Answer
Apr 12, 2021 - 05:35 AM
If you are painting to encapsulate chemical off-gassing from the shelving storage unit, we recommend AFM Safecoat Transitional Primer (if going over a painted or stained surface) or AFM Safecoat Ecolacq Sandable Primer (if going over freshly sanded or raw wood) followed by AFM's Zero VOC Paint. Both work in conjunction to seal in off-gassing from formaldehyde and other chemical preservatives in the wood or previously applied paints/stains that may be covering the unit. If you are not concerned about encapsulation, we'd recommend ECOS Paints instead. While they do not encapsulate, they all have zero VOCs. By comparison, AFM Safecoat Primer has VERY low VOC (9 grams per Liter) but it is not zero, it's a trade-off whether you want to encapsulate or not. Zero VOC or not, as you are pregnant, please take every precaution when painting, if you are doing it yourself, or living with the project as it is happening around you, keep airflow and ventilation high as the paint dries. An additional optional sealer can be added if you need extra protection over your paint job (abrasion resistance or the like). AFM carries products along these lines, but these do have some low VOC associated with them, once dry however, these provide great protection. With regards to "specific paint type go with specific primer", our recommendation for the DIYer is you stick with one brand name. One brand all the way through ensures that the paint/primer/sealer combination has been extensively tested to perform together. If you mix a brand X and brand Y, you add a degree of uncertainty that those different brands will play well together.
