Painting the Nursery: Is It Safe?

on October 29, 2009 at 12:00 PM

Photo from Mythic Paint

My husband and I decided to leave the walls in the nursery white, but we bought an unfinished bookshelf and want to stain it blue.

Well, he's going to stain it. I will stay away.

We live in an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, so there's no yard or basement for him to stain it in, but he wants me to avoid the fumes, so he's doing it when I'm not around and directing a fan out the window so the smell doesn't linger.

If we painted it with a non-toxic paint, it probably would be a lot easier.

beth1281 wondered about painting the nursery during pregnancy.

meganhead said to look for paints for no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and Babasfarmlife suggested Mythic Paint.

honeyb3 said that Lowe's has a brand called Olympic that is safe.

There aren't actual studies done on pregnancy and painting, but we all know that anything with chemicals and fumes isn't good for mom-to-be. If you must paint, keep these key points in mind:

Avoid oil based paints, old paint with lead and mercury, and ethylene glycol ethers and biocides commonly found in some latex paints.
Never sand or scrape off old paint. The particles can be harmful.
Wear a face mask and protect your skin with long pants, shirt, and wear gloves.
Keep the are very well ventilated.

Have you painted the nursery? Do you know of any other tips or safe paint brands to share?

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About the author Michele Zipp

loves vintage and will defend skinny jeans to the death though she is highly superstitious and "death" is probably a bad word choice. She has a touch of the hoarding disease and enjoys sleuthing, the worst reality shows, and wearing high heels, even at the playground. She's an AP mom of twins, slightly crunchy but with a pedicure.

Filed Under: is it safe

Comments (3)

LelandsMommy

on Oct 29, 2009 at 2:02 PM

We will be painting our nursery... and out boys room (as soon as we can find a sitter). We actually planned to paint our boys room before we found out I was pregnant... went and bought all the paint and suplies, but then that first trimester kicked my butt! So now we will have 2 rooms to paint..... and baby's room definitely needs to be painted as we have one unfinished wall in there.

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LuminousMom

on Oct 30, 2009 at 12:54 AM

yep use low VOC paints... we use them as a rule anyways.. because VOCs are released long after the paint has dried.

Nonmember comment from Jen

on Nov 12, 2009 at 12:10 AM

I use an All Natural paint that has no chemicals at all- this is the only true Zero VOC paint on the market. I use this company in Toronto, they ship Aacross North America for a cheap price. Homestead House Paint Co. www.homesteadhouse.ca