The journal
Low VOC paint: how to choose it well
A low VOC paint can be recognised by three signs: a water-based formula, a volatile organic compound content stated in g/L well below the European ceilings, and the French indoor air emissions label. Here is how to read those markers, which rooms they matter most in, and which finish to choose.
Choosing a low VOC paint is not a purist's whim: it is the difference between a bedroom you move back into the same evening and a room that keeps that familiar solvent smell for days. Volatile organic compounds are the substances that evaporate from the paint film as it dries, and then, in decreasing amounts, for weeks afterwards. In fifteen years, European and French regulation has brought those levels down dramatically, yet not every tin is equal. This guide gives you the markers for reading a label, explains what "low VOC" covers at Mylands, and helps you plan a job that does not upend life at home.
Low VOC paint: what the label tells you
Two pieces of information matter. The first is the VOC content, expressed in grams per litre. European directive 2004/42/EC sets ceilings by product category: 30 g/L for an interior matt paint for walls and ceilings, 130 g/L for trim and woodwork paints. Those figures are legal maximums, not targets; a good water-based paint sits well below them, and the maker states the figure on the tin or the datasheet.
The second is the French "Émissions dans l'air intérieur" label, made compulsory by decree 2011-321. It grades building and decorating products from A+ to C according to the volatile substances they release, measured 28 days after application. A+ is the lowest-emitting class. That class is printed on every tin and every datasheet: that is where to check it, product by product, rather than relying on a general promise made about a whole range.
A third clue, less regulated but telling, is how you clean your tools. A paint whose brushes wash out in water is a water-based paint, and that is the first condition for a low solvent content. If the tin recommends white spirit, the question is settled.
What "low VOC" means at Mylands
Every Mylands decorative paint is water-based and low in VOCs. They are made and tinted in a single factory in West Norwood, south London, with richly loaded natural earth and mineral pigments and, in the wall emulsions, crushed Carrara marble that gives the film its density and mineral touch. They dry quickly, give off little odour and brushes rinse clean in water. Our page on low VOC paint goes into the formulation; here we keep to what matters when buying.
The point that counts for a family: Mylands paints comply with toy-safety standard EN 71-3, which makes them suitable for children's rooms, furniture and even wooden toys. A word of caution on vocabulary, all the same. No paint does entirely without volatile compounds, and a water-based paint keeps a light smell while it dries. What changes is the order of magnitude, and how quickly that smell fades.
The rooms where it matters most
The bedroom first. We spend a third of our lives there, often with the windows shut, and it is the room we most readily repaint in a morning. In a bedroom, a quick-drying low VOC paint generally lets you sleep there the same night after a good airing; for a baby's room, give yourself one night more. Then come the living rooms of a flat you cannot leave for the duration of the work, home offices you settle back into between coats, and homes that are reoccupied fast, on moving day for instance.
A paint should be judged as much by what it leaves in the air as by what it leaves on the wall.
Finally there are the sensitive: young children, expectant mothers, asthmatics, or simply those whom the smell of decorating upsets. For them, VOC content is not a technical detail but a buying criterion in its own right, and it is worth choosing paint accordingly rather than enduring a few improvised nights in a hotel.
Which finish smells least
Among the Mylands finishes, Marble Matt Emulsion is the most discreet during application. It is the house's signature wall paint: a very deep matt, loaded with marble, that covers around 15 m² per litre per coat, is touch-dry in one to two hours and can be recoated after three to four. Its breathable film lets old walls and lime plaster release their moisture, and its class 1 wet-scrub resistance under EN 13300 makes it a matt that can be washed in earnest, which is precious in a child's room.
For woodwork, doors, beds and furniture, Multi-Surface Eggshell is the natural choice: a soft silk sheen, moisture resistant, that wipes clean without fuss. It too is water-based and low VOC, but like any slightly sheened finish it takes a little longer than the matt to lose its smell. On a bedroom job, paint the woodwork first, then the walls, and finish with the furniture, which can be left to dry in another room.
The airing routine that makes the difference
A low VOC paint does not excuse you from airing; it makes airing effective. Open the window as soon as work begins and leave it ajar throughout drying, creating a through-draught with the door if you can. Paint in the morning: the first coat is touch-dry before noon, the second goes on in the early afternoon, and the room then has several hours of ventilation before night. Avoid turning the heating up to hurry things along; mild, renewed air does better than a radiator on full.
Bear in mind, too, that the film goes on hardening for several weeks. Wait two to four weeks before cleaning a wall vigorously, even with a washable matt, and let repainted furniture breathe for a day or two before filling it with linen. These are small patiences that extend the life of the paint as much as they protect the air in the room.
Soft colours for a restful bedroom
Since we are talking about bedrooms, we may as well choose shades that invite rest. Holbein Chamber No.7 is an off-white with a hint of pink, warm enough never to look clinical, quiet enough to let the light do its work. Bone BH.04, a creamy white that recalls a 1940s kitchen, goes further into warmth and suits north-facing rooms. For the woodwork beneath either white, Old Man's Beard BH.03, a very pale grey, picks out a door frame or a skirting without harsh contrast.
If you want colour, stay with the powdery tones. Morning Blue No.32 is a calm light blue that wakes with the morning light, ideal for a child's room that will grow up without a repaint. Early Lavender No.260, a greyed lavender, soothes an adult bedroom without ever turning sugary. Lamb's Ear BH.06, a velvety grey-green, and Uncle Maths BH.05, an airy grey-blue, round off a palette with the merit of ageing well. All of them come in Marble Matt Emulsion for walls and Eggshell for woodwork, in the same water-based formulas.
Where to start
Order the free physical colour card to set the shades side by side in the room in question, then two or three 100 ml sample pots: each covers around 1.5 m², enough to paint two patches to look at morning and evening. The price per square metre of each finish is set out on the prices page. Dispatched from Occitanie, the paint arrives in two to three working days, before you have finished moving the furniture.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a low VOC paint?
It is a paint whose volatile organic compound content, expressed in grams per litre, sits well below the ceilings set by European directive 2004/42/EC, namely 30 g/L for an interior matt wall paint and 130 g/L for a woodwork paint. In practice it is almost always a water-based paint, whose brushes wash out without solvent.
Can you sleep in a bedroom freshly painted with a low VOC paint?
Generally yes, the same night, provided you painted in the morning and left the window open throughout drying. Mylands paints are water-based, touch-dry in one to two hours and give off little odour. For a baby's room, as a precaution, give the room one extra night of airing before moving the cot back in.
How do I know whether a paint is rated A+?
The French indoor air emissions label, compulsory since decree 2011-321, is printed on every tin and repeated on the product datasheet. It runs from A+, the lowest emissions measured 28 days after application, down to C. Check it product by product and finish by finish, rather than relying on a general claim made about a brand as a whole.
Is a low VOC paint as hard-wearing as a conventional one?
Yes, provided you choose a good formula. Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion, water-based and low VOC, achieves class 1 wet-scrub resistance under EN 13300, the best class, thanks to the crushed Carrara marble that densifies the film. The multi-surface finishes, eggshell, satin or gloss, wash clean and give lasting protection to woodwork, furniture and radiators.
