Wow, this is a truly non-toxic paint, and it’s going to be sold exclusively at Home Depot. It’s called Freshaire Choice, and it’s a zero VOC paint. According to the EPA, the air inside a home is, on average, two-to-five-times more polluted than the air outside. Paint is a large contributing factor to poor indoor air quality and can emit harmful chemicals, such as VOCs, for years after application.
Another innovative feature of this line of paint is that the tints are also zero VOC. It’s the first paint that can make this claim — on average, up to 150 grams of VOCs are added back into paint once the color is mixed. That means that even if you buy a boutique, all natural paint, as soon as you tint it to the color you desire, you just defeated all the work you put into locating and purchasing the paint (except for naturally pigmented paints, like clay paints).
The Freshaire tinting system uses pre-measured packets of dry tint that color the paint without adding any VOCs to the paint. This zero VOC system is an industry first. No other tint system for paint can make this claim. Another innovation is that the tint comes in a packet that dissolves into the paint completely. By using pre measured, standardized packets, Freshaire ensures consistent colors no matter when you buy more paint. The only drawback to the system is that you can only use the 65 colors that are currently available — so no custom matching.
Freshaire Choice has a GreenGuard certification (one of the most stringent independent test laboratories in the United States).
Freshaire uses 100% recycled materials for the can, the can is recyclable when you are done, 75% recycled fiber material is used for the can’s label, the label is printed with soy ink. Another innovation is that the paint chips are also completely recyclable as well being made from recycled materials. As far as I know, only Freshaire allows you to recycle actual sample paint chips.
The Freshaire Choice Paint will be exclusively available at The Home Depot nationwide beginning April 1, 2008. The one-gallon containers will be sold at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $35 – 38. The Freshaire Choice Paint product assortment consists of flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes, as well as drywall interior primer and ceiling paint. For more information or to request a free sample, visit www.thefreshairechoice.com or call 1-866-880-0304.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just at Home Depot looking for a low VOC paint. I guess I’ll hold out a little longer and get this stuff. I went to our local paint store first, but the salesman explained the whole thing about VOCs being added back to the paint during tinting. I’m sure I can find something passable out of 65 colors. I’d rather have the color be slightly off than add toxins to my house.
I’m so glad you did this post!
I actually bought some of this stuff 2 weeks ago as it was brand new at the Home Depot near my house. The guy there said we were actually only the second person to buy it. But I used it to paint my bathroom at home. The paint covered great, has a very nice color and finish to it. It was about 10 bucks more than BEHR, but did not really have a problem spending that little extra bit.
their claims are false — other tint systems are zero VOC….for instance Degussa 802 tints are zero VOC. if you buy a zero VOC paint and have it tinted with 802, your product will still be zero VOC. be leery of products that make false claims! stick with green companies that only make green products, not companies that only have a few green options, like freshaire.
Erin must work for a competative company that sells paint. I would much rather go to one of Home Depots thousands of stores and get the zero VOC paint and zero VOC color I want at the same place than get the paint at one place and try and get the color I want at another. I have used this paint and love it I even baught some for my Kids to use in my Grandkid rooms. It even stops existing oders.
In the interest of full dislclosure I do work for a business that competes with Home Depot. We are a small family owned and opreated hardware store that carries a line of Non-Toxic Zero VOC paint. Mythic. We also use the NO VOC colorants (tints). The wonderful thing is there are over 1200 Mythic colors available and color matching is available as well. Bring me the color name or number of another brand of paint and we can mix the color in Mythic Paint and it will still be No VOCs. Why limit yourself to 65 colors? Go to http://www.mythicpaint.com and see all the colors available. The best part is that it performs wonderfully. Goes on smoothly and covers magnificently.
I think I would rather pay $35 for FreshAire instead of $50 or $60 for Degussa or Mythic, even if it only has 65 colors, I can work with that, what do you think?
I think the freshairechoice is an interesting idea, but limited to 65 colors, no thanks, I’ll never be happy for settling on a color. Besides HD is known for their quality issues with paint, they squeeze the manufacturers and products get the raw deal. ever buy a dewalt drill? at HD they are worthless, at the small hardware store they are great. Mythic sounds interesting, little pricey online, but we have a store here that sells it for alot less.
