealer over top like hemp oil (which darkens the colors a little), or a synthetic clear coat (those are outlined here). 

Only some colors are Toy Safe (by European regulation) so if this is being used on an object that kids could chew on (including cribs), be sure to use the Toy Safe colors. (I like to use the European Toy Safe standard EN-17 because it is more stringent than the American one).

The following colors by Old Fashioned Milk Paint are certified Toy Safe (EN-17): Scarlett (pure red), Marigold Yellow, Mustard, Pumpkin, Salem Red, Barn Red, Bayberry Green, Tavern Green, Lexington (dark green), and Pitch Black.

The Real Milk Paint brand contains no clay but it does contain Titanium Dioxide and iron oxides. The green colors contain Chromium (III) which might not leave it Toy Safe by European standards. (Their paints are not tested against European Toy Safe standards). They are certified Toy Safe in the US by ASTM F963-17 – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety.

If your crib is solid wood, Old Fashioned Milk Paint would be the top choice for paint. 

Buy Old Fashioned Milk Paint on their website and on Amazon.

Also Consider: 

2. ECOS Paint Semi-Gloss or Gloss

ECOS Paint in Semi-Gloss or Gloss can be used on furniture and this is a zero-VOC option (zero-VOC at 11 days officially). The only downside is this is not quite as durable as oil-based paint or alkyd paint.

It is certified Toy Safe by European standards so it’s great for a crib and any other furniture pieces that aren’t super high wear surfaces (like a table). I would use the semi-gloss on cribs, cots, dressers and shelving.

They have a number of zero-VOC primers that can transition from raw wood and previously painted or factory painted surfaces.

Buy ECOS online here. 

3. Linseed Oil Paint 

Natural Linseed Oil Paint is durable enough for furniture. This all-natural paint is made with only linseed oil and natural pigments. There is no solvent here and all the odorants are natural. The finish is very flat.

You need to make sure your humidity and temperature are well within a normal range or this just won’t cure. 

It would (probably) not be considered Toy Safe by European stands due to the manganese drier, so it would not be suitable for a crib that might get chewed on. For other types of furniture, including tables and desks, this is a great option since it’s all-natural and durable. 

It can go over just about any existing finish.

Allback and Earth+Flax are two brands available in North America, you can purchase them through their websites. 

4. Benjamin Moore Advance 

This water-based alkyd paint is the conventional choice for furniture because it’s a lot more durable than water-based acrylic (latex) paints but it’s way healthier than conventional oil-based paints (the ones with solvents). 

Ben Moore doesn’t make any paints for cribs, the reps said over the phone. Furniture, yes, but not cribs, because it’s not Toy Safe if chewed on.  

Benjamin Moore Advance is 48 g/l when wet and takes 2-3 weeks to fully cure and to finish offgassing, a rep said on the phone. Documents also say it could take up to 30 days to reach optimum hardness and final sheen. 

Buy Benjamin Moore paints through their stores. 

Officially, Sherwin-Williams paints are also not considered Toy Safe or Food Safe, so they are not for cribs, if the cribs can be chewed on.

Non-Toxic Paint for Melamine Furniture (And Other Tough Factory Finishes)

Melamine is one of the trickiest surfaces to paint over but there are three options of paints that can stick to this plastic. All three will also work on other factory finishes. (Though they can’t go over a natural oil finish that isn’t cured yet or a wax finish).

1. Chalk Paint 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is a super low-odor, non-toxic option for painting any type of furniture. It sticks to melamine and other factory finishes. (There is hardly anything it won’t stick to). 

It is certified Toy Safe by European standards so you can use this on a crib, toys, and other furniture in a baby’s room. 

The reps recommend ventilating the room while painting and for a few days afterwards before your baby occupies the room.

It does require a sealer on top, and you can use a natural wax – I would use the non-toxic versions from Real Milk Paint (not the solvent-filled wax from Annie Sloan, personally) or you can use a synthetic clear coat. Annie Sloan’s clear Lacquer needs 14 days to cure before your baby occupies the room/uses the furniture, the reps said in an email.

The wax coatings are actually very durable despite being natural, though it does make painting over in the future much more complicated. 

Buy Chalk Paint through their website or through their stockists. 

2. Linseed Oil Paint

Linseed Oil Paint, mentioned above, can easily go over melamine furniture and any other factory finish. You can buy Allback and Earth+Flax brands through their respective websites. 

3. BIN Shellac Primer

This is a more conventional route but it is also non-toxic once cured.

BIN Advanced Shellac-Based Primer (water-based) and BIN Shellac-Based Primer (alcohol-based) can both bridge between a plastic coating (like melamine) or an oil-based paint (and really just about any factory coating), and your regular latex paint of choice like ECOS, and it seems that Farrow and Ball might be able to go over it too (F&B usually can’t go over other brands primers). 

