healthy decor

Updated December 2019

Table of Contents

• 1. Wood Finishes
  • i. Natural Oils & Waxes
  • ii. Stains
  • iii. Sealers
• 2. VOC-Free Paint
  • i. Acrylic With Mildewcide
  • ii. Acrylic Without Mildewcide
  • iii. Exterior Paints
  • iv. Non-Acrylic Mineral Paints
  • v. Primers
  • vi. Metal Primers
  • vii. Cabinet Sealers & Paint
• 3. Plaster
• 4. Sealers
  • i. Sealing in Toxins
  • ii. Sealing Exterior Wood
  • iii. Tile, Concrete & Stone Sealers

I recommend all of the products here, some products have affiliate programs and some do not. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission through affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

If you need assistance choosing the best paints, sealers, and finishes for your sensitivities and project, please contact me for a one-on-one consultation. 

1. Non-Toxic Wood Finishes

i. Natural Oil and Wax Wood Finishes

Linseed, tung, refined hemp, soy, and walnut oil are drying oils. The drying oils penetrate, harden and preserve wood and provide a long-lasting finish that does not turn rancid. Coconut oil if refined is another drying oil. Just don’t use regular cooking coconut oil. I wouldn’t recommend using olive or other (non-drying) oils that can go rancid on wood.

Linseed and Tung Oil

Linseed Oil and Tung Oil are the traditional natural finishing oils for wood (that can also be used on other surfaces).

Although they are natural, legally 0-VOC, and technically non-toxic, they do offgas aldehydes (and other compounds), that can be bothersome for the chemically sensitive.

I review tung and linseed in detail in their own dedicated post. This includes a look Rubio Monocoat and Odies Oil. I look at additives including possible metals, chemicals added, which compounds they offgas and when do they fully cure.

Linseed and or tung are often labeled as teak oil or danish oil, though this is a general term and it can either be pure or mixed with additives, as I go over in the post on these two oils.

Hemp and Other Natural Drying Oils 

Hemp Oil

Hemp Oil is my top choice for wood oil due to how tolerable it is. It does have a light aroma, which I would consider pleasant, but I would test for your own sensitivities (and allergies) by buying a small amount first.

They claim the only ingredient is hemp oil in the Milk Paint and the Homestead House brands.

I used Hemp Oil on all the interior wood in my chemical-free tiny home (floors, stairs, interior door, window sills). I am really happy with it. The ladder to the loft does get grimy, though the dirt does wipe off.

Use refined hemp oil (made for a wood finish) as opposed to the edible oil from the grocery store. This finish is certainly the safest and healthiest option for wooden toys, butcher block countertops, and other food-safe surfaces.

Walnut Oil

Walnut Oil, although there it is technically a semi-drying oil is used on surfaces like concrete countertops, raw slate, non-glossy marble and granite, soapstone, sandstone, and onyx.

Rosewood Oil

Another oil to check out is Penofin Verde which is Brazilian rosewood oil-based with “other natural oils combined with select vegetable ester solvents and zero VOC pigments”. It has 1g/l VOC and contains linseed.

Oils need to be reapplied every few years or more often in high traffic areas.

Natural Waxes used on Wood

Beeswax & Carnauba

Wood (but not floors) can then be finished with a beeswax polish for extra durability. Beeswax takes 30 days to dry. I used beeswax on the window sills to provide a water-resistant finish and I’m really happy with it, it would also work well on counters, cutting boards and toys.

This Beeswax/Carnauba Polish works well but has mineral spirits in it. Mineral spirits to evaporate and leave the product free of this ingredient once cured.

Here’s a helpful video on finishing wood with food-grade hemp and beeswax finish.

I like this Fusion brand as well (which is 100% hemp and beeswax with no additives). Wax needs to be re-applied every year.

Shellac

Shellac is a resin, and one of my top picks for many different purposes. Shellac in the purest version is the natural flakes and alcohol.

You can purchase this from shellac.net or Amazon.

Shellac can be used on many indoor surfaces, including floors, toys, and furniture.

Natural, de-waxed, would be the purest choice for most projects but it does come in synthetic.

If you want to buy it ready-made, Zinsser makes one they claim is only shellac and alcohol. I discuss this again in the section on sealing in toxins since this finish is great at sealing in offgassing and odors.

Oils for Earthen Floor Finishes

If you don’t have ox blood on hand, no problem, you can seal your earthen floor with any of the hardening oils we talked about under wood finishes.

I would use Hemp Oil, though a final coat of linseed and possibly wax, may be needed. 

