how green is benjamin moore’s new aura paint?
Yesterday, Jean from I Love Upstate emailed about a contest she’s having. She’s asking readers to submit logos ideas for her site and the winner will get a gallon of Benjamin Moore’s aura paint. Now, I haven’t had to paint anything in a few years, but a whole lot of it is looming in my near future. This stuff sounds pretty good. It features something called Colorlock — which means full washability in all sheens, eco-friendly and minimal odor, a ast one-hour recoat time. I’m not exactly sure what makes this more eco friendly than normal paint, but I would bet there are better, greener brands to be found. Any suggestions? — Angela M.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Anna Sova makes paint with food-grade ingredients - so safe you could eat it, or so they claim. It is essentially milk paint — no odor, no VOCs — in a huge range of colors.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:36 am
check out notmartha.org for a good article on “green” paints
http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2007/05/28/i-heart-paint-most-of-the-time/
July 25th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Check out Safecoat paint: http://purehomecenter.com/afm.html
July 25th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
There was a recent article in MS Living (maybe 2 issues ago) about how to make your own milk paint.
Sherwin-Williams has 2 “green” paints - one of them called, “harmony” is zero VOC. I used it for 2 rooms recently and liked it - good application and while it did have a slight odor, after about 24 hours you couldn’t smell ANYTHING. With previous paint jobs, it seemed to take at least 4-5 days (or more) for the strong smell to go away and I used to get a headache when I painted with conventional paints.
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/sherwin_williams_products/greensmart.jsp
July 25th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I just tried the Benjamin Moore low VOC line (not the same as Aura, I’m pretty sure) and I like it quite a bit. I’ve actually never had any issues with headaches or dizziness from paint odors, but I’m also a visual artist and I totally love dangerous turpentine and oil paint smells. So I’m probably screwed.
Anyway I liked the stuff I tried - it can be made into any color in the BM palette, and their pigments are tops.
July 25th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I actually really love Aura paint, and have painted most of the inside of my house with it. Not only is it low VOC (not no VOC, but it def. helps) but it also goes on REALLY well (never needed more than 2 coats, even when painting over a dark color, and the drip factor is much lower than other brands I’ve used) and it dries super fast.
here’s an article from Forbes about it:
http://members.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0326/070.html
It also comes in all of BM’s colors (a lot of eco friendly paints have very limited color ranges,) and the nice thing about being scrubbable in every finish is that you can paint a high wear/high humidity room (bathroom, kitchen, hallway) it eggshell or matte.
Just my 2 cents.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
The warning on the sample label about it being carcinogenic if inhaled made nervous.
July 26th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I just finished painting my bedroom with AFM Safecoats No Voc paint. Not only did it dry in about 15 minutes and covery beautifully, smoothly, and evenly, but at no point did I EVER smell ANYTHING like paint or chemicals. It was a dream come true. The paint application process did not heat the room, and I almost didn’t need a second coat. I applied their pure white flat paint over an ugly creamy yellow and didn’t even need a primer.
I had been thinking about Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec line, or Aura line, but passed on it even though it’s a bit less expensive than AFM Safecoat, because it is just one line in a company that still produces toxic paints and primers. The “remain the only company to provide a complete range of chemically responsible building and maintenance products.” They “will never market a single “environmental” product while selling 1000 other toxic ones.” For a few more dollars per gallon, I felt like a million bucks when applying it. And let me tell you, I’m known to be pretty frugal.
Check out a couple of reviews about AFM Safecoat here:
will never market a single “environmental” product while selling 1000 other toxic ones.
And for comparisons and listings of other green paints browse here:
http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/product/C134/P0/
July 26th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I’ve heard good things about Frankly Green by Audra Frank. Maybe that’s what AFM Safecoat is? Also, there’s a new eco-friendly, low VOC line from Donald Kauffman.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
We tried Aura recently, and had a bit of a disastrous experience with it (detailed here: http://morewaystowastetime.blogspot.com/2007/05/house-in-progress-my-bathroom-looks.html).