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 full cure, the reps said on the phone, when using this in a baby’s room.

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).

These not only prime difficult to paint surfaces but they block odors and offgassing from below (like formaldehyde, fragrance, etc).

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

GreenGuard Gold certification is the most useful of all the healthy product certifications out there for certifying products low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

GreenGuard has two levels of certification that measure VOC levels in products. GreenGuard allows – 500 μg/m3 total VOCs. GreenGuard Gold allows – 220 μg/m3 total VOCs.

For reference, the average house has a total VOC level of about 200 μg/m3, and the outdoor or “background rate” is about 1/10th of that (20 μg/m3).

What Does GreenGuard Gold Certified Indicate for Formaldehyde Levels?

If you look through the individual levels of VOCs and their limits you can dig in even deeper. 

The formaldehyde level allowed in GreenGuard Gold certified products is extremely low – just 9 μg/m3 or 7.3 ppb (parts per billion). 

I have a post that contains a reference level table for formaldehyde. Outdoor urban air contains 1.5- 47 ppb. GreenGuard Gold formaldehyde levels are lower than the outdoor air in many places. 

Formaldehyde levels allowed with standard GreenGuard are significantly higher at 50 ppb (parts per billion) or 61.3 μg/m3 (Compared to GreenGuard Gold 0.0073 ppm). 

Recommendations

This post lists out GreenGuard Gold certified flooring products in each category. I also make recommendations for each type of flooring and what to look for to reduce toxins in ways that go beyond this certification.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

1. GreenGuard Gold Laminate Flooring

The only real chemical of concern in laminate flooring is formaldehyde, and just about all laminate flooring is made with a formaldehyde binder in the HDF core except for one brand. This is one type of flooring where GreenGuard Gold is extremely helpful to make sure it’s very low formaldehyde (no more than 0.0073 parts per million).

Laminate Flooring Brands that are Certified GreenGuard Gold Include:

1. Duravana from LL Flooring looks like your typical laminate but the core seemed a little different to me so I asked the company about it. The core has polystyrene added to it (it also contains the usual wood fiber and melamine-urea-formaldehyde) which makes it more inherently waterproof than other brands. It does not have more offgassing than other brands. 
2. Swiss Krono USA
3. Traffic Master, A&A and MSI from Home Depot
4. AquaGuard Laminate from Floor and Decor
5. Optimax from Floor and Decor (this might be a hybrid of wood fiber and plastic, the company won’t confirm that)
6. Evoke Surge 
7. Kaindl

Other:

• Shaw Laminate is GreenGuard (not Greenguard Gold)
• Pergo used to have GreenGuard Gold certification before they were bought out by Mohawk. I don’t think the glues have likely changed, Mohawk simply doesn’t use GreenGuard. Judging from the samples I received, I would guess that they use the standard glue. 
• RevWood from Mohawk is the only formaldehyde-free laminate flooring. The VOCs are listed as 9 ug/m3 which is extremely low and would qualify for GreenGuard Gold based on that test.

My article on laminate flooring goes over the ingredients used in this type of flooring and the additives of the different brands.

2. GreenGuard Gold Engineered Wood Flooring

With engineered wood, I personally would not look for a certification but instead I would choose a floor based on the construction type. A solid slat core has the least amount of offgassing, followed closely by plywood. I would choose these over the MDF or HDF core which offgasses significantly more.

I would also generally go with a water-based finish which won’t have any offgassing over an oil-based finish unless you know the oil-based finish is natural and/or suitable for you.

The article on engineered wood goes over brands by construction type.

GreenGuard Gold Engineered Wood Flooring Brands:

1. Shaw Engineered wood – especially good are the Shaw lines with a plywood core like Shaw Castlewood
2. LL Flooring: AquaSeal, Virginia Mill Works, Bellawood Artisan, Builder’s Pride (you can use the filters on the left hand side to select the core type of solid slat or plywood which are lower in offgassing than MDF)
3. LifeScapes and Woodland Reserve from Floor and Decor
4. Pioneer Millworks
5. Lifecore
6. Kentwood Floors
7. Preverco
8. Johnson Hardwood
9. Craft Floor

The following brands use a solid slat core which is lower in offgassing than plywood or HDF though these are not GreenGuard certified:

• Tesoro Coastal Lowlands – White Oak, Hickory, Maple, Walnut
• Tesoro Great Southern Woods
• Tesoro Great Northern Woods
• Mirage Hardwood Trubalance

3. Green Guard Gold Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring

Almost all LVP flooring has the same basic composition of a vinyl top layer and an SPC core (stone + vinyl + plasticizer) or WPC core (wood or plastic + vinyl), and often a plastic foam-based underlayment. The offgassing of most brands, whether certified or not, is extremely minimal and close to zero VOC. The major concern with vinyl is the effect on the environment and the plasticizers which are not considered in GreenGuard Gold.