This blogger claims that Walnut Oil went rancid with time. Beeswax can also be used in the final coat for extra protection if desired.

ii. Natural Wood Stains

Each oil on its own will tint the wood to a varying degree, so you should test for the look you want to achieve – you might find that you don’t need a stain at all.

I prefer the oil and stain in one options: Rubio Monocoat, Penefin Verde, and Tried and True make premixed oil stains if you do well with linseed.

For non-toxic water-based stains, I  would recommend either ECOS Paints stains or AFM Durotone.

Non-toxic milk paint pigments can be used as a stain applied to the raw wood before finishing with oil and wax. Here is my how-to. 

I found these stains too difficult to work with and would go for premixed next time. Earth Pigments also makes natural stains. If you do try these, be sure to test them first and follow the instructions on the type of wood and how dark you can go, and you will get better results than me.

iii. Clear Wood Sealers

ECOS varnishes, which I previously recommended, have had some reported problems. A few people are now reporting that water leaves very bad stains on the wood. This could be a big problem that would cost a lot of money to fix.

I used ECOS sealer on the wood in my kitchen and am very happy with it. I have not had these problems so I do not know what accounts for it. Though other polyurethane finishes can also have this problem. I found this a very tolerable brand that I was able to apply myself.

AFM Polyureseal is liked by many, very tolerable formula and high-quality brand.

Another zero-VOC polyurethane that is becoming more popular is Vermeister.

An unusual non-toxic way to finish floors is a Danish process using a soap finish. You can either use just soap, or soap and lye. Lye is quite toxic while it’s reacting, and I don’t know how long that takes to dissipate. When used in the making of soap the lye reacts with other components and in the end you just have a safe soap.

2. Non-Toxic VOC-Free Paint

Which paints are safe for the chemically sensitive?

There is a myriad of paints claiming to be green or zero-VOC, but most don’t list their ingredients, others list the main components, while some only list what has to be disclosed on an SDS.

We know that 0-VOC is a legal term and does not always mean it’s 0 VOC (chemically), but I do still find this is the best place to start when choosing paints.

These are my top picks in the latex/acrylic categories with a price comparison. (Note: “latex paint” is a general term that means acrylic and does not necessarily contain latex)

Top Picks for Non-Toxic Paint – No Mildewcide (2020)

1. ECOs

Their primer and paints are zero-VOC, certainly the top pick and by far the most popular paint for the chemically sensitive.

They removed mildewcides from the formula (in 2017) however they have the ingredient 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinethione in there which is the precursor to one of the banned mildewcides, this is a preservative. 

It’s highly tolerable and my go-to pick for healthy and chemically sensitive folks in 99% of cases.

This is the only synthetic paint I know of that releases its ingredient list, so they are the most transparent. Both Lullaby Paints and Quiet Home Paints are both ECOs (though Quiet Home is $12 more per gallon for “curated colors” yet it is ECOs paint and ECOs claims they can match any color).

It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t do well with ECOS, though the extremely sensitive need to air it out longer and may want to test out a number of brands as well as all-natural options below.

Cost and Where to Buy:

You can buy it online from their website. $65 a gallon + shipping. They sell samples 3 for $10 including shipping to the US. They ship to the US and Canada. For 10% off email me at corinnesegura@gmail.com for a code

2. AFM Safecoat Zero-VOC Paint 

Tintable to thousands of colors. It is zero-VOC with zero-VOC colorants. (Though the primer is low-VOC.)

This is a well-known brand that has been around for longer than most others.

They make it a focus to have no hazardous air pollutants – since 0 VOC can still contain some hazardous substances.

This brand makes fantastic products, but the paint is not usually my top pick, especially for the severely sensitive.

No mildewcides.

Cost and Where to Buy:

You can buy this online. $64 a gallon +  shipping. You can buy samples here for $6 each. They ship to the US and Canada.

3. Mythic Paint

This was the fan-favorite before they went out of business in North America.

This is now only available in the UK with some use in Asia.

I have not been able to track the sale of this formula to any other company, but a commenter believes American Pride (by the same parent company as Mythic) may be similar, or the same. I have not been able to verify that.

ECOs is the new fan favorite (and I have heard the same scientist was behind the formula of both). 

Much Smarter Paint claims to have Mythic matched, but that appears to be a marketing statement, it is not a statement about buying the formula.

Costs and Where to Buy:

You can buy American Pride in select stores in the Southern United States. Much Smarter Paints you can buy online. The smallest quantity is a quart for $17. It’s $50 a gallon + shipping (only ships to within the US). These are smaller brands and I’m not convinced they have ECOs beat (but everyone is different).

