Low-tox paint: natural mineral paint or low-VOC acrylic?

Low VOC is on nearly every paint tin now, so the label doesn't tell you much. The bigger choice is whether you want a natural mineral paint or a low-VOC acrylic. Both have a place.

Natural mineral paints

Lime, clay and silicate paints are made from minerals and natural pigments with little or no plastic binder. They're breathable, so walls can take up and release moisture, and most have zero VOC. Lime is naturally alkaline, which works against mould without added biocides.

The catch: they're softer, they're sacrificial (they wear rather than peel), and your painter needs to know how to put them on. Look at Bauwerk, Graphenstone and BIO Products.

Low-VOC acrylics

Acrylics form a plastic film. The good ones are very low VOC, tough, washable and easy to buy on the Coast. Porter's low VOC range, Dulux envirO2, Haymes Ultra Premium and Ecolour are the ones we'd look at.

Many acrylics include mould inhibitors and preservatives. That's often what makes them hold up in a bathroom, but it's worth knowing if someone in the house is sensitive.

Where we'd use each

Bedrooms and living areas: natural mineral paint, where breathability and zero VOC matter most and walls don't take much knocking.

Wet areas, kids' rooms and high-traffic walls: a very low VOC acrylic, or a lime product made for wet areas.

Timber floors, benches and joinery: a natural oil like Osmo instead of a solvent polyurethane.

Ask about tint and ventilate anyway

The VOC figure is for the base paint. Ask whether the tints are low VOC too, especially for strong colours.

Even with zero VOC paint, ventilate while painting and for a few days after.