I would choose the brand based on construction type not certifications personally – choosing SPC core over WPC or vinyl core (vinyl core has no wood or stone) and avoiding cork underlayment if you really want to go extremely low VOC (it is the only underlayment that has significant offgassing).

The following brands are certified GreenGuard Gold:

1. LL Flooring Coreluxe Rigid Vinyl Plank (what most companies call Luxury Vinyl Plank)
2. COREtec Pro
3. Floor and Decor DuraLux and NuCore
4. Provenza MaxCore
5. Flexco Natural Elements Luxury Vinyl Tile
6. Traffic Master, LifeProof, Home Decorators Collection, & MSI Luxury Vinyl Plank from Home Depot
7. SmartCore from Lowes
8. Evoke Rigid Core and Luxury Vinyl

4. GreenGuard Gold Hybrid Flooring (Wood Top + Vinyl Core)

This type of flooring has a real wood layer on top and an SPC (vinyl + limestone) core. I have not seen any significant differences between brands. I would go with any brand with this construction – the offgassing is extremely minimal.

The following brands are certified GreenGuard Gold:

1. Aqua Guard Hybrid (listed under engineered hardwood on their website) from Floor and Decor
2. OptiWood from Home Depot
3. Raintree Waterproof Hardwood

5. GreenGuard Gold Cork Flooring

Amorim Cork is GreenGuard Gold and is the only brand of cork I would go with if you want a very low-VOC product, as most cork flooring brands have significant offgassing.

6. GreenGuard Gold Bamboo Flooring

A solid strand bamboo floor, pictured right, has various strands of bamboo glued together into one solid piece. It can be made with various glues.

Engineered bamboo (pictured left) is a flooring that has a top layer of bamboo over a plywood, SPC, or HDF core. SPC is “stone polymer composite”, a composite of vinyl, limestone and plasticizer. HDF is high density fibreboard – a mix of wood fibre and formaldehyde. I would avoid the HDF (or MDF) cores if you want to stay really low VOC.

The following brands are GreenGuard Gold certified:

1. LL Flooring AquaGuard Bamboo (real bamboo top with SPC core)
2. LL Flooring ReNature (real bamboo top with MDF core)
3. Home Legend (bamboo with an SPC core, with an HDF core, and solid strand). They say they have GreenGuard Children and Schools which is an old certification that no longer exists but it is the same VOC levels and the Gold level now.
4. Floor and Decor EcoForest (solid strand bamboo) and AquaGuard (HDF core bamboo).
5. Wellmade engineered bamboo (with SPC core)
6. Home Depot’s OptiWood Bamboo (SPC core)

Other:

Solid Bamboo Flooring from Home Decorators Collection, Home Depot is GreenGuard, not GreenGuard Gold.

Similar:

Floor and Decor Eucalyptus Engineered wood (with plywood core) is GreenGuard Gold.

GreenGuard Gold Certified Carpet?

There are no carpet brands that are GreenGuard Gold Certified as of the writing of this article.

Interface Carpet Tiles has some documents saying they are GreenGuard Gold, and they are listed on the UL website, but now the company website says “All Interface flooring and adhesives are third-party certified for low VOC emissions in compliance with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) 01350 Standard. This is the standard used by certifications like GREENGUARD Gold.”

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

Linseed, tung, refined hemp, soy, and poppy seed oil, are all-natural oils that on their own can be used to seal and protect hardwood floors (both solid wood and unfinished engineered wood). They are usually called “penetrating oils” on sales pages but the technical term for these oils is “drying oils”.

Drying oils polymerize in the presence of oxygen, they provide a long-lasting finish that does not turn rancid, and that’s what you need to penetrate, harden and preserve wood.

Non-drying oils won’t polymerize and form a durable coating (source). I wouldn’t recommend using olive oil, coconut oil or other non-drying oils because they don’t harden and some can go rancid on wood.

Linseed and/or tung are often labeled as “teak oil” or “Danish oil”, though this is a non-specific term that can mean either it’s pure or mixed with additives and solvents.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Are they 0-VOC?

Some oil finishes are totally natural, solvent-free, and non-toxic. Others are mixed with driers and solvents and can be higher in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odor.

Even with a pure oil like linseed or tung oil, during oxidation (curing), aldehydes and hydrocarbons are produced. Peroxides, alcohols, ketones, and acids may also occur during oxidation (Source). In low concentrations, like those that come off linseed and tung oil, these compounds are not considered toxic. However, those who are chemically sensitive can certainly have trouble with these natural VOCs and should test all options first.

Finish Look

The finish of natural oils is a matte look, though waxes can add a subtle satin sheen. This gives a finish that looks like century-old wood, a rustic look, or a modern matte look.

Many of the oils come in a good range of stain colors as well. With some, you can apply a water-based or alcohol-based stain first before the oil.