Just used Freshaire to paint my finished basement. I used to use Ralph Lauren, but never again. I love Freshaire paint! It goes on in one coat and very little odor, which goes away once it dries. Great solid color and nice coverage. I will now be using it to paint my bathroom and bedroom. We have asthma in our household and Freshaire paint hasn’t affected us at all. Love it! Freshaire.com offers 3 free 2oz. samples which also comes with a rebate coupon for $5 off each can up to 20 cans. Great Deal!
BEST PAINT EVER – yes I am yelling but I bought it the week it cam out to paint my half bath. Only needed one coat and NO fumes.
FYI to everyone, this paint is hardly non toxic!! Read the caution labels on both the cans & the packs of colorant they add to it, there’s even a carcinogen warning! Don’t be fooled!! While it may be a good paint, it certainly not worth the mid $30 price, the binders used are the old vinyl acrylic, notthe most durable. Also the paint contains NO mildewcides or fungicides due to it upsetting the VOC levels. While this may not be an issue in some applications, i would never use this in a full bath, kitchen, basement or any other moisture prone area.
If you truly care pay the extra loot for the more expensive Degussa or Mythic, Yolo, Livos or other “off” brands.
We were very excited to find this product at Home Depot. We are doing our best to create a green home and have been working on that process for years. I have found the product to be terrible. After following ALL the directions and finishing the last coat. I went to remove the tape that was protecting the woodwork and the paint came up with it, right down to the drywall. After spending days prepping and following all the directions now I get to peel all this paint off the walls, fight home depot for a refund, and strat the process all over again with a new product. To make matters worse no one answers their phone at freshaire to help you with problems even though they state they answer phones from 8am to 9pm, its 11:30 and after five calls, no answer. In Hawaii we dont have many choices for natural home items. I really miss our natural home store in Seattle WA where I could have bought a quality product. Anyone that has the product, pick a spot and try to peal it up.
Why does it have to be so difficult to decide on “the right paint”.
I have a whole new old house to paint and have wasted more time trying to decide on the right paint for the job.
At first I thought I would go with American Pride, but the only store that sells it near me is almost 4o miles away. Not very “green” to drive that far for the number of projects I have to take on. I just imagine being almost done, and oops out of paint.
I could have it delivered. A gallon is 50 bucks. Which is more than reasonable, since Benjamin Moore is 60 a gallon and I have to go pick it up. But Benjamin Moore has a great reputation, not necessarily for the low no VOCs but the quality of their product. And since I plan to be here for awhile, I want to do quality.
So on the more affordable front, I was considering Olympic Premium (from Lowes). It has received decent reviews. But then I read about the tints. So who know what the final toxin count would be in this product.
Ugh.
It’s easy to say just go with Degussa, Mythic, Yolo, Livos or American Pride but when they aren’t easily or locally available it makes a huge project much more difficult.
Picking the right color used to be the hardest part.
I just don’t have many local options, funny since I live in an area about 45 miles north of DC that has a very strong organic farming community.
Sorry – not good! I bought two gallons at home depot and it is like using old oil based paint. It is lousy at leveling, it doesn’t cover worth a darn and when you try to apply a decent coat it runs at the sign of cat. True, there is no discernable odor but it makes an experienced painter look like a beginner. My only hope is that the next brand will stick to it. The eggshell is very slick and that may be a problem. Consider this only if you absolutely must and be ready for a new pastime of fixing all the errors!
I love this paint! Yes, two coats are necessary, but, we could sleep in the room when the painter finished!!
I just did a review comparing Freshaire paint and Benjamin Moore Aura paint that might be helpful to everyone. http://diyspirit.com/?p=7
Hey everyone!
I recently used Mythic Paint, and I’ve never been happier!! The performance is GREAT , it most certainly stands up to Ben Moore. The colors are endless, and I love the fact that they can match anyones colors. The painters liked how it went on the walls, and there was no smell at all. They’re coming up with more stores nationwide, so it’s easier to purchase. I truly recommend it, it pays off paying extra bucks. The flat finish is about $41.99, and the eggshell is $42.99, semi-gloss is $45.99, and if you ask your contractor might get a discount. For more info go to mythicpaint.com, or mythicstores.com
Seeing Home Depot sell a zero-VOC paint just indicates that green building is becoming more mainstream. That’s great. We’re all better off for it.
If you really want to buy a good zero-VOC paint, there are a number of other better options – Columbia Purecoat and American Pride are two of them. They are in the low to mid $30 range and can be tinted to any color. They key is to find a place (preferrably a local, non big box store) that uses zero-VOC pigments. You’ll pay less than the alternatives and have all of the benefits of a premium zero-VOC paint.