4. Envirosafe

Zero-VOC, zero-VOC pigments.

No biocides.

Cost and Where to Buy:

Contact them for dealers across the US. You may find this at local green building or specialty paint stores.

Cost is $44 and up.

5. Durasoy

This paint is a little different, it is a zero-VOC acrylic and natural oil paint. No biocides.

Costs and Where to Buy:

You can purchase it online through their website. $45 a gallon plus shipping.

Top Picks for Non-Toxic Paint – With Mildewcide (2020)

1. Benjamin Moore 

Benjamin Moore makes a number of zero-VOC paints, one of their oldest lines is called Natura.

It is high-quality, and comes in great colors but contains a mildewcide (something you should generally avoid).

It was intolerable for me while wet, but very good when dry.

Make sure they are using their zero-VOC pigments with it.

Natura is a tried and true pick and fan-favorite next to ECOs for the chemically sensitive.

They have many more 0 VOC lines added now.

If you want something you can go out and buy from a store right now or on Amazon, this might be your best option.

Costs and Where to Buy:

Ben Moore stores are all over the US and Canada. You can buy samples online – samples only ship to the US. Costs are, per gallon: Natura $80, Regal Select $70, ben $60, REGAL select $59.

2. Sherwin Williams Harmony 

SW is another easy to source zero-VOC paint with zero-VOC pigments. It also has a mildewcide.

Sherwin Willians ProMar 200 and their EcoSelect are other affordable lines that are 0-VOC.

Costs and Where to Buy:

You can buy this at select Sherwin Willians paint stores. Sherwin Williams color samples that you can buy online are not the real paint, you have to get this in-store to sample it. Some lines have quarts sizes, but Harmony does not come in quart size.

Harmony $60 per gallon, (sometimes on sale online for 42), ProMar $70.

3. Dunn Edwards

Spartazero is zero-VOC with zero-VOC pigments.

Costs and Where to Buy:

You can find this at smaller chain hardware and paint stores. The cost is $50 per gallon.

Non-Toxic Paint Price Comparison

BRAND	COST PER GALLON (USD)	IS SHIPPING INCLUDED
ECOS	$65	no
AFM Safecoat	$64	no, unless you buy in store
Much Smarter Paints	$50	no
Envirosafe	$44	no
Durasoy	$45	no
Ben Moore Natura	$80	Buy in store
Ben Moore ben	$60	Buy in store
Ben Moore REGAL select	$59-70	Buy in Store
Sherwin Williams Harmony	$60	Buy in Store
Sherwin Williams Promar	$70	Buy in Store
Dunn Edwards	$50	Buy in Store

iii. Non-Toxic Exterior Paints

There are very few exterior paints that are zero-VOC.

ECOs has an exterior primer and paint.

AFM, and Envirosafe have exterior paints.

iv. The Best of Natural Mineral Paints

1. Romabio – The most popular mineral-based paints. Clients seem to really like them.
2. BioShield – Becoming more popular, Bioshield makes chalk and clay paints that people like.
3. Milk Paint – I used Milk Paint in my chemical-free house to seal in the dust on the walls. On unfinished wood, you need to add ultra bond to milk paint. Milk paint is not great in a high moisture area like the bathroom because of the casein. (It could be prone to mold in a high moisture area). Other than using this a primer on my MgO before plaster, Milk Paint is generally too difficult to apply on drywall and you are supposed to use a sealant on it like AFM Acraglaze.
4. Green Planet Paints – (Natural Source, Clay-Based Paint) available online, and in specialty paint stores in Canada and the US.
5. Auro Natural Paints – (Natural Source, Clay-Based Paint) available online, ships to US and Canada.

Paints that claim to be mineral paints but are acrylic:

Fusion Mineral Paint (furniture paint) is actually a 100% acrylic paint.

Farrow and Ball “mineral-based” paint contains chalk, clay and titanium dioxide (just like ECOs does), but is still a synthetic paint.

v. Non-Toxic Primers

AFM Safecoat Low VOC Transitional Primer or their New Wallboard Primer for new drywall (both low-VOC, but they seal in toxins).

ECOs is another brand that makes primers including a new wallboard primer (no mildewcide) and wood primers.

Sherwin Williams Promar 200 is a zero-VOC primer (no mildewcide).

vi. Non-Toxic Metal Primers

AFM makes MetalCoat Primer (zero-VOC). Mythic Primer above can be used on metal (now out of business in North America, but available in the UK).

