Is Low VOC Paint More Expensive?: Cost Benefit Analysis

Benefits of Low VOC Paint

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are solids and liquids that easily convert to gas, which is released into the air.

These chemicals, which are found in common consumer products from paints to carpet to furniture to automobiles, are known to cause negative health effects, including nausea, irritation of the ears, nose and throat, loss of coordination, fatigue, dizziness, headache, an allergic skin reaction.

The process of releasing the VOCs into the air where humans and animals may be exposed to them is called "offgassing".

One common household product that offgasses VOCs is interior paint.

We're all familiar with the smell of a freshly painted room - you might have even gotten a headache from the "smell", or the VOC fumes, and then noticed that the smell dissipated over time.

However, even after this initial period, the chemicals will continue to offgas, even if they no longer smell, and the material may continue to have subtle, negative effects on your health.

For this reason, manufacturers now make low or zero VOC paint, which is better for indoor air quality and occupant health.

The U.S. government limits VOCs levels to 250 grams/liter (g/l) in latex paint and 380 g/l in oil-based paint. Low VOC paint has less than 50 g/l (flat paint) or 150 g/l (gloss paint), and zero VOC paint has 5 g/l or less.

How Much Does Low VOC Paint Cost?

Clearly, investing in paints without these toxic chemicals has potential health benefits - but will you have to pay a premium to avoid the danger of VOCs?

Surprisingly, the answer is no.

If you shop around, you should be able to find low VOC paints that are comparable in price.

According to CostHelper, the price of interior paint can range from $12-50 or more per gallon. Many low VOC options are available at this price point.

Zero VOC paints, which have 5 grams/liter or fewer VOCs, are typically more expensive than low VOC or conventional options, and will cost about $30/gallon or more.

However, this is still not unreasonable given that conventional paints can cost up to $50 or more a gallon. These products might just skew on the higher end of pricing for conventional paint.

To see how much the prices for paint vary, let's compare different types of flat paints with varying levels of VOCs from well-known brands. Each price below is listed as per gallon.

As you can see, the prices for well-known paint brands can vary widely... In some cases, zero VOC paint is even cheaper than the conventional or low VOC options.

The other characteristics of the product appear to be more likely to affect the paint's price point. With a little research, you should be able to find a low or zero VOC paint that won't cost more, but will result in a healthier home.

*Some prices from Benjamin Moore website