I painted one wall and a hallway with Freshaire paint and I am sorry I did. Six weeks later, there remains a lingering odor of vinyl acetate, the paint’s principle ingredient. I am still waiting to be able to sleep in the room odor free.
If you are looking for a truly odor-free paint after a reasonable drying period, DO NOT use Freshaire. The paint was low odor at time of application, true, but I disagree with others who say that odor goes away. So far, it has not, and I live in a dry climate and have kept the windows open 24 hours a day through all of June and most of July. This subtle smell like that of a new shower curtain, zero VOC or not, defeats my whole purpose in buying the paint.
I do agree with those who say the paint dries blotchy-looking. I am sorry I bought it.
We are expecting our first baby and have textured walls in the baby’s room. We chose the Treasured Jade Eggshell to paint both the walls and ceiling. We have chocolate brown satin accents with offwhite shelves and cabinets. I have gotten more compliments on that room than any other room. Everyone loves the color and the feel of the paint and how easily things wipe up from it (fingerprints). Cleanup took less than 10 minutes to wash our containers and our hands. I loved it because I could share all aspects of preparing for the new arriving including the painting experience. I was very tickled to not smell anything. I was extremely tickled that it covered so well in one coat over knock-down walls. Honestly, I work for a competitor of Home Depot and as a rule do not shop there, but my annual purchase (being the paint..which we do not sell) was well worth the time and money.
I received in the mail an invitation to try your paints. 3 free samples were offered by going to freshairechoicepaint.com. I have not been able to open that site nor will Googling bring it up. I would really like to take advantage of the free paint sample offer, as I have some painting to do in redecorating my home. How can I get this offer other than through that website?
No VOC’s but the Vinyl in it can kill you.
Just finished the baby’s room with the Northern Pear Tree in eggshell. It took two coats to cover the flat, white paint in the room. I was hopeful that this would be a great paint since my wife is pregnant, and I don’t want the paint fumes in the house. At $36 a gallon (well, it’s less than a gallon actually if you look at it closely) I feel I overpaid. The color selection is actually quite impressive, but the coverage is very poor and it runs like water. I had to be so careful to catch all the “runs” and unfortunately, I still missed some. I live in Arizona with very little humidity, and it still took hours to dry. Everyone says that it dries blotchy, but my blotches did seem to go away in a day or two. I also agree that the smell isn’t that much better than regular paint. For the rest of the house, I’m just going to go with regular paint and send my wife and baby to the mall for the day. I’m not using it again.
There is a new low VOC paint by Dutch Boy called REFRESH. It is 0 until colorant is added, and still Greenguard certified. It is priced under $30 and is “Premium Paint” that is very durable. Tintable to most colors and “IT ABSORBS ODOR” Arm & Hammer and Dutch Boy teamed up. Available at Menards.
Very unhappy! I bought a gallon of this paint 4 days ago for my son’s room. The smell is horrible. It is definitely NOT no odor. The odor is actually worse than regular paint- and still is 4 days later! My son cant sleep or play in his room. I’m wondering if I am going to have to paint over with regular paint before he can spend any time in his room again. Definitely would never recommend this paint to anyone!!!
Paint has peeled off bathroom windows in less than 2 months. The paint is also cracking off a half bathroom wall (no shower) as well as my daughter’s bedroom wall in less than 2 months. Used by our professional painter with 30 years experience. Any humidity in the air and objects stick to paint pulling off paint, primer and all. Waiting for area rep to visit my home. I would not recommend using especially if you are going to pay a painter. My husband is furious. I did use Sherwin Willimas lowodor point with so far great success.
I will post more detailed info later here and my site at trendydads (dot) com later but first wanted to inform you to STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THIS product as possible!
No, I don’t work for a paint company (self employed management consultant) nor do I own a paint store of any sorts.
This product has made my family ill. Try an established brand with low VOC.
Unproven product, unsubstantiated product claims. Do we really know what substitute chemical compound(s) are in here that makes it no VOC?
Where is Mystic in Chicago or neighboring suburb?
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We painted a powder room with a flat Freshaire color and liked the results – for a week. After fully drying, small hairline cracks began to show up everywhere – it was shrinking. Even a second coat would get them. Not sure if gloss would have same effect but we’re now considering getting some good old fashioned latex and color matching it.