In a nutshell, tho, it’s *very* thin, watery, and drippy. It splattered like crazy, our painter needed to use four coats to get good coverage, and since it went up a couple of months ago it’s scratched off with amazing ease — if we reach for a towel and miscalculate and touch the wall instead, some paint will inevitably scratch off. It’s possible that we got a bad batch, but I won’t bother with Aura again.
I generally really like Benjamin Moore paints, and was really disappointed by this experience. We’ve used Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC Eco Spec line (available at pretty much any paint store that carries BM products, and tintable to any BM color) in the past and been very happy with it. That’s what we’ll use next time.
All the best,
Leah
July 28th, 2007 at 6:39 am
A couple of educated opines, one from the WSJ brain trust and another from a nuts and bolts user:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118420547213964303.html
So, you’ll have to make an appointment with your wall to see when it will be ready to try to remove the crayon mark.
Another, I don’t think this painter will be buying again soon.
http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?p=267659
August 1st, 2007 at 8:55 am
I love the Aura paint as well. I painted my living room and my kitchen with just one gallon each. It goes on really well and dries super evenly (which is ideal for my fake second coats where I really just touch up the spotty parts).
August 5th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Alison, did you really use it? Really?
September 4th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I have had lots of paint experience. Believe me there is nothing like Aura. My red covered in one coat. Almost no splatter and the looks (depth) are incredible. Way to go Benjamin Moore!
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:30 pm
I’m amazed someone thought Aura was thin, watery, drippy and needed 4 coats. We just used it and it was thick, smooth, not drippy at all and we really could have done just 1 coat but did 2 for good measure. Not only that we used it over a semi-gloss paint without sanding or using primer, so it really is “self-priming”.
Am wondering if we’d need primer with Eco-Spec. Would prefer it as it’s cheaper and zero-VOCs as opposed to Aura’s low VOCs (less than 50).
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
After seeing the advertisement for Aura paint by Benjamin Moore, I was excited to try it out since I certainly appreciate green lifestyle. However; we are disappointed by the finish of this ‘one coat does it all’ paint. Color is vibrant but streaks are plentiful. Now we must 2nd coat it with more reliable paint.
- experienced painter
January 13th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Just a note on low and zero VOC paint products. If the store adds most tints to get a specific colour they will be adding considerable VOC’s to the product.
The difference with Benjamin Moore’s Aura is that the tints do not add VOC’s to the paint.
January 19th, 2008 at 11:25 am
The majority of manufacturers of standard low VOC green paint use Universal colorants. Aura paint uses waterborne colorants which are chemically “greener”. You can get the darkest colors and still be low VOC.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
The fellow at the Benjamin Moore store commented that with the Aura the key is to do the trims first and then roll the walls. If you roll over a wet area, chances are you will streak it. (I think someone above mentioned it). My contractor loved the paint especially the fact they could cover purple with tan in one coat. I’d buy it again.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am
I have painted with — and bragged on — Benjamin Moore paint for 15 years, using it on 3 homes. I should be a salesman.
BUT…..do NOT use the Aura paint. It streaks, streaks, streaks, streaks. The best way to describe the look: you painted the walls flat. someone came in to touch up some spots and used eggshell or semi-gloss. You can imagine how noticeable that would be.
Well, Aura Matte, which has a slight sheen, is the same. You cannot roll it back-and-forth. If you paint in the W format as BM recommends, you get W’s on your wall. If you paint vertically, it looks like you have painted vertical stripes on the wall.
The BM folks are coming over to paint it for me. But I’ll believe it when I see it. I would advise against Aura at all costs. This project has dragged on for weeks. one large wall has about 5 coats on it because it was painted over and over to try to get the streaks out.
If these BM painters can do it, more power to them. But not everyone would have the luxury of having them come over to “fix it.”
March 7th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Aura has crystalline silica in it, a known carcinogen, and contains up to as much as 100 g’s VOC’s per liter… it’s not even certified Green by any reputable consumer organization… I beg to wonder why anyone would bother even using Aura when Benji Moore’s Eco-Spec line fits all the requirements for a “green” paint. Rumor has it that they’re tying to phase out Eco-Spec and that Aura is an attempt to retain “green” consumers… unfortunately, it’s a hell of a lot more toxic than Eco-Spec. They should just keep Eco-Spec around.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Has anyone heard of the Mythic Brand? Used it in one of my rooms and was very impressed. It is a truly “NO” VOC paint, spec sheet says zero VOC and can says it as well. Also colorant that is used is no VOC. Was very easy to apply and touched up well. Would use again and recommend to anyone.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:31 am
I am unsure why some of these comments point to problems with Aura - streaks? No way, Aura paint is awesome, covers better than any other paint on the market, and goes on like silk.