Maintenance

The maintenance on natural oil floors is fairly easy as you don’t need to sand it down – you can either spot repair or add a coat over what you have.

You need to reapply a maintenance coat of oil every year to every five years depending mostly on the wear but also check with each brand for what they recommend.

You can clean oiled floors with regular gentle floor cleaners, AFM Superclean, or eco-friendly dish soap.

I’m going to review pure oils, oil mixes, and oils mixed with driers and/or solvents.

PART 1: My Top Three Choices

1. Rubio Monocoat

This option is the easiest to apply as it’s just one coat. It also comes in the most color options and if you only use Part A it’s the only solvent-free option.

Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C is their interior floor finish. It’s a linseed-based finish (natural and modified) with a wax component (natural and modified as well).

Compared to other natural oil finishes, this one is relatively easy to apply. You apply it with just one coat, and you can touch it up easily with spot treatment without sanding. It can be applied to all wood types.

They claim zero-VOCs but you should test any linseed product before using it if you’re sensitive to chemicals or odors. This is lower odor than regular linseed or tung oil. It smells like honey or lemony incense.

I tested this finish and was very happy with it, it’s my top choice on the list

Color and Finish

It is a matte finish that comes in over 50 colors, including bright colors, greys, and whites along with the usual brown wood stain colors. Even the Fumed product (to grey out the wood) is 0-VOC and ammonia-free.

Chemical Additives in Rubio Monocoat

The accelerator which is a Part B drying agent lists hexamethylene diisocyanate as an ingredient (0.5%), but not all ingredients are listed. Part A (without the drier) takes a long time to dry, and this is likely a purer linseed.

It does contain non-aromatic hydrocarbons which they claim are not solvents. Non-aromatic hydrocarbons that can be used with linseed oil but are not a solvent include alkanes such as pentane, hexane, and heptane, and cycloalkanes such as cyclohexane, as well as the less common alkynes and alkenes.

I could not get the company to claim no metallic driers, though it does say it’s free of the following heavy metal drying agents. But it is Toy Safe EN-17 which means it doesn’t contain any significant levels of aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium (III and VI), cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, strontium, tin, organic tin, and zinc. And they add that it’s also free of beryllium.

Other metallic driers for oil-based finishes (that they don’t say they are free of) include: calcium, iron, vanadium, and zirconium.

Cure Time of Rubio Monocoat

Rubio Monocoat (Part A & B mixed) takes one week to cure. You can use just Part A which takes 3 weeks to cure.

How to Apply Rubio Monocoat

Apply one coat using a buffer, trowel, or squeegee. Remove excess oil with a cloth. Perform a final wipe with a clean terry cloth under a buffer.

They have a Maintenance oil that can be reapplied when the wood looks dull, which can help keep it up. You reapply Oil Plus 2C when the color fades or is worn down.

Pros

This is a single-coat finish, making it much easier to apply than most of the other options on this list. It’s also the only one that can be applied without a solvent (if you use only Part A)

You can buy Rubio Monocoat on Amazon or Directly through their website.

You can also buy it in Canada through Amazon.ca, in the UK through Amazon.co.uk, and in Australia through their country specific website.

2. Pure Linseed Oil

This is technically the purest option if you use only the polymerized linseed (though they recommend the Sylvetac resin version for floors).

Polymerized linseed oil or stand oil is a pure, 100% linseed oil formula that is food-safe.

I like the brand Tried and True because it’s 100% pure linseed, and because of their total transparency with ingredients and additives. No driers are used.

For floors, you use the Danish Oil first which is only linseed oil. (Or you can use the oil with a stain in it). And then the Varnish Oil which is linseed oil and Pine Resin (listed on the sales page) or more accurately Sylvetac Resin (listed on the SDS). They also recommend that shellac is used to prime before any of the linseed coats.

Those with chemical sensitivity should test the pure linseed, the oil with the resin, and the shellac.

It’s relatively easy to repair, as you can repair it with a spot treatment.

Color and Finish

It’s a matte finish but the options with a wax can give it a little sheen. It comes in 5 different natural looking stain colors.

I tested out their pure linseed and linseed + stain option. I really liked the look of the Java stain, it went on beautifully even though I did not sand and prep my wood very well.

How to Apply

Sand the floor. They recommend using shellac first as a grain filler for most floors. Burnish (optional). Use Danish Oil (100% linseed oil) as the prime coat. Then 2-3 coats of Varnish Oil (which is linseed oil and pine resin). Buff floor. Full instructions can be found on their website.

If the floor needs repair, you can either spot apply new oil, or if the whole floor needs redoing, you can sand and reapply (no stripping necessary).

Cure Time

If possible avoid placing area rugs for a week after finishing.