The other non-toxic metal primer I have seen for the chemically sensitive is Auro Rust Protection Primer.

Tung oil can be used to rustproof some types of steel.

Annie Sloan Chalk paint can be used over some metals as a primer.

vii. Non-Toxic Kitchen Cabinet Stains and Paints 

Non-Toxic Clear Finish for Cabinets:

• ECOs Clear Varnish 0 VOC
• AFM Acrylacq VOC 124g/l
• AFM Poly BP VOC 120 g/l
• Vermeister Polyurethane finish 0 VOC

Non-Toxic Painted Finish for Cabinets:

• AFM Safecoat Ecolacq is a Lacquer that works particularly well on cabinets. Ecolacq has its own primer and needs to be sprayed on to cabinets to get a professional look.
• Regular paint with a clear finish doesn’t usually look great on cabinets as it will look painted with brush strokes. If you do want to use a conventional paint on cabinets, Fusion makes acrylic paints with mineral tints for furniture that claim 0 VOC. You can buy a sample pack here. They have some tips on how to paint with fewer brush marks and they have a product to help you paint over old cabinets.

Natural Oil Finish for Cabinets:

• Rubio Monocoat oil plus for furniture comes in a lot of cool colors, is easy to touch up and has been reported to work well on cabinets.
• Penefin Verde rosewood/linseed 1g/l

3. Plasters

There are clay-based plasters and lime-based plasters. I prefer lime because it is naturally mold resistant.

Plasters can be tinted with natural pigments. Here is a detailed post on my experiences using clay plaster and lime wash in my tiny house.

Plaster of Paris can be highly tolerable. The USG brand comes recommended by sensitive folks and can be found at hardware stores like Home Depot.

To learn more, get yourself a copy of The Natural Plaster Book.

4. Sealers

i. Sealing in Toxins

If you are buying new wood-framed windows, the wood will likely have been treated with fungicides and should be sealed with AFM Safe Seal, AFMTransitional Primer, or Zinsser Shellac. This version of shellac from Zinsser claims that the only ingredients are shellac and alcohol. That’s one you can find at Home Depot as well as Amazon. You can also mix the flakes yourself.

AFM Safeseal is also used to seal in formaldehyde in wood products. You can also use a shellac which is one of the best sealers to seal in odors and VOCs.

For sealing in fragrance, smoke, terpenes or other VOCs please contact me for a consultation and we will find the best product for your application.

ii. Exterior Wood Sealers

To protect exterior wood against the elements, you could use something a little stronger (as the VOCs will not be within the building envelope) – oils like Rubio Monocoat hybrid, and Penofin Verde.

Clear sealers like zero-VOC Cedar-Seal, the same company makes another sealer for other woods. AFM has a new exterior clear sealer EXT.

iii. Non-Toxic Tile, Concrete, Stone Sealers

Non-Toxic Sealers include:

1. AFM Mexeseal for unpolished marble, limestone, granite, sandstone, slate, fireclay (brick, tile, terra cotta, pavers), concrete (brick, tile, precast panels, cast in place).
2. ECOS sealer/stain for concrete, masonry, brickwork, and plaster.
3. ECOs sealer for most floors and worktop counters made from stone, tile, marble, and other hard materials.
4. Lithofin for initial treatment for rough & honed (polished) surfaces – natural stone, engineered stone, and tiles: ceramic/porcelain/quarry and to touch up and protect polished travertine and limestone surfaces which have become matte or dull over time.
5. AFM Penetrating Water Stop (zero-VOC) for porous, mineral containing surfaces such as brick, pavers, concrete block and other cementitious materials, stone and stucco. I am using it on my concrete bathroom tiles and have used it on the clay plaster in my kitchen.
6. Milk Paint Soapstone Sealer (walnut oil and wax) for soapstone, concrete, raw slate, non glossy marble, granite, sandstone and onyx.
7. Hemp Oil is also a drying oil and in theory should work like walnut oil on all the stones and concrete as well as wood.
8. Kinloch is a 0 VOC sealer for granite, marble, concrete and some tiles.
9. Metacreme for natural stones and concrete.
10. Acri-soy is a concrete sealer that can also be used on stone.

Tung oil also makes a good finish for concrete. For a more detailed look at sealing stone and concrete countertops see my post on kitchens, where I go through the types of countertops and sealers (food safe) for each one.

For sealing grout there are a number of good options, I discuss grout sealers options in my post on grout and thinset.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist with 6 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

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