Can you use Natura^® paint in the bathroom?

You may have heard of the Benjamin Moore’s “green paint,” Natura^®, which is a favorite of our customers for its impressive qualities as a non-toxic paint. If you want to keep toxic emissions and paint out of your home and away from your family, think about using an eco-friendly paint to get the job done. When you’re looking to repaint any room (especially a bathroom), Natura^® paint is the greenest choice.

Natura^® Paint for the Bathroom

Eco-friendly (and family-friendly). With zero VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and zero emissions,* there are no toxic fumes to inhale in your home after the paint has dried.

Easy to clean. Don’t stress about soap and toothpaste residue with Natura^® paint. A sleek coating makes cleaning a cinch and is resistant to moisture.

Paints on smooth. Keep a clean workspace with spatter-resistance. With self-priming, one coat is usually enough. When it’s not (when you’re painting over dark surfaces), there’s a speedy one hour return to service for a recoat.

Any color. With 1000s of colors to choose from, there’s no reason your next paint job shouldn’t be with Natura^® non-toxic paint.

* The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined that an emission-free or zero-emissions (or VOC) paint claim is valid if the paint has trace levels of emissions six hours or less after application.

What makes Natura^® a “green” paint?

Living a “green” lifestyle encompasses doing things for the earth and your family’s future. For example, recycling, driving electric vehicles, and eating foods that are good for our bodies. “Green” or eco-friendly paints are becoming more and more popular in the paint industry for being a non-toxic paint choice. An eco-friendly paint doesn’t have any airborne gases or chemicals that can have negative effects on your health. 

Symptoms of inhaling these toxic chemicals (VOCs) can be anything from headaches to dizziness, visual and respiratory impairment or even memory loss. When you’re transforming a space into somewhere you want to be, you won’t want to be inhaling vapors that can cause any of the above-mentioned symptoms. Choose a “green”  or non-toxic paint, like Natura^® from Benjamin Moore, and you won’t be disappointed.

What are VOCs?

The toxic airborne gases mentioned above are called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). When stripping paint or working on a painting project, these compounds can get released into the air, and when inhaled, these gases can cause symptoms like dizziness, headaches, visual and respiratory impairment and memory loss.

This article from the EPA states that the effects of VOCs can be recorded at a 2-5 time higher rate indoors vs outdoors. If you’re stripping paint while working on a home project, studies show that VOC levels can jump exponentially up to 1,000 times higher. The long-term effects aren’t known, but to keep your whole family safe, the best choice is to find a paint with a low or no-VOC rating and keep the area well-ventilated and giving it at least 4-6 hours to fully dry.

Can I use Natura^® paint in the bathroom?

Not only can you use it, but Natura^® paint is one of the best choices for bathrooms and is a popular non-toxic paint. When thinking about bathroom paint, you want a product that resists moisture (from showers/baths/sink) and can be cleaned off easily (hello electric toothbrush splatter!). In the bathroom, which most likely has the tightest quarters in the house, using a special non-toxic paint is important to keep you and your family safe from toxic fumes. Natura^® paint has all the qualities to make it the ideal non-toxic paint to use inside your home.

How do I paint a bathroom?

1. Pick the Best Paint for your Bathroom 
   1. Since bathrooms are wet places, it’s a good idea to get a paint that will withstand all the moisture. Natura^® paint for the bathroom is a solid place to start. With cheaper, lower-quality brands, you’re bound to get streaky, moldy paint after a few steamy showers. Be sure to use a high-quality paint that won’t leach toxic chemicals into the air while you’re trying to get clean.
   2. Also, go for the eggshell or glossy coat. Think about the shower tiles that are glossy and water-resistant. Flat or matte paints don’t do well in bathrooms, since they can’t repel the moisture as well.
2. Figure Out How Much Paint You Need
   1. With this handy paint calculator, type in the dimensions of your bathroom to figure out how much paint to get. The worst home improvement day is the day you didn’t get enough paint to cover every square inch. It’s also handy to have backup paint for touchups.
3. Clean Surfaces You’re Going to Paint
   1. Dirty walls can really put a damper on your painting party. It is extremely important to clean the walls before you paint so everything sticks and lasts. Make sure to wash all surfaces that you plan to paint with water and mild soap, unless you’ve got quite a buildup.
   2. Gunk, like soap scum builds up around the bathtub and shower which can be a warning sign for future peeling paint (if you can even get it to stick in the first place). For a cheap and effective cleaning tool, check out Trisodium phosphate, or TSP; this could be considered a miracle cleaning product for painting. Of course, all surfaces need to be 100% dry to prep and paint, so consider splitting cleaning into the first day of a 2- or 3-day job to leave time to clean, prep, paint, and dry.
4. Remove the Toilet Tank 
   1. It sounds hard to remove a toilet tank, but it’s harder to paint around one (and do a decent job). The hardest spot is the tight space between the tank and the wall. It’s so hard to get into, you’d have to work harder taping the whole thing up and painting carefully around it than just removing the tank for a half day.
   2. Removing a toilet tank may sound icky and hard to do, but it is pretty straightforward. Toilets come in two sections: the top tank and the bowl/base. The messier section is the base, which remains unmoved. Turn off the water supply at the shutoff valve on the wall (righty tighty), flush the toilet to get rid of all the water, then take the tank off with a couple of old towels and place it on the floor to catch any extra water. Try to wait to reattach it after the paint has fully dried if you can wait that long with one less toilet!
5. Remove Any Other Wall Hangings
   1. Unscrew, dismantle, or unplug anything that might get in the way during painting, For the cleanest paint job possible, unscrew and take off all wall plates (tape the screws on each plate), mirrors, exhaust vents, towel racks, art, or any other items that you can take off easily. Take a photo before to remember where everything goes.
6. Prep the Area: TAPE, TAPE, TAPE
   1. They say that prep work is the hardest part of painting. If you do a good job taping off mirrors, toilets, bathtubs, and sinks, the cleaner your paint job will look and the happier you’ll be with the results. Tape off the ceiling, trim, backsplash, and other areas that you don’t want to get paint on. Cover the floor with drop cloths and cover the counter well to keep paint from where it shouldn’t be. The nice thing about Natura^® paint is the spatter-resistant quality, which keeps paint on the rollers and the walls and nowhere else.
7. Use the Right Tools and Paint!
   1. You’ll want a shed-resistant roller with a tray and a 2-inch Nylon/Polyester edging brush. Start from the edges with a dry-ish brush to keep from dripping on the edges, then pick up the roller, get a good, even coating, and fill it in! With Natura^® non-toxic paint, notice there’s barely any smell, meaning less VOCs while painting. If you’re painting over a dark color, you may need a second coat. Wait at least one hour between coats.
8. Clean and Finish 
   1. This is the best part! Take off the tape and reveal your hard prep work with clean lines and spotless finish. After the paint has dried (Natura^® paint is emission-free in only 4 hours), toss the drop cloths, rinse your tools, and store your extra paint for inevitable touchups. Label your paint can with “Bathroom” clearly so you know which paint is which. Replace all your electrical covers, the toilet tank, towel bars, and anything you took off the walls earlier. Next? Step back and admire your brand new coat of Natura^® non-toxic paint!