Available through Amazon.com

In the UK through Amazon.co.uk, in Canada through Amazon.ca

3. Pure Tung Oil

While this option requires the most coats (wet on wet), it is also the most durable – this finish has historically been used on boats. It does require a solvent and you can choose which one.

Tung Oil is the most durable of the natural oil finishes. It does usually need to be cut with a solvent when used on most hardwood floors. (It’s possible that reclaimed older wood doesn’t need a solvent).

For solvents, you can use the all-natural Citrus Solvent (d-limonine) or Odorless Mineral Spirits. Please see my article on solvents if you want to review the toxicity of each option.

I’ve tested this brand’s tung oil and other brands of tung oil, and this one is definitely lower in odor. And while this option involved a lot more coats than the other oils on this list, the end durability is worth it.

Color and Finish

Tung oil comes in a 100% natural option and in a darker “Dark Tung Oil” which contains an asphalt product to give it more color. You can also use water-based or alcohol-based stains on the wood before applying tung oil.

It produces a matte finish.

How to Apply

Sand floor as you normally would. Apply a generous first coat with a foam roller on a long paint stick. Let the tung oil absorb into the surface for up to 40 minutes. Apply another coat, let it absorb for 40 min, continue until the wood is saturated. Taking a clean rag or cloth, remove any excess tung oil. You don’t need to sand or buff between coats.

It can benefit from then coming back in 24 hours to apply again up to saturation. So it’s a one or two day affair.

For surfaces that receive moderate to heavy use, you need a minimum of three and up to six coats.

Maintenance coats are on an as-needed basis. When doing a maintenance coat you do not need to sand the surface again. Just add a 2:1 ratio of solvent to tung oil in a thin coat, wipe up the excess, and let it cure for 24 hours.

Cure Time

During the first 15 days of curing you can walk on the floor with socks on. You will want to avoid getting it dirty or allowing liquids to puddle on the surface during this period.

You can move furniture back into the room after applying the tung oil (with plastic sliders under wooden legs). However, keep area rugs and furniture that sits close to the floor off until a full 30 days of curing are complete. You also need to wait 30 days before you can wash the floor.

Citrus solvent takes two about weeks for most people to not smell the orange scent. More sensitive folks might pick up the remnants of citrus for longer.

You can buy Tung Oil and the solvents on Amazon or directly through their website (where you can get 10% off with code mychemicalfreehouse)

In Canada, you can get Tung Oil through Amazon.ca and in the UK through Amazon.co.uk

Part 2: Natural Oil + Solvent Mixes

1. AFM Naturals Oil Wax Finish

This mix of natural oils includes mineral spirits and goes on in 2-3 coats.

AFM Naturals Oil Wax Finish is made from polymerized linseed oil, organic safflower oil, isoaliphate (mineral spirits solvent), tung oil, sunflower oil, carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax, modified soybean oil, hemp oil, and carboxylate metallic salts of calcium, manganese & zirconium.

VOCs are listed as 250g/l.

Colors and Finish

Like all natural oils, it imbues a light ambering matte sheen. This doesn’t come in any stain colors.

Application

Sand. Apply one even coat with a brush or roller and allow the finish to penetrate for 10-15 minutes, apply a second coat (on top of the first wet coat), allow to penetrate for 10-15 minutes then wipe off the excess with a cloth. If the wood is still absorptive, another coat can be applied 24 hours later.

Cure Time

It’s dry and ready to use at 24-48 hours but takes a full 2-3 weeks for a full cure. Put back rugs at 3 weeks.

Available in the US through Green Design Center or Amazon.

In the UK through Old Fashioned Milk Paint.

2. Penofin Verde

This mix is based on Rosewood oil but they do not declare all ingredients. It likely contains soy solvent which is quite a mild solvent. A plus side is it could be applied with just one coat.

Another oil to check out is Penofin Verde which is Brazilian rosewood oil mixed with other natural oils. They use “vegetable ester solvents” which could mean ethyl lactate or methyl soyate (i.e. soy solvent, explained here). They say “no heavy metal compounds”, so it could contain metallic driers, we just don’t know which ones.

VOCs are listed at less than 1 g/liter.

Colors and Finish

Comes in 21 natural colors including lightening shades. Matte finish.

Application

Using a brush, pad, or pump sprayer apply a liberal coat to the wood. Allow Verde 10-20 minutes to penetrate into the wood then wipe the surface thoroughly with clean lint-free cloths to remove any excess finish.

They recommend re-coating horizontal surfaces every 9-24 months.

Cure Time

Verde will dry to the touch in 4 hours and is serviceable after 12 hours.

Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

3. OSMO Hard Wax Oil

The strongest in odor of the options I tested, this has the second best color selection, and is a well-known brand that many contractors will be familiar with.

A well-known worldwide brand, OSMO stains are extremely low odor but they are meant to be used with the top coat of Polyx Oil.

