IN-DEPTH: The future of paint

By Bill Addison

The interior paint category continues to perform despite the downturn. And while the $11 billion industry saw a 2.9% drop in 2008, it is expected to win back that percentage this year and see gains of up to 10.9% in 2010 to $12.5 billion, according to research from the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI).

Many manufacturers are seeing these numbers as an opportunity to push premium paint products to consumers while minding the growing demand for lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

In 2008 the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) of California, which consists of Los Angeles and the surrounding basin, set the country's strictest standard for VOC content in household paints at 50g/L, cutting the limit set by the state of California by half. With more and more states following California’s lead in air quality regulation, manufacturers are moving toward the SCAQMD standard as a benchmark in household paints, all the while meeting performance levels that consumers demand.

Benjamin Moore is featuring such a product in its Aura line. Along with touting a high-hide ability (never more than two coats in any color), no color rub off and long lasting appearance, the self-priming product contains a VOC level of approximately 47.9 g/L.

“Our goal was set out to make the best paint we could make,” said Carl Minchew, director of color technology for Benjamin Moore. “We also wanted a product that was sustainable, in that we can make it available in every market,” he said.

Meeting the SCAQMD standard was essential to the project, according to Minchew, who said that more and more markets will be moving toward the 50g/L limit. He does not anticipate seeing the standard dropping below that for some time. Currently, Aura meets LEED, GreenGuard, GreenGuard Children and Schools and CHPS (Collaberative for High Performance Schools) standards.

Minchew said that a large part of the innovation was in the development of the new GENNEX waterborne colorant, a zero-VOC colorant, which the brand also uses in its Natura zero-VOC line of paints.

Minchew said the Aura line is performing very well, despite its approximate retail price of $57 per gallon. “User feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, often citing the superior hide and application properties,” he said “Sales are exceeding expectations.”

Home Depot has been fervently advertising the latest offerings from its Behr line of paints, Behr Premium Plus Ultra -- the paint with primer in one. The product specifications boast high-hide coverage with fewer coats while also meeting a VOC level of less than 50g/L.

“That is in fitting with our overall move to eliminating VOCs wherever we can,” said Home Depot’s paint merchant Carl Koebbe.

Koebbe said that along with the combination of primer, the new Ultra product incorporates two new colorants to improve overall coverage and introduces new colors into the palette.

“That was a value objective, knowing that our customers are more time challenged as well as wanting better performing products,” he said.

The Ultra retails for approximately $33 per gallon, $10 per gallon more than the brand's Premium Plus line.

But while wall projects may end with paint, they usually start with spackle. In April of this year, Gardner-Gibson released their Smart Prime and Repair System, introducing the idea of zero-VOC to wall preparation. The system includes the Smart Elastomeric caulk and sealant; a premium rubberized caulk that can be applied to painted or bare surfaces; the Smart Stain -- Hide primer/sealer, a water-based primer that is compatible with all latex and acrylic paints; and the Smart Non-Shrink wall fix spackling, an odorless spackle that won’t shrink or crack and requires no sanding.

“One of the things we looked at was what VOCs are being used for the total project,” said Gordon Blickle, director of marketing for Gardner-Gibson. Blickle said that while many manufacturers offer zero-VOC paints, the project itself, due to spackling, priming and caulking, still released volatile gasses into the air. He added that primers typically have a higher concentration of VOCs than some paints.

“With our Smart system, you can have a completely zero-VOC painting project,” he said.

Blickle said that it took more than four years to develop the Smart System, and that finding the right balance to match high-end performance to the zero-VOC tag was key.

“If the product has zero VOCs, but doesn’t perform as well, that’s not going to fly with the consumer,” he said.

Blickle said that lowering or eliminating VOCs isn’t a trend, it’s a reality.

“I think the industry and the country are moving in this direction, and you really don’t backtrack,” he said. “If you want to be in the business of selling paint in the U.S.A., it’s going to have to be no VOCs in many categories."