What’s new in the paint aisle?

Do-it-yourselfers should get rolling -- new products are taking the pain out of painting.

If you haven't picked up a brush in a while, the Philadelphia-based Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute refers to you as a "home-improvement avoider."

A marketing study released this week by the institute puts dormant painters into five categories:

• Time-pressed. Just can't get around to painting.

• Nonpainters. Nothing will ever get them to budge.

• Do-it-for-me. They don't want to do it themselves and can afford to hire someone, but are fearful of choosing a contractor.

• Color-challenged. Want to paint but are afraid of choosing and applying color.

• Special-event painters. Only paint when company is coming, they're on a house tour or other motivational occasion.

If you haven't changed your colors in a while, here's an update on what's new in the paint aisle.

Primer and paint --

all in one can

Self-priming paints, as they're known, cost more but save time. Consumer Reports testing, however, found that some paint/primer combos haven't held up over time. In its tests, Valspar Ultra Premium Duramax Satin ($33 per gallon), sold at Lowe's, was among the best performers.

In May, Behr introduced 386 colors of Premium Plus Ultra self-priming paint, sold exclusively at Home Depot, for $31 to $34 per gallon depending on sheen. The company says the paint produces a denser, harder, more durable film that resists moisture and is easy to clean.

"In the past, it took multiple coats if you were painting directly on Sheetrock or over dark or white," said Erika Woelfel, Behr's director of color. "This covers in two to three coats."

Environmentally friendly paints pop up

Volatile Organic Compound, or VOCs, are chemical additives in paint that are released into the air as it dries, causing some people headaches and dizziness and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, some risk of carcinogen exposure.

Eco-friendly paints are popping up in the lines of long-standing paint giants and new boutique brands. The three basic groups are:

• Natural paints and finishes. Made from water, plant oils and dyes, clay, chalk, milk, beeswax and other natural ingredients. Brands include The Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Co., BioShield Healthy Living Paints and Eco-House.

• Zero VOC. Must have 5 VOC grams or less per liter to be considered zero-VOC by the EPA. Brands include Devoe Wonder Pure, Ecoshield, Harmony by Sherwin Williams, Olympic Zero-VOC Premium Paint, Benjamin Moore Pristine and Eco Spec, and Freshaire Choice by Home Depot.

• Low VOC. Water-based instead of petroleum-based solvents. Still emit an odor. Numerous brands include Benjamin Moore Aura and Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance.

  User-friendly painter's tape prevents bleed

Green Frog Pro Painters Masking Tape has a "paintblock" micro-barrier that prevents paint from bleeding under the tape. The result is cleaner, crisper lines than ordinary blue painter's tape. It sells for $6 a roll at stores such as Lowe's and Sherwin-Williams.

Eco-friendly cans

Sherwin-Williams is packaging its Duration Home and Harmony Interior Latex in a sustainable paint can made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled material. Even the label is recycled and printed with soy ink.

Virtual painting

If you're worried about how a color might look on your walls, most paint manufacturers now have user-friendly, virtual-paint capabilities on their Web sites.

Benjamin Moore's Personal Color Viewer, for example, allows homeowners to paint generic rooms or uploaded images of their own rooms. See it at http://www.benjaminmoore.com.

Owners of Apple iPhones can shoot images of favorite colors and match them to more than 1,500 colors through Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap application. The free matching service also includes a store search engine, a "My Saved Colors" library and more. Download the application at http://www.sherwin-williams.com/colorsnap.

Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or .