As far back as I can remember I’ve used Benjamin Moore colors for myself and my client’s projects. They have a superior product range at a great price point.! Up until a few years ago, I wasn’t too familiar with their new line of eco-friendly, low voc paints (voc stands for volatile organic compounds), so you could imagine my hesitation in using these green products.

My first thought was “Oh no, my clients are going to ask me to use this paint because they saw it advertised as low or no voc containing paints, and being the great designer that I am, I was going to have to oblige (or have a really good reason not to use them)”. So, I went out and bought a can of each, to test them out, as I was working on a kitchen at the time that was in desperate need of new paint colors.

First of all, the price of the new green line of paints were marginally higher than Benjamin Moore’s “regular” base paint, so I was happy that they were providing a green product that didn’t break the bank like some other green products! There are three of them: Aura, Natura, and Eco Spec…I applied each to the walls of the kitchen I was renovating, and here’s what I found…

• Aura: The Aura paint has low voc’s, low odor, and is mildew resistant. The best thing I like about using Aura paint is that the paint contains the primer in it, so there’s no need to prime the walls first. That saves time and money, and pretty much offsets the higher cost of the Aura paint since you would have to buy primer with their standard line base paints.The Aura paint covered the best! The color didn’t saturate and it dried really quick. If I had needed to add another coat, I probably could have done so just two hours after the first application!
• Natura: If you’re really a stickler about voc’s, Benjamin Moore’s Natura paint contains NO voc’s, as opposed to Aura’s LOW voc content. It also was virtually odorless, and dried very quickly, just like the Aura paint. The Natura paint, when I applied it, did not cover well. It was like I was painting with watercolors! (Well, not that bad!) In Natura’s defense though, I applied a second and third coat, all within the span of about four hours, and was finally able to achieve my desired result. Remember though, Natura does NOT contain primer, therefore I had to prime the walls first. If you’re painting a lot of walls or ceilings, you’re going to have to buy a lot of the Natura paint!
• Eco Spec: Eco Spec, being a commercial grade paint, was great. Benjamin Moore;’s Eco Spec line of paints contains NO voc’s, is odorless, and is mildew resistant. The is the paint of choice for most commercial interior jobs. Even though I had to prime the wall first, the Eco Spec covered very well, and was about $10 cheaper than Natura.

So, there you have it! In a nutshell, Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint was the best cover and least time consuming, since the primer is already in the paint. If you personally feel, or the job your working on requires the paint you use to be completely voc free, then Eco Spec is your best choice!

Article originally published at Source by Justin Schlenger