Let the test results speak: what white interior wall paints are worth?
We tested and compared 14 dispersion paints, 4 lime paints, and 1 chalk paint. The test showed which paint provides the best coverage, which is the most washable, and which is the least harmful to health being at the same time the cheapest.
Indoor white wall paints had earlier been tested by the Association of Conscious Consumers. The test in 2019 focused on harmful substances and emissions. In the recent study, efficiency was the focus of the test as the expressed aim of our test series on household chemicals is to prove that the authentic environmentally friendly products are just as effective as the harmful ones.
See the full test here for free (in Hungarian)
The investigation tested various product characteristics:
- efficiency – composed of richness, coverage and wear resistance, this is obviously one of the most important factors, therefore it was given the greatest weighting when calculating the final results
- health effects, i.e. the presence of any allergenic preservatives
- the composition of the products
- the information items on the label, including VOC content that is harmful to health, as well as the most important data regarding practical use (VOC is the collective name for harmful hydrocarbon derivatives in the air, they can evaporate from a wall paint into the air for up to 5 years, contributing to air pollution)
- ecolabel certification
General conclusions based on the results
- Authentic eco-products, with independent ecolabel certification, are just as effective as their uncertified popular counterparts.
- As is usually the case with other products of the Conscious Consumers Product Tests, it doesn’t make sense to make a decision and buy stuff based on the brand name exclusively. It makes more sense to browse the test results first.
- Dispersion paints dominate the market, so we’ve made them represent the majority of products in the test. We examined the most popular brands, such as Héra, Dulux, Poli-Farbe. Their advantage over lime paints is that they can be colored in countless varieties and that there are several products with excellent wear resistance among them.
- In general, lime paints are cheaper than their dispersion-type counterparts. Their advantages include the fact that they naturally disinfect due to their alkaline chemistry, they are anti-mold and there is no need to add allergenic preservatives. Their disadvantage, however, is a limited choice of colors and a poorer wear resistance, as the test results show.
See the full test here for free (in Hungarian)
Why we should trust the EU Ecolabel?
If, in addition to efficiency, environmental considerations are also important to you, look for the EU Ecolabel (EU Ecolabel) or EU member states’ ecolabels, such as the German Blauer Engel or the Scandinavian Nordic Ecolabel (Swan) certification on the packaging.
The mentioned eco-labels are awarded to only those products and services which main environmental impacts are significantly reduced in comparison to similar products on the market. An additional advantage of the EU Ecolabel that over many other labels is that the criteria are laid down in legislation and constantly monitored by independent experts, ie the authentication process is not associated with the manufacturer. Among the tested products, five of the first eight places have this type of label: Schöner Wohnen Polarweiss, Magnat Ceramic, Flügger Flutex-5, Tikkurila Joker and Swingcolor arctic white indoor wall paint. In other words, you will not have to give up on the idea of an evenly covered white wall even if you purchase an environmentally friendly product.
Adding to this: on October 13, 2022, the World EU Ecolabel Day, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the label.
See the full test here for free (in Hungarian)
The Green&Safe LIFE-styles project is supported by the LIFE funding programme of the European Union and co-financed by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. ENV GIE HU000622 Green&Safe LIFE-styles.