Paints for a child's room: what to consider when buying?
Every child's room is a place where they should breathe healthily and develop safely. Which paint for a children's room is best depends on several factors. The most important of these is security. Therefore, first of all, we should read the recommendations confirming the appropriate composition of the product. It is also worth considering not only the child's age, but also the tendency to allergies. Then we can move on to the color and decoration issues.
What markings to look for on the packaging and what properties do the different types of paints have? What paint for painting a baby cot, and what paint for other furniture? What to avoid and what should we pay special attention to?
Children's safe paints: what to pay attention to when buying?
Safe paints for children's rooms are those with the lowest possible concentration volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include, among others: acetone or aromatic hydrocarbons. Just make sure that the packaging contains a certificate guaranteeing the correct composition of the paints. The most popular ones include:
- PTA - Polish Society of Allergology;
- EU Ecolabel (European Daisy), valid in 25 countries of the European Union;
- Blue Angel (Blue Angel, Blauer Engel) - Germany;
- Nordic Swan - Scandinavian countries.
Safe paints for children's rooms marked in this way are diluted with water, so they do not contain toxic substances and are almost odorless, which significantly shortens the seasoning (drying) period. These are emulsion paints, which include, among others: acrylic, latex, vinyl, ceramic paints.
What paint is best for an allergic child's room?
In addition to the already mentioned PTA recommendation for particularly sensitive people, prone to allergies, it is worth paying attention to photocatalytic paints. They have anti-allergic properties and bactericidal effect. As paints safe for children, they stand out among others (thanks to the content of titanium dioxide) with their unique advantage, which is self-cleaning. What other possibilities do they have? Well, photocatalytic paints:
- they clean the air when in contact with pollution;
- protect against moisture;
- they are vapor permeable;
- they prevent the growth of fungi and mold;
- remove unpleasant odors, e.g. cigarette smoke.
Is the smell of the paint harmful to the baby?
Expert advises
Despite the fact that paints for children's rooms are certified, each emulsion in a liquid form evaporates. This means that the smell of the wet substance is much stronger than that of the dry substance. When wet components evaporate, harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be released. Even when completely dry, the paint can emit chemicals. Therefore, it is recommended to ventilate the freshly painted room - at least 72 hours after the completion of works.
After renovating and painting your child's room, you should also consider using it air purifier. These devices effectively remove harmful volatile compounds, such as formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may be released from new paints and building materials. As a result, they provide a cleaner and healthier environment for children.
Recommended products
Pediatrician in the One-Day Hospitalization Department, Institute of Mother and Child
Safe paints for a children's room: what to paint and how to clean?
You should first purchase paint that is safe for children preliminary analysis. Remember not to buy paints diluted with organic solvents and without appropriate certificates, but emulsion paints that are diluted with water and have a certificate.
Next, we can consider which of them will help best keep clean. The presence of children is quite an important factor here, because they use all the rooms in the house most intensively. When purchasing, pay attention to what paint will be used for your child's room resistant to permanent dirt.
Acrylic paint
Acrylic emulsion has easy adhesion to walls and ceiling and relatively large scrub resistance. However, it is not the best choice for rooms with a high degree of dirt.
Acrylic enamel
Unlike acrylic emulsion, this paint has a lot more resistant to cleaning. It can be used for wood and wood-like materials and steel elements (e.g. radiator, window, furniture). It works great as a paint for a children's room, where it is usually cozy difficult airing conditions in the room.
What paint for a child's room has similar properties? Alkyd enamel (phthalic), which is additionally more resistant to moisture, temperature and scrubbing. Unfortunately, it is a solvent-based paint, so it is not recommended to use it in a children's room.
Latex paint
This type of emulsion is enriched with polymer resin. Thanks to this, the painted surface obtains the effect of a subtle gloss. Latex paint is safe and rarely allergic. It is more efficient and resistant to abrasion than acrylic paint and you can enjoy a non-fading shade for many years. It is also easier to apply to walls because it does not drip off the roller. This type of paint for a children's room is best for a toddler or an older school-age child.
Vinyl paint
Content polyvinyl chloride and/ or polyacetate makes a wall painted with vinyl paint susceptible to cleaning, but also gets dirty easily. It is a paint safe for children and a cheaper, quick-drying equivalent of latex paint. It is worth noting that it works best in rooms with low humidity.
Ceramic paint
It is a variety vinyl paint. The ceramic components in the paint make the painted surface extremely smooth. Consequently, such a wall is antistatic and does not attract dust and other contaminants. This is the most suitable paint for a children's room that requires frequent cleaning of the walls. Painted surfaces can be successfully cleaned even with a mixture of detergent.
What paint for painting a baby cot is safe?
From an early age, a child begins to explore the world through his mouth, putting all the things he comes across to his mouth. Furniture in a baby's room is particularly prone to chewing, so it is so important that the substances used to change the color of these items do not pose any threat to the baby.
Expert advises
What paint for painting a baby cot is the best? The one that is certified with the EN 71-3 standard "Safety of toys". Then we have a guarantee that such an emulsion has only natural pigments and is non-toxic. Among the paints safe for children, the ones that contain chalk should be distinguished. The content of natural minerals will not harm the little ones, even if they chew some elements. Chalk paints are available in many shades, made of natural pigments. These preparations are non-toxic and odorless.
What paint for a child's room will it still be appropriate?
Already mentioned before water-based acrylic enamel. These paints cover better than chalk paints, which require applying several layers to achieve the desired effect.
What paint to paint a baby cot will emphasize the natural texture of the wood?
There is also an alternative for lovers of the classic look. He is acrylic lacquer, which is transparent and resistant to external factors and does not emit a strong odor. Before painting, just prepare the bed properly.
What paint for a children's room under 3 years old?
We already know which paint will work best for painting a baby's bed and a children's room. Now it's worth thinking about choosing the right one color robe. It will also be useful to know what children up to 3 years of age actually see.
The world in the eyes of a newborn is just blurry images. Children in the first month of life react most vividly to black and white contrasts, because that's the only thing they can see. It doesn't matter to the toddler whether we paint the room green or pink. They will not notice the differences in colors until later. Eyesight will develop very intensively until the age of 3.
So which paint for a child's room will be the right choice? Application contrasting colors or decorations in a baby's room may be a great idea. Properly selected shades can attract your baby's attention for a long time. In the first years of life, a child will not dirty the walls as quickly as a preschooler. Therefore, you do not need to pay much attention to whether a wall painted with this paint will be easy to clean.
What is worth remembering when buying paint for a children's room?
To sum up, choosing a safe paint for a children's room will be very simple if we remember the following tips:
- paints safe for children must be water-dilutable;
- for children with allergies, choose emulsions marked with PTA approval;
- pay attention to the age of the child and the requirements for potential cleaning of the painted surface;
- use paints suitable for the microclimate in the room (high sunlight or high humidity);
- for furniture painting, use only paint with a certificate of compliance with the EN 71-3 standard "Safety of toys" visible on the packaging.
If we take into account the above recommendations, purchasing a safe paint for a children's room will certainly be much faster. Depending on the scope of work, it is good to estimate the costs of materials and their versatility in advance. Some paints cover the surface well after the first painting, others do not. It is a good idea to consider all parameters before making a decision.
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