When I contact paint/stain companies and ask if particular products meet standards, I have [receive] no guidelines for exterior stains for natural wood finishing and weathering products VOC limits. Environmentally Preferable paints listed by Green Seal have no category for Stains and Varnishes. Our specifications often call for exterior wood surfaces to be stained and sealed. I cannot find any products of this type that comply with Green Seal VOC Exterior Coating; flat (100), nonflat (200). Instead I am interpreting that we should meet VOCs for \'sealers used as a filler\' in the Bay Area Air Resource Board Reg. 8- sealant primer max. VOC content (architectural-non porous 250 g/L VOC; architectural-porous 775 g/L VOC).
The LEED Reference Guide (formatted version of June 2001) states on page 247 that, "This credit applies only to indoor air contaminants." It is possible to achieve an Innovation Point by addressing the VOC-emitting materials used on the building exterior or the project site. The current LEED standard for VOC limits of paints and coatings applied indoors is the California Air Resources Board (ARB) Suggested Control Measure for Architectural Coatings (June 2000). It is available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/coatings/arch/rules/ruleinfo.htm. A summary of the requirements is provided here, but the applicant should consult this document directly for specifics. Exterior Requirements for Clear Wood Coatings: Clear and semi-transparent coatings, including lacquers and varnishes, applied to wood substrates to provide a transparent or translucent solid film. The limits are specified for INDOOR applications in grams per liter. Clear Brushing Lacquers 680 Lacquers (including lacquer sanding sealers) 680 Sanding Sealers (other than lacquer sanding sealers) 350 Varnishes 350 Stain: A clear, semitransparent, or opaque coating labeled and formulated to change the color of a surface but not conceal the grain pattern or texture. Stains 250 Applicable internationally.