Hello wise and experienced ones,

We are an art museum working towards re-painting our galleries in the future.  We are in standard patch and paint mode between shows from the last time the galleries were painted.  The current paint is from Sherwin Williams (ProMar 200 zero VOC latex, both exterior and interior versions in flat and eg-shel).  

As we look towards full repainting of the galleries I'd like to seek out recommendations from art museum professionals and conservators about the best paint to use in an art museum/gallery space, including brands, specific types and finishes/sheens.  We have an account with Sherwin Williams so would prefer a paint that could be purchased there.

We are of course navigating all of the issues with painted walls and cases that artworks come into contact with: drying/curing time, offgassing potential for blocking, safety for patrons, staff and artworks.  We have noticed some adhesion (blocking) with the eg-shel on the walls (rarely but it has happened that the paint seemed to "grab" the back of some frames hanging on a wall at one point) and were wondering whether using flat everywhere is appropriate, effective or necessary to prevent that.  Our painter is concerned about roller lines and marks showing up on the flat paint on the walls so would like to know how to prevent that or if there is a type or grade of flat paint that helps control those issues.  We will need to be able to patch and paint between shows after repainting everywhere once so need to use a paint that holds up well through that process--we just can't afford to paint the walls entirely after every show.  We also can't shut down the museum entirely during painting and while we feel pretty good about our ventilation system we need to minimize or eliminate the VOCs or other environmental issues because we won't be moving everything out of the building or closing the museum down to the public while we re-paint.

What paint is best?  Is there an industry standard for painting art museum walls that most of you stand by?  What works best in terms of its safety for patrons/staff and artworks during painting and once cured as well as endurance, durability and coverage throughout years of patching/painting/cleaning afterwards.  Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Best wishes,

Jodi Lundgren
South Dakota Art Museum 

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