Colorado Wood Coatings VOC Limit of 275 Now In Effect

Wood coatings in Colorado, including those used for wood flooring, now have a VOC limit of 275 grams per liter. 

The new VOC limit on wood coatings, passed last year, went into effect May 1. The state previously followed EPA nationwide VOC limits.

The “wood coatings” category in the state includes lacquers, varnishes, sanding sealers, penetrating oils, wood sealers used as topcoats, opaque wood coatings, opaque lacquers and opaque sanding sealers. The state also imposed a VOC limit of 90 for wood floor wax.

Colorado will continue to permit non-VOC-compliant coatings to be sold in 1-liter containers (1.057 quart) or less. This exemption does not include bundling of containers 1 liter or less that are sold together as a unit, “or any type of marketing that implies that multiple containers 1 liter or less be combined into one container,” according to the guidelines.

New York State announced in January that it would also reduce its wood coatings VOC limit to 275, effective Jan. 1, 2021.

Colorado’s updated VOC guidelines can be found here.