I contacted AFM Safecoat months ago, asking if I might have the pleasure of reviewing their eco-friendly paints for my entryway upgrade project. (Click here to see the finished project!)
Between the holidays, life being hectic and crazy and then my huge Domestic Geek Girl blog debacle, where GoDaddy pretty much destroyed my blog (click here to read all about THAT crazy episode), the project got pushed back… and back.. and back.
I must say, this is my MOST belated product review EVER, but the lovely folks at AFM Safecoat have been beyond patient and understanding with little ol’ me. So I’d like to offer a big thank you to them, not just for the chance to review their awesome product, but for being so helpful even as my project end date kept being pushed back by multiple months.
So! On with the review!
About AFM Safecoat Paints
From the AFM Safecoat website:
At Safecoat®, protecting personal health has always been our first priority. That’s why for 30 years we’ve been working to develop the safest, highest quality and least toxic paints and building products. Today AFM safecoat is the leading provider of environmentally responsible, sustainable and non-polluting paints, stains, wood finishes, sealers and related green building products. We set the standard for protecting personal health through reduced toxicity. You can breathe easier with Safecoat® — because we take your health seriously.
At AFM, health is our top priority, and our wide selection of paints is available to you in thousands of appealing color options to fit your home or building project. Choose from our original AFM Ambiance collection of over 900 color choices, or our unique new Ayurveda Essence color palette designed for healing, harmony and balanced living.
We’re the best primer & paint choice for personal health especially for the chemically sensitive and we’re proud to be one of the only doctor recommended paints on the market. You’ll breathe easier knowing that our unique formulation helps block toxic emissions from seeping into your environment. Plus, our premium quality produces beautiful results. You don’t have to give up style for health with our vast spectrum of contemporary and traditional colors. No animal testing ever.
Our Experience With AFM Safecoat
AFM sent us their Transitional Primer and Safecoat EcoLacq for finishing the baseboards and casing, and coloring the crown molding on our shelf and bench in the entryway.
Safecoat Transitional Primer is a premium quality, water based, flat finish universal primer specifically formulated to solve difficult application problems without the use of toxic and malodorous chemicals. Because it has an extremely tight and efficient polymer network, it is when properly applied particularly well suited for transitioning from existing oil based painted surfaces to water based coatings. It is useful as a stain blocker for many of the knot holes, water soluble stains and oils, tannins and terpenes in wood which can “bleed through” to the surface upon the application of traditional water based primers.
Like all Safecoat paints, it is the least toxic product of its type, and contains no naphtha or other aromatic solvents, and no formaldehyde, ethylene glycol, ammonia, acetone, heavy metals, crystalline silica or other carcinogenic or hazardous materials. It is naturally low in odor, and unlike other paints contains no masking agents or fragrances to hide the smells of toxic chemicals.
We were especially pleased with this primer, from the low scent to the texture and consistency, it was easy to work with, easy to work around, and offered such even and pleasant coverage (covering even the most stubborn knots and dings in the baseboards) that we easily could have left this primer as the topcoat and no one would have been the wiser!
The sample AFM provided us was such a generous size, that we even used it for some projects in my daughters room! I can safely say that this is THE BEST primer I have worked with to date.
After applying the primer, we covered it with a topcoat of Safecoat EcoLacq. EcoLacq is a pigmented, hard and durable high gloss, water-based replacement for high solvent content lacquer. Its very low odor and VOC content has allowed it to be used even in the homes of the chemically sensitive. EcoLacq seals in outgassing from the substrate, and has superior resistance to stains, marring, and fingerprint marks. It is ideal for cabinets, furniture and woodwork.
The coolest thing is, the folks at AFM can color match Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams colors (with the caveat that they won’t be exact matches) so we had our batch of Ecolacq colored to match Sherwin Williams Paperwhite – a lovely ivory-tinted white that isn’t too stark or glaringly “pure”.
The ONLY downside to working with ExoLacq was the thinness of the liquid. The paint was extremely thin and far more watery than we were used to. It was so watery in fact, that gently moving the bucket from one spot to another, we accidently sloshed the contents out multiple times. It also made painting the doorways a little tricky, since even dabbing the brush into the paint would result in drips. The good thing is, even with the thin texture, it gave equal coverage as thicker paints in a single coat, and the can covered far more square footage overall.
