Welcome to the second in our series of posts on no-VOC paints. Today we are reviewing Harmony, by Sherwin Williams.
Manufacturer: Sherwin Williams
Paint: Harmony Interior Latex Flat Paint (color – Extra White)
Cost: $36.99 per gallon retail
Composition: Water based acrylic latex. Contains titanium dioxide, nepheline syenite, vinyl polymer, calcium carbonate, kaolin, mica. Formulated with no silica.
VOCs: Less than 2g/l (grams per liter)
Certifications: Greenguard, Good Housekeeping
Color range: Most colors are available. Sherwin Williams’ “Blend-A-Color” tinting can add to VOC level.
Coverage: Estimated by mnf. at 350 – 400 sf per gallon
Testing results
Paint odor in can – Smells like the tempera paint we used as kids. Odor undetectable more than 12″ from freshly opened can.
Consistency of paint – Smooth, slightly thin, light splatter
Coverage – 2 coats just covered existing dark tan paint
Drying time – 45 minutes till dry to touch. Waited recommended 4 hours before applying second coat.
Odor after one day – Very faint, almost undetectable
Adhesion after one day – Applied clear tape to paint. Some residue showed on tape, but did not affect surface of painted wall. Tape was hard to remove at first.
Note: Paint provided by Sherwin Williams for our use in test.
Conclusion: This paint is definitely low odor, and has the added benefit of being anti-microbial. Other than the vinyl polymer, the paint basically consists of water and ground minerals and rocks (see composition above). Because it is slightly thin in consistency, I imagine this would do very well in a sprayer, which coupled with it’s relatively low price point, might make it ideal for larger projects and painting contractors, as well as those looking for an affordable option in no-VOC paint. However, I would advise using primer before trying to cover a darker color of paint.
I really like the fact that Sherwin Williams took the time to redesign their can as well as their paint. The can is 100% post consumer recycled resin (plastic), with a label made of 75% recovered fiber and 25% post consumer waste, printed with soy ink. You can read more about their GreenSure environmental program here.
Note: We chose not to apply paint under ideal conditions, including the use of a primer, so your results may vary. To read more about how we approached our review process, please read this post.
If you have any experience with this paint, please feel free to add your comments below. The more people who share their knowledge, the more useful these reviews will be.
May 5th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
I have used the SW Harmony paint a few times for customers requesting a low no-VOC paint. I have been happy with the coverage and paintability (although I have only used light to medium colors) and the oder is definitely very low. I am a big supporter of Sherwin Williams and will continue to use this product.
July 13th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
This paint is very thin. I repainted over antique white with the same color but used egg shell finish. It took so much more paint then what I am used too. I am used to using Valspar paint that only takes one coat to cover. I am going to have to go back out tomorrow and get 2 more cans to apply a 2nd coat. I did not really notice any odor with this paint but if I had to do it over I am using the standard pain and not this stuff.
July 15th, 2011 at 6:31 am
We used this paint on all of the bedrooms in our home. Similar to the comment above, it worked pretty well, but the fact that it is very thin did make it more challenging to apply (it seemed to be more streaky than traditional paints). Still, we felt the benefits greatly outweighed the cons.
July 19th, 2011 at 7:03 am
Painter near Riverside, I have used this Product do to request only.. It was okay, thus the products prices increase each year but ours stays the same.. huh!