15 DIY Decor Projects for Zero VOC House Paint

15 DIY Decor Ideas with Zero VOC Paint

For a lot of DIY decor projects, a few coats of plain old house paint are all you need to turn a found or thrifted piece into something special.

Earlier this week I reviewed a zero VOC paint and primer combo from Olympic Paint. Since then, I’ve been looking for some fun DIY decor projects to put this low-odor, less toxic paint to good use!

Some DIY decor projects lend themselves better to house paint than others. It’s much easier to use house paint if you’re starting with real wood. With actual wood, you can sand your piece down, and house paint will adhere and cure like a dream.

If you’re starting with something shiny, like pressboard coated in laminate or even real wood that’s covered in thick varnish, it’s going to take a little bit more elbow grease to refinish. When you’re choosing furniture to redo with house paint, just be honest with yourself about how much work you want to put in.

15 DIY Decor Projects for Zero VOC Paint

15 DIY Decor Projects

Not all of the DIY decor projects on this list call for zero VOC paint. In fact, almost none of them do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use zero VOC paint to do them!

1. Shabby Chic Coffee Table – Zero VOC house paint plus a little elbow grease gives an old coffee table a distressed facelift.

2. Modern Cabinet – Give an old-fashioned whitewashed piece a more modern look using plain old zero VOC house paint!

3. Chevron Dresser – Grab some painters tape and house paint to refresh a thrifted dresser.

4. Refresh Your Dining Chairs – I love how dramatically a bit of paint and new cushion covers transforms these boring old dining room chairs!

5. Painted Nightstand – You can also add depth to an old piece of furniture by using house paint in a contrasting color.

6. Two-Toned Dresser – Who says that the whole piece has to be one color? I love the look of this revamped dresser. She painted the frame but left the drawers the original color. She used chalk paint, but you can use any zero VOC house paint you like for this project instead.

7. Old Door to New Table – A coat of house paint is key to turning this old door into a sweet dining table. Love!

8. Hand-Painted Dresser – This house paint project uses a hand-painted design to cover flaws in the original piece of furniture.

9. Ombre Dresser – Get a hip ombre look using hand-mixed zero VOC house paint on your dresser drawers.

10. How to Paint Laminate – Remember how I said it was hard to paint laminate? Here’s a tute on how to do it using a paint and primer in one. She uses a different brand, but the Olympic self-priming paint I reviewed on Wednesday should work just as well. She also suggests a water-based protective finish to prevent scratches.

11. His and Hers Vanity – Grab some zero VOC latex paint and make this smart small-space storage solution!

12. Lattice Border – Create a frame for a plain hanging mirror by painting the wall around it in a lattice design.

13. Upcycled Faux Headboard – Ask for your zero VOC paint in high gloss, and turn an old door into an awesome headboard.

14. Distressed Mirrors and Frames – Start with a few coats of zero VOC house paint, then grab that electric sander for a lovely distressed look. Wouldn’t these look nice in a cluster on a white wall?

15. Faux Painted Bookcase – This is a cool work-around if you don’t want to deal with the sanding and many coats to cover laminate! Remove that crappy pressboard back, and paint the wall behind the bookshelf instead.

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