I am starting to see a specification for
3. Dry-Fog Coatings: VOC not more than 400 g/L.
in MasterSpec and some projects' LEED specs. After consulting with a paint rep, I discovered these include dry-fall paints, and some metals coatings. However I do not find anything about dry-fog coatings in LEED. Has there been any ruling or loophole in the LEED standards to include dry-fog coatings?
John-David Hutchison, LEED AP BD+C, PMP
Sustainability ManagerBGIS
LEEDuser Expert
166 thumbs up
March 26, 2014 - 1:58 pm
SCAQMD #1113: DRY-FOG COATINGS are coatings which are formulated only for spray application so that when sprayed, overspray droplets dry before falling on floors and other surfaces.
I have always reported Dry Fall under this category.
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
April 18, 2014 - 11:58 am
To play it safe, specify Dry-Fog to comply with Green Seal Standard GS-11 (for “architectural paints & coatings applied to interior walls & ceilings”) or GC-03 if the coating has anti-corrosive properties.
MasterSpec probably includes Dry-Fog because early editions of the LEED-2009 Reference Guide listed this coating type. Originally, Table 1 of Chapter IEQc4.2 was a complete list VOC limits for over 40 coating categories defined under SCAQMD 1113. USGBC issued Addenda in April & November 2010 that shortened Table 1 to include only the 3 paint types covered by Green Seal, plus just 17 SCAQMD coating categories. Dry-Fog Coating does not appear in the current Table.
See http://www.usgbc.org/resources/low-emitting-materials-paints-and-coating....
At least one paint manufacturer’s interpretation is that, since the Addenda omitted coating types from Table 1, “those coatings shall be considered other categories within that table, e.g. flat/nonflat/floor/etc.”
SCAQMD 1113-2004 is an old standard. Whatever the coating type, lower-VOC products are usually readily available to comply with current, more restrictive, regional VOC regulations. Using the lowest VOC products available protects IAQ during construction and after occupancy.
Lawrence Lile
Chief EngineerLile Engineering, LLC
76 thumbs up
April 20, 2014 - 11:22 am
These answers are very informative, however still leave me in a quandry. I have a project where some 400 g/L Dry Fog Coatings were used, and if I can't find a hole to jam this square peg into, the project loses the low VOC paint credit. USGBC's attempts at clarifying the issue have just made more confusion as several of the applicable documents aren't consistent.
The LEEDONLINE template lists the standard types of paints shown in the reference guide. It does not list Dry Fog Coatings as an option. It does have a category for "Other". If I pick "Other" then the Product type field is blank, which allows me to type in "Dry Fog Coatings". The VOC Allowable field is editable (unlike all other cases) so I could put "400" in that field. Would this be rejected by a LEED reviewer because it does not fit the categories in this addendum http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs9498.pdf, or would it have to be accepted because it was included in SCAQMD 1113-2004? Since these two documents are inconsistent, the answer does not seem clear.
Susan Walter
HDRLEEDuser Expert
1299 thumbs up
April 21, 2014 - 8:41 am
If it were me, I'd probably stop fighting the system and do a VOC budget method approach to not lose the credit. It shouldn't be that hard as it doesn't sound like there is much dry fall paint and your painting contractor can (and should) give you the volumes used and the volumes on the wall paint for the offset. If you make a reasonable case, write a short narrative on their conflicting guidelines and submit the budget, it shouldn't be a problem.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
April 21, 2014 - 9:58 am
A little bird told me the following:The requirement is to be compliant with SCAQMD, and the list in the reference guide is for typical products but is not the comprehensive list. Using the applicable limit for dry fog as indicated in your inquiry is acceptable.
Kathryn West
LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Green Globes ProfessionalJLL
154 thumbs up
March 6, 2015 - 5:34 pm
What ended up happening? I have the same question. I want to be on the conservative side.
Kathryn West
LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Green Globes ProfessionalJLL
154 thumbs up
March 6, 2015 - 5:37 pm
An interesting thing I noticed: Sherwin Williams says their flat white Dry Fall is not LEED compliant but the egg shell Dry Fall is.
I trust that they have their ducks in a row on this.