The Polyx Oil had a very noticeable solvent odor for me, the majority of that odor did flash off somewhat quickly but the general odor did take more time than I expected to go down in my test.

Polyx Oil Original contains sunflower, soya, and thistle oil, with waxes, including paraffin, plus de-aromatized white spirits (solvent, explained here), siccatives (drying agents, usually metals/minerals), and polysiloxanes. It’s EN 71.3 which means it doesn’t contain any significant levels of aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium (III and VI), cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, strontium, tin, organic tin, and zinc.

Colors and Finish

I did really like the stain colors I tested of the Wood Wax which comes in bright colors (along with the usual wood stain colors and greys and white).

The Oil Stain, is also for floors. It comes in 10 colors including lightening shades.

Polyx Tints is a topcoat and color in one, it comes in more subtle shades of white, light grey, honey, amber, terra, graphite, and black (all in satin).

Polx Original (the transparent topcoat to their stains and their main finish) comes in glossy, satin, matte, and semi-matte.

Application

Wood Wax stains are applied in one coat, followed by Polyx Oil for floors.

Oil Stain is applied in 1-2 coats and is followed by Polyx Oil.

Polyx Tints (stain and topcoat in one) is applied in 1-2 coats.

Polyx Oil is applied in two coats. With Osmo flat brush, floor brush, oil finish applicator fleece (hand pad holder), or Osmo microfibre roller, apply thinly along the wood grain and spread well. Allow to dry for approximately 8-10 hours under good ventilation. After drying, apply a second coat also thinly.

When renovating or recoating an already oiled surface, one coat applied to the clean and dry surface is usually sufficient.

Cure Time

After 2-3 weeks, the surface is fully cured.

Available in the US on Amazon.

Available in the UK through Amazon.co.uk, in Canada through Amazon.ca, and in Australia through their country specific website.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

The focus here is on non-toxic paints and primers that stick to plastic. For most paints we need a special primer to stick to plastic and then we can use a variety of paints over it.

There are also two brush on paints, and one spray paint that can go directly over plastic with no primer, they are very tenacious.

For each paint or primer I note if it’s certified Toy Safe since painting toys has this extra layer of complication.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Primers That Stick to Plastic

If you want to use an acrylic paint we need a really strong primer to stick to the plastic first. Below are also two alternative paint options the don’t require a primer.

1. BIN Shellac Primer (Under Latex Paint)

This is the main primer option that we need to use under latex paints.

BIN Advanced Shellac-Based Primer (water-based) and BIN Shellac-Based Primer (alcohol-based) can both bridge between a plastic coating and your regular latex paint of choice. 

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 does need 7 days to cure when used on toys, the reps said on the phone, 3 days when used in a child’s room on furniture.

The BIN Advanced, which is acrylic 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).

I’ve used these myself and would use either version again.

BIN Shellac & Advanced have minimal exterior use, not for any surface subject to immersion or prolonged contact with water. 

These primers are not officially toy safe or food-safe but the reps said on the phone that it can be used on toys with a top coat of paint on top and unless the child is chewing through multiple layers they consider this safe.

Adheres to: Almost anything – most plastics including Formica, melamine, PVC, fiberglass.

Buy BIN Advanced through Amazon. BIN Shellac from a local hardware store.

2. Pure Shellac

Shellac is the completely natural food-safe primer option.

Shellac is a natural resin that comes from a beetle mixed into alcohol. Shellac as an ingredient is considered food contact safe (it is also used directly on food, like to coat candies and apples).

You can buy it premixed, though those brands are not food contact safe. For toys, go with the all-natural version – buy the flakes from Wellermart which is a good brand and mix them yourself with Everclear alcohol. You generally want dewaxed shellac which is easier to paint over.

Adheres to: Just about all plastics but it won’t stay stuck to SBR rubber in my experiments.

To paint over shellac you have three options:

• Dewaxed shellac (then sand slightly), then AFM Transitional Primer, then AFM or ECOS Paint. (AFM is not certified Toy Safe but they do say it’s defacto food-safe based on ingredients).
• Dewaxed shellac (then scuff it), then ECOS Universal Primer, then ECOS Paint for a sequence that is all Toy Safe.
• Waxed or dewaxed shellac, then Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (however, Chalk Paint usually can go directly over plastic with no primer, see section below), then a Toy Safe top coat.

Buy pure shellac through Amazon!

Brush-On Paints for Plastic

1. Zero-VOC Acrylic Latex Paint

ECOS Paint is a 0-VOC Toy Safe Paint that can go over shellac-based primers.

ECOS Paints is a fantastic 0-VOC acrylic paint that can be used on toys. Once this paint is cured (at 11 days) it doesn’t offgas any VOCs. ECOS Paints are Toy Safe EN-71 certified for use on children’s toys. 

I’ve used this paint and it’s great quality and certainly my top pick for an acrylic paint.