Feel free to see some of the results we have at our 6,000 sq ft home with Aura and the new Affinity color line.
http://www.scotttribe.com
July 12th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Our painter used Benjamin Moore Ecospec Semi Gloss paint on all our pre-primed interior doors and new wood finishing detail on our new home under construction in November 2004. We were reluctant to use the primer on the new wood because it outgasses very strong amonia smells and I am chemically sensitive and cannot have these harsh chemicals in my indoor environment. Benjamin Moore shop personell assured us we did not need the primer on new wood as long as we gave it 3 coats, which we did. All my Ecospec Semi Gloss surfaces are sticky, tacky, porous and swell and shrink with relative humidity- even the pre-primed doors. Since 2005 I have been seeking help from Benjamin Moore. They have experimented with their products and tried to paint over the problem with other low VOC products to no avail. They initially promised to fix the problem for me, but have with no paint over solution, they decided instead to try to blame the problem on the painter rather than the paint. I hired a paint inspector and he tested the remaining paint and found it faulty- no matter how you apply it, it is sticky tacky. This is a nightmare with no solution except to replace all my finishing materials and re-paint. You can’t sand it off because it is soft and rolls, gums and balls up the sand paper. I would never EVER again use any Benjamin Moore product because of the way Benjamin Moore has dealt with this consumer. I am interested to learn if any one else has had trouble with the Ecospec Semi Gloss. Originally, the District Benj Moore rep told me they had had this problem before specifically with the Semi Gloss product; he was fired, now they are denying they have ever had other complaints. Our painter has since discontinued his use of all Benj Moore products.
July 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Please reply if you have info on sticky tacky Ecospec Semi Gloss
Bev
July 18th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
if i’m not mistaken the eco-spec line came out before the aura line. also sounds like something to take up with that particular store.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
We encountered the same problem with the ECO SPEC primer…sticky, tacky to the touch, bubbles and peels like a bad sunburn. Anything set against the wall and pulled away pulls the top coat of paint off with it. We have people and pets in our household that cannot handle toxic stuff…that’s why we went with the ECO SPEC primer. Very disappointing. My general contractor blames the painter. I’m sure it’s the primer, not the painter.
July 25th, 2008 at 6:33 am
I’ve had the same problem with the Eco-spec product, the tackiness! My GOD the tackiness! It should be used as adhesive not paint. We used the products, (both the paint and primer) on some built in shelves and it doesn’t seem to cure, the Rep insists that it will but its been close to two months…so here’s my solution, instead of ripping everything out, I suggest waiting untill you are sure the paint is fully dry (as dry as it will get) and spray over it with a water bourne acrylic clear coat. I’ve experimented with this in my shop and it seems to take care of the problem, period. It does change the sheen, and you’ll have to find someone with experience spraying lacquers, (its not so easy people) These water bourne lacquers can stink up the house, but there is a product out there called agualente made by ML Campbell that has low VOC. I’m impressed with it, the smell isn’t terrible. As far as bubbling and such we’ve experienced no problems with it. I actually think that as such it gives you excellent cover, sprays decent ect But come on Ben Moore, what is up with the super glue properties? Obviously my solution is limited to use on woodwork, walls and such might want to be approached a little differently, but I’m sure a solution could be found as long as the PAINT WAS APPLLIED CORRECTLY, so many times I’ve seen walls painted without primer, or using the wrong primer, drywall dust everywhere, the mud not dry enough ect, here is where you might run into problems of bubbling. Paint is a touchy subject and can get very time consuming if its applied on the wrong substrate. Usually solutions can be found as long as the homeowner, contractor, and sub-contractors work together without freaking out.
good luck to all
Side note: Remember even trees emit VOC’s! Check out this little tid bit:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_18_165/ai_n6110279