Not a huge fan of Freshaire – I painted our study a few months ago with Freshaire. It took 1.25 gallons vs. the 1 it really should have taken. Our walls have the orange peel texture, so that could be part of the problem, but it took 3 coats to really cover, and to this day I’m still finding spots where it just didn’t cover well – this despite going over each wall by hand with a brush and scrutinizing it. A 2 day job took 5 days – plus it did have some odor – just as much in my opinion as “lower VOC” paint. A big disappointment.
The claim of the only 0 VOC paint is false. Benjamin Moore & Co. is one of the oldest and one of the Greenest paint company. They are one of the only paint companies who have never to produce a lead or mercury based paint resin. They also were the first company to launch a low VOC paint called pristine in the 1990’s.
Benjamin Moore has made a Green Promise. They have a full line low & No VOC interior & exterior paints available in any color and are Zero VOC in any color. These paints use a patented Zero VOC colorant system only available through Benjamin Moore & co. These products not only have no VOC’s they preform better than any paint produced on the market today. For the Best Paints For Your Enviroment & Home use Benjamin Moore.
I used Freshaire paint- it is all pealing off. The company investigated and told me that there was insufficient prep or that some chemical we cleaned the surface with caused the pealing. I am completely unhappy with this expensive product.
We recently painted most interior rooms in our house with Freshaire no VOC paint. We are so pleased with it. We chose it because it’s better in the long run, but the lack of fumes made the actual painting pleasant. At first glance I had thought the colors–on the samples–were a bit duller than the bold look I wanted, but the bolder colors were plenty bold for the spaces we painted. We highly recommend this paint.
In response to ChrisA from Arizona:
There must’ve been something wrong with your paint, I just finished a room in our house with that exact same color, took less than 40 min to dry and wasn’t runny at all. One full gallon was more than enough coverage, and a single coat was plenty to cover up the stark white that was underneath. In fact, a second coat didn’t show any real difference in color tone, and it looks great, not runny at all.
Just wanted to add something about Benjamin Moore. Their latest Natura Paint is actually considered to be their greenest product with a highly refined resin and waterborne (zero VOC) colorants. I used it it and liked it better than their traditional Regal line. It has zero VOC after the color is added as well.
I second the above opinion about Benjamin Moore’s Natura line. They can match any color, and it’s available in quarts so you don’t have to spend so much on smaller projects. It covers wells, looks awesome, and seems so far, to be durable. I used the semi-gloss and my only complaint was that my eyes burned a bit while using it, but given my awful experience with FreshAire (painfully runny, very poor coverage, and Home Depot won’t provide a refund or replacement- they refer you to the company) I would use the Natura line again in a heartbeat!
I work for a small business that sells sustainable interior building products–so I guess you could say we are a competitor of Home Depot, but I can’t ignore Home Depot trying to claim carrying the first product that has zero VOC paint tints. I couldn’t tell you who the first was, but Degussa tints have been used far longer than Home Depot’s Freshairre. And with Degussa, you have a full fan deck of colors to choose from, and the price is $35-38 a gallon (the same price as Freshairre). Be cautious to greenwashing, and even question your green product stores that may be out there to make money on the term ‘green’. I do the R&D for the products that are allowed in our store and believe me, it’s frustrating trying to find truly green products–there’s usually always something hidden from view (but that’s not to say don’t worry about it, a ‘light green’ product is better than nothing). Do your homework! Ask for MSD sheets that detail the hazardous ingredients and VOC content, ask about the binder used in products like countertops and flooring, ask where their products are made and their fair trade/labor practices…
We as consumers need to start demanding more from these companies and the distributors/dealers that rep their products.
Fresh aire choice is a disaster, tried returning it and they sent me home with more, Tried it again and still peeling and blotching. I think the colorant system they use has something to do with it as sometimes the powder doesnt disolve properly in the shaker. The stuff truly works like whitewash and has absolutely no quality.
We used the Home Depot’s Fresh Aire product recently and were extremely disappointed with the coverage. We had to do at least two coats everywhere, so it took a long time. Also, the color comes in these little plastic bags that are supposed to dissolve, but they didn’t dissolve completely so we had specs in our paint. I’d recommend trying a different brand.