After we finished our project and opened the can of traditional VOC-laden paint the previous owners left behind for us to touch up the walls, we were amazed at how potent the paint smell was. Within MINUTES I found myself developing a “paint headache”. We definitely got spoiled with this healthy Safecoat paint!
Even after painting ALL of the baseboards, casings, doorframes, shelf and bench in our entryway, living room, kitchen and dining room, we were still able to paint an entire accent wall in my daughters room, and we STILL have paint leftover that we intend to use to paint her bed.
It’s great to have a finished project in the house, WITHOUT the multi-week toxic paint smell permeating the place.. and it’s especially nice to know that projects painting in my daughters room are safe for her to be in and around during play and bedtime!
Sounds like a great product! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. 🙂
Amy Ann
The Real Arnolds
Thank YOU for stopping by! I hope we can keep in touch! <3
It wouldn’t even matter how good the stuff was…just the ‘no paint smell’ makes it worth it! Glad that it really is the best of all worlds. Good job hon!
Right?!?! I’m SO done with regular paints!!!
How can I get it in Bangladesh?
Go ahead and send them an e-mail! They are extremely helpful with their customer service and I am sure they can answer any questions you have!
It looks like a great product to me. Come to think of it, I’ve been planning to repaint my bedroom. 😀
http://www.annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com
Ohhh, make sure you check out their website then! ^_^
What I hate most about a paint job is the unpleasant smell so this product sounds great since the scent is not too strong!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.wordpress.com
Yeah, I don’t think I can go back to normal paint for indoor project anymore!! The difference is HUGE!!!
Always try to have some eco-friendly paint when I have to re-decorate a room, but never manage, I think mostly because these are not available easily here. They say yes, it is – no indication on the containers, though. But I don’t have small children around, so maybe it doesn’t matter that much…
I think in the States you are much better equipped for these kind of things, even Germany has lots of good products (for example all the really good pet products are American or German here). But maybe if you come to Italy you will be able to find it, you’re very good at it :))
Rosa
Styleyourselfinstyle.blogspot.com
I’m not sure where AFM Paints ships to, but you might contact them and see if they ship to your area!! It’s worth it for sure! With how crafty you are, you could get a lot of use out of these paints! ^_^
i haevn’t but am glad such a product exists!
Yeah, I love that things are going more eco friendly!
What a great paint option. I had an asthma/ allergic reaction while painting once, so I am really interested in this! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found the review helpful!! ^_^
Ah, makes me want to try out redecorating my room. Heck even just repainting it to a solid nice color would make me content. My room looks unfinished, haha.
You should def check them out if you can!!!
Definitely going to keep this in mind for when I have my own home and have freedom to paint! 🙂
lovejoanna.com
It’s good to know there are great eco-safe resources out there for home improvement!
I love your go-getter attitude and your enthusiasm Gingi! It’s awesome that you contacted AFM to do a product review. I confess, I’m always a little bit suspicious of all those “paid or sponsored reviews” It’s like, hmmm, is the blogger going to say no when they just been paid and sent over the top amounts of free stuff? But this safe paint is so vital and I’m going to have to check it out seriously now (and maybe nag myself to paint the kitchen because it so needs to get done!)
Yeah, I pretty much ONLY review product that I needed / wanted / would have bought anyway. I contact all of my sponsors, only RARELY do I accept sponsors who contact me. I don’t like flooding my blog with random reviews, so when I review things, I make sure they’re all relevant to my interests and planned posts! So happy they were willing to work with me! ^_^
Thanks for the review. Sounds like a great product. Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope we can keep in touch! <3
Thanks for this honest review. I’ll only buy low VOC paint, and I haven’t tried this brand so I appreciate your honesty. It’s great that it covers well, even though it’s thin.
I also read your post about GoDaddy and Blue Host. OMG, so scary!! I’m having the same issues with GD right now in regards to the emails about my resource limits. I’m freaking out! Thanks for the heads up.
Yeah, if your site crashes, I suggest you jump ship.. and honestly, I have noticed that your site takes a while to load on my end. I almost said something in a comment, but I didn’t want to be rude, haha. The wait time isn’t horrible, but it does noticeably lag compared to other sites loading times… GoDaddy is TERRIBLE with overcroweded servers!!
I will keep this paint in mind when I paint next year!
Great review …thank you , xx
Thanks for stopping by! Glad you found the review helpful! <3
Good input. We’re thinking of using their Hard Seal as a top coat on recently painted furniture. I’d like to find more images of projects using the Hard Seal though. If you know of any, send them my way!