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Even odors that do not signal dangerous air quality can be offensive. Recent incidents of poor indoor air quality and solvent exposure have included fumes measured at thousands of parts per million (ppm). Yet the human nose can detect odors at five ppm.

So, the challenge is to keep a reconstruction or add-on project within budget and up to spec while ensuring the safety of occupants.

New Advances in Coatings

Until recently, most low-VOC, low-HAP, low-odor coatings were solvent-based and lacked the durability needed for high-traffic or industrial areas. Now, however, there are high-performance industrial paints and coatings that are also without VOCs, HAPs, and odor. This has made it much easier to balance the factors of cost, performance, and air quality.

While the highest-performance products may not offer the lowest initial cost, substantial savings will be seen over time — especially in high-traffic areas like schools, office buildings, or hospitals — because repainting will be required less often.

Ease of application may also be an important consideration in specifying paint. Solvent-based coatings have traditionally been valued for their performance and application benefits, and now solvent-free coatings are beginning to include these qualities.

Because solvent-free coatings can be applied in close proximity to occupied areas without adversely affecting occupants, painting can take place during regular hours with little or no safety risk, reducing occupant disturbance and overtime costs.

Also, solvent-free paints are not flammable so they can be safely applied in a facility with operations that involve open flame without interrupting daily operations or incurring additional liability. Specifying products like this can benefit your project in several ways: through reduced labor cost, lower repair costs due to wear and tear, and less effort in keeping up with changing VOC regulations.

Each year, painting projects account for billions of dollars. Now, with the latest in paint and coatings technologies, you can make environmentally responsible specification decisions for your project without sacrificing performance or economy.

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Rick Braunshausen is a certified environmental compliance manager at Rust-Oleum Corporation, which recently launched Sierra Performance Coatings, a line of high-performance industrial coatings with no odor, zero VOCs, and zero HAPs.

Toxicity in finish materials is a special concern in schools. Photo: Rust-Oleum Clinics and hospitals are environments where vulnerability to hazardous air pollutants is of particular concern. Photo: Rust-Oleum Ideal paints for interiors are low in volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. Photo: Rust-Oleum   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.