You can use either ECOS interior paints or ECOS exterior paints for toys, play houses, play-sets, decor items, crafts used inside or outside.

You can color match it to any color from other big brands, the photo above is just an example of their nursery colors.

Adheres to: Regular ECOS Paints (Interior and Exterior) can go over BIN Shellac primers or the ECOS Universal Primer can go over sanded dewaxed shellac.

Buy ECOS Paints Online!

What about the Toy Safe Farrow and Ball?

Farrow and Ball is incompatible with many primers and I couldn’t get a clear answer from them on whether it can go over BIN Shellac (and likely not, based on other people’s experience). So if you really want to use F&B you would have to test that. It’s almost certain that you would need a coat of F&B primer over BIN (if that works at all) before the paint.

2. Linseed Oil Paint

No primer is needed with this paint over plastic. This paint goes over almost any plastic except silicone. 

Allbäck linseed oil paint is one brand that is available in North America that is made without solvents. 

The ingredients are boiled linseed and pigments made from titanium oxide, iron oxides, chromium oxide green, and ultramarine blue. The drying agent is manganese.

The manganese makes it likely not safe by European standards for toys that will be chewed on but for other toys and play-sets as well as decor, crafts and plastic furniture this is a great option. It can be used on interior and exterior items.

I’ve used this paint and I like it a lot, the ability to self prime over almost any substrate is convenient and it also is a very durable finish that stays flexible.

Adheres to: The Allbäck Linseed Oil Paint can be used on all kinds of plastic surfaces that we are aware of, says the company, except for silicone. The surfaces should be clean and dry, with no silicone or uncured chemicals present. Generally sanding is not required, but a light sanding can help adhesion. Apply thin coats and let dry well between coats. Make sure your humidity is not too high during curing. Let cure well prior to using. Always a good idea to test first.

Buy through their website.

3. Chalk Paint 

No primer is needed with Annie Sloan (and other brands of chalk style paint). It sticks to most plastics.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is a super low-odor, non-toxic option for painting plastic items that will be used indoors.

It is certified Toy Safe by European standards so you can use this on a toys even if they go in a child’s mouth. They recommend giving it a few days to cure.

It does require a sealer on top if you want this to be at all durable to water and stains. You can use a natural wax – I would use the non-toxic food-safe versions from Real Milk Paint (not the solvent-filled wax from Annie Sloan, personally) or you can use a synthetic clear coat. The wax coatings are actually very durable despite being natural.

Annie Sloan’s clear Lacquer is Toy Safe but needs 14 days to cure.

Chalk Paint Adheres to: Most plastics though you may need to sand it first, and the company said it can flake off if the surface is not hard and flat.

Buy through local stockists.

4. Painter’s Touch Brush-On

Now we are more in the conventional higher VOC lines, some of which are certified Toy Safe but only in Europe.

A water-based paint for both interior and exterior projects, Painter’s Touch brush-on paint is Certified Toy Safe (EN71-3: 2019) in Europe. However, the following colors are not certified toy safe: Gold, Antique Gold, Bronze, and Old Penny Bronze.

I’m assuming this is the same product as Painter’s Touch brush on in the US however, the company said in an email the closest version is the little mini pots in their Testors line.

Painter’s Touch is not low in VOCs at <250 g/l for the water-based version. (The solvents are water and glycol ethers). The data sheets describe the odor as solvent-like.

The company recommends a full cure time of one week for toys.

This is not a paint I would normally use or recommend since I would not consider this non-toxic, but once it has sufficient time to cure I would consider it totally safe for everyday use.

Adheres to: Needs a primer to bond to plastic.

Buy through Amazon!

Spray Paints for Plastic (Toys, Crafts, Decor +)

1. Pintyplus Evolution

This water-based spray paint is low odor and can go directly over many plastics.

Pintyplus Evolution Water Based paint is suitable for painting toys, as it’s certified by EN 71 in Europe and and ASTM F963 – 17 Standard Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety in the US.

This water-based acrylic spray paint is general purpose and more durable than the brand’s other lines. You can use it on decor, crafts and toys.

It’s low odor during spraying (especially compared to other spray paints, most of which are solvent-based) and once dry it has no odor they say. (Note that this is not as low odor as the brush on paints like Chalk Paint or ECOS Paint).

It’s an extra-quick drying; total drying is 15 minutes, you can repaint after 5 minutes.

Adheres to: It works on most plastics including foams and rubber.

Buy through Amazon!

2. Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Craft Enamel

Painter’s Touch Craft Enamel is certified Toy Safe in Europe. Note the following colours are not certified toy safe: Copper & Gold.

They suggest using the Plastic primer first on plastics before application of the Painters Touch Craft Enamel. This primer works on all plastics, except polycarbonate type plastics as these can have a reaction with the paints. Though the primer is not Toy Safe.