I used the Fresh Aire in my basement to cover white on white…big mistake. I paid a painter high dollar to complete this job quickly as I had renters moving in with a baby, and it looked like my 3-year old completed the job. Runny, thin – took many touch-ups. Because I had a gallon of a blue (Freshaire) I attempted to use it last night in my bedroom…using a brush made it a much more successful mission. However, still disappointed in the paint overall…
In Austin we have a local eco store that offers no-VOC paints with custom (no-VOC) tinting. They’ve matched colors for me before without hassle. Well, last month I stopped in to try Home Depot’s Fresh Aire, and the sales lady (a mature, articulate person — not a kid) was very horsey and elusive about helping me with color. First she told me that they could not offer custom color matching because they would have to use tints with VOC’s, and furthermore no company could do this for me. When I asked if she could blend her no-VOC colors to get close to my match, she stated, “I don’t know,” and nothing more while staring me silently in the face with a wry smile like a used car salesman. Obviously, she’d been getting customer flack about this in the past. I asked, “Would you be willing to find out?” She answered again, “I don’t know,” with no suggestions for finding a solution. Oh, brother, why bother with silly antics like this? I’m going locally-owned for my paints from now, on.
I was quite happy with the colors of Fresh Aire paint (I don’t care about the selection, because I liked what they had), and it seems to have little or no smell; but the coverage was terrible, really terrible. My paint guy had to do three to four coats. He had never used “green” paint and couldn’t understand it; neither could I until I did some Net searching. I now feel embarassed, in addition, because I thought my painter was slacking off and pressured him to speed up.
The price of the paint was not very important to me at first. I have learned. The cost of the labor and the additional paint in the long run was huge. It cost me a fortune — easily another 500 dollars just for one unit in the triplex I own. In the end, it looked great, but I have two more units to go and do not have a thousand dollars to burn. I will not use this product again.
I am going to try the Lowe’s brand.
Wow, I firmly believe you all with problems had technicians that didn’t know how to mix paint!
I am in love with FreshAire! It was by far the thickest paint I’ve ever used. We bought it so we could paint and not send our 3 year old to his grandparents all weekend. Our paint dried so fast my husband accused me of “rushing” the project! We were able to do two of the colors we used in one coat. The third color we used did need a second coat, but we were going from a baby blue to a deep deep red so I expected it needing a second coat. But it dried so fast – under an hour – that I was able to do both coats in an hour. I will definitely buy this paint again.
I am sorry that the rest of you had issues – it’s a shame – when made properly, this paint is awesome. We were able to sleep in the room that very night!
We’d like to add our experience to the “peeling” tally. We’ve had the new paint up for a week in our bathroom, which is only lightly used, as there are only two of us, and the paint began peeling today when nicked accidentally by my husband’s fingernail. Just checking on things, he moved the shower curtain rod and created a bubble where one end of it met the wall. (We managed to deflate the bubble by pressing it back down, carefully, but this is obviously not supposed to happen.) My husband is now scraping the peeling wall and will repaint–perhaps with this Benjamin Moore everyone’s talking about!
I just painted my sons room with FreshAire today. I used the Primer and Slender Reed color in the Semi-gloss finish. I love the color and it seemed to go on fine. It looks great. HOWEVER, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED with the “No odor from start to finish” CLAIM!
IT SMELLS like every other paint I’ve used. Im reluctant to let him sleep in there until the smell dissipates. It is for this reason that I’m not sure i will be use this product again.
Primer is required in order to be considered proper wall prep. Just so everyone knows. Freshaire is not the only paint that would peel without a primer.
Seems like too many complaints about FreshAire to make it a reliable choice if a major concern is paint odor. I’m wondering if anyone is familiar with a product called BON-CC-41 made by BioWorld Products of Visalia, California? Their website says it is a “unique concentrated liquid formulation that eliminates offensive odors at the source.” They also say it works very well with latex paints but not as well with oil-based paints.
I actually just used the BON-CC-41 when I was painting our new house. It worked great. It didn’t leave behind any odors! I did use latex paint. I had some of my friends over the next night and one of them mentioned that there was no odor! They were all surprised. I had another friend over that had painted their house a few weeks ago and they still had odor problems. I am very pleased with this product! I also made sure to leave the windows open while I was painting, I think that might have helped too!
http://www.adbio.com/odor/uses/odor-control-paint-2.htm
Speaking of these low VOC paints and you “greenies” I wonder exactly how many more processes and how much more emissions it takes to make this stuff. Do we save your air and polute everybody elses in the process?