The company said in an email that the closest US product is the Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover Spray .

Painters Touch 2X is an Acrylic Modified Alkyd and it’s solvent based (solvents are Acetone, n-Butyl Acetate, Naptha, Xylene). The propellant appears to be propane. The VOCs are listed as 553 g/l. There is a Prop 65 for at least ethylbenzene and titanium dioxide.

I would not generally consider this non-toxic but it will be once totally cured. At 14 days UltraCover 2X was very close to odorless to me but at one month time I could still pick up slight solvent odor.

Adheres to: Painter’s Touch 2X is suitable for use on most indoor and outdoor surfaces including plastic. Some plastics made of polyethylene such as plastic storage containers are manufactured in a way that may hinder maximum paint adhesion. Test paint in a hidden area first.

Related posts:

• Paint for wooden toys
• Food-safe paint

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

What is Prop 65

Proposition 65 is a warning label for Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Any product that is sold in California will have this label even at retailers outside of California.

The list contains naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals. It is updated yearly and there are currently 900 chemicals on the list in 2023.

Exposure Limit?

Technically this label is for “significant exposures” and the chemicals need not be listed if “the exposure is low enough to pose no significant risk of cancer or is significantly below levels observed to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.”

However, in reality the exposure risk is not usually calculated and you will still see the label if the products contains only trace levels of the Prop 65 chemicals or even when the chemicals are enclosed within the product and there is no reasonable way to gain exposure to them.

Are Companies Adding This to Everything?

It does seem like there are companies that add this to all their products even though they might not contain a chemical on the list, if the exposure is extremely minimal, or exposure is not expected with regular use.

There is no penalty for providing an unnecessary warning, this part is frustrating to me.

You will often see the statement that a company “has elected to provide the Proposition 65 notice out of an abundance of caution in order to avoid the potential for liability.”

However when it comes to washing machines, they do likely contain quite a few Prop 65 chemicals, they are not being overly cautious in declaring that Prop 65 chemicals are present. The real question and uncertainly around washing machines comes down to whether that exposure is really large enough to be of concern, especially since the chemicals are largely enclosed within the appliance.

I’ll go over which Prop 65 chemicals are found in washing machines, which brands have the label and which brands don’t, and how to minimize your exposure.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Which Prop 65 Chemicals Can Be Found in Washing Machines:

1. Phthalates may be present in plastic components of appliances (specifically in flexible vinyl) according to the Prop 65 website. Electrical wiring is often coated in vinyl, and there may be other PVC tubes or hoses.

2. Flame retardants may be present in plastic components of appliances according to the Prop 65 website. Electrical wiring and cords also usually contain flame retardants.

3. Antimony: Tamara Rubin has found that most appliance electrical cords will test positive for Antimony (as a component for added flame retardants). When she tests electrical cords of appliances, she normally finds the level in the range of 5,000 to 15,000 parts per million (ppm).

4. Arsenic: Tamara says she often finds trace Arsenic in black plastic handles of kitchen tools and appliances. She believes it is likely a contaminant of the black pigmentation. In one test she found extremely low levels of Arsenic in the black plastic handle of a kettle (3 +/- 1 ppm). This is safe, by any standard she explains, though it’s still a Prop 65 Chemical.

5. Lead: is almost always a component of brass parts, and it can be found in plastic, solder, electrical cords, nuts, painted parts, and more in appliances.

6. Nickle: is part of stainless steel.

7. Other Proposition 65 chemicals may also be present in enclosed components of the appliance (such as printed circuit boards). During normal use, consumer exposure to these chemicals is expected to be negligible according to the Prop 65 website.

Minimize Exposure to Prop 65 Chemicals From Washing Machines

Most of these chemicals are found in internal parts, and some are found in extremely low levels.

Flame retardants and phthalates do tend to leach out into household dust and so to minimize exposure to these chemicals, minimize your exposure to dust:

• Clean floors regularly, using a wet mop for hard surfaces and a HEPA vac for soft or hard surfaces. The HEPA component is important as it picks up these tiny contaminants (and is one of the best interventions you can make toward a healthy home).
• Wipe up dust regularly, using a damp cloth free of chemicals.
• Wash your hands after touching the electrical cords of appliances.
• Wash your hands before preparing food and before eating.

Washing Machine Brands With a Prop 65 Warning

Maytag, Samsung, Whirlpool, LG, GE, Bosch, BLACK+DECKER, Magic Chef, Midea, and Amana all have the warning.

Washing Machine Brands Without a Prop 65 Warning

The brands I’ve seen without the warning are Equator, Miele, and Electrolux.

Washing Machine Brands for the Mold and Chemically Sensitive

If you’re looking for washing machines that are lower in initial offgassing and easier to keep mold free, this post on appliances for the chemically sensitive has some ideas. These are all based on the experience of highly sensitive folks, not on empirical testing.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.