This paint stinks!!!! General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[dee4life]

Hi, i have read with interest the comments , as we have experienced a similar problem very recently when we had our hall re-decorated by a local painter. He used Crowns Trade paint ( matt vinyl emulsion ) and after about 2 weeks on a particularly warm day i noticed a strong ' gas ' like smell and thought we had a gas leak. I then realised that it was the paint on the walls.

I contacted Crown, who to be fair have agreed to provide primer and paint to re-decorate. They have uplifted the remainder of the paint used for analysis and are sending out a Crown rep ,i think to see if he can confirm the problem. Pending his report they may also pay for re-decorating.

I just wanted to share my experience and will update this once the Crown rep has visited

[Seagulls2]

Hi everyone, new to forums but had to join this one.

Yes, we called the Gas Board out last night as we had a really bad strong smell of Gas in our dining room. Told by the gentleman that we did not have a gas leak but that there was a bad smell and that he and his colleagues had been called to many homes with the same problem, smelly paint. Then remembered watchdog a few weeks ago and the penny droped.

This must be costing the GAS companies alot of money in call outs.

We had our dining room, kitchen area and utility room painted two weeks ago. The kitchen/utility was done in Crown Fashion Walls Etiquette and this does not smell at all. However our dining room was painted in Homebase Magnolia One Coat and this is the room that really smells.

But this gets even stranger as we also did a spare room in the same Magnolia paint and as yet we haven't smelt anything. However, the spare room does not get as hot as the dining room so we rarely open a window. Like everyone else the smell gets worse in the dining room when its hot and or when the doors and windows are open. At the moment they are open alot because of the weather and the heat in the conservatory area which is next to the dining room.

Like everyone else i want an answer from the manufacturers as there are so many reasons being given as to why there is a smell (out of date paint, stagnant water in paint left on the shelf too long being mixed in, temperature dropping below zero, bacterial problems with walls and on and on) that we really have no idea on how to solve the problem.

I am really reluctant to use to try to solve the problem myself and use the sealant and re- paint incase the smell comes back. Are there any other people out there who have had success with the gas smell as the sealant seems to only work on the cats pee smells?

The manufacturers really need to take this problem alot more seriously as it is so widespread. They can not deny anymore that no one has complained or that there is a widespread problem. Crown, Dulux, Homebase and all other paint manufacturers contacted us and asked us questions as to application, what it went onto, how many coats, what we put it on with etc etc it may help explain the problem and we can all get on with our lives again.

I called Homebase earlier to tell them i had a problem and they were not very interested, i was told to go back to the store and take the paint for testing, oh yes, more testing, how many times do they need to do this before they hold their hands up? My visit this weekend will be interesting and i will let you all know the outcome.

[frankiejenny]

Hello again - just a quick update - Crown are coming to collect our paint for testing on Wednesday and they are also going to come on a 'site visit' to smell for themselves...Hope this means they are serious about sorting this.

Will post any developments and would appreciate others doing likewise.

Thanks.

[RichDunn]

So relieved to find the wathdog thread and this one, before I went completely mad trying to trace the horrible decaying cheesy smell that appeared in our kitchen just after the current warm spell started. The Kitchen faces west so gets a lot of sun later in the day and gets quite hot.

A professional decorator painted our brand new Kitchen with DULUX paint last september, and until a few a few weeks ago were were very happy with it, then a strange cheesy smell appeared in the kitchen. Suspecting a morsel of Stilton or suchlike lurking somewhere we thoroughly cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, emptying and cleaning all the cupboards etc, Still the smell lingered and seemed to get stronger, and we couldn't track it to a particular source.

It was only when a friend mentioned the watchdog story that we thought to sniff the walls (having sniffed everything else in the Kitchen already) and found out that is where the smell was. I was relieved to locate the source of the smell, but also annoyed for obvious reasons.

We have been in touch with DULUX who have requested we paint some onto some cardboard and send it to them for analysis, and gave us all the usual speil about it being the walls and paint reacting together and that painting it onto cardboard would prove that the paint was not faulty. Although as the paint is designed to go on walls, I don't buy that, and I certainly don't see why that should get them off the hook.

I hope they do the honourable thing and send someone round to inspect and then sort out this problem. I thought it was worth contributing to this thread as it was DULUX when most of the complaints seem to be about CROWN.

[Heathermay]

I’ve read with interest the comments above. There is an alternative solution out there, which is a completely odourless during or following application, environmentally friendly, breathable and low VOC mineral based paint. I won’t be allowed to mention the brand name however the manufacturers are based in Telford, Shropshire. I declare a self interest as I do, do some work for this company, however I feel compelled to tell you that this alternative solution is available.

[JRS]

So relieved to find the wathdog thread and this one, before I went completely mad trying to trace the horrible decaying cheesy smell that appeared in our kitchen just after the current warm spell started. The Kitchen faces west so gets a lot of sun later in the day and gets quite hot.

A professional decorator painted our brand new Kitchen with DULUX paint last september, and until a few a few weeks ago were were very happy with it, then a strange cheesy smell appeared in the kitchen. Suspecting a morsel of Stilton or suchlike lurking somewhere we thoroughly cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, emptying and cleaning all the cupboards etc, Still the smell lingered and seemed to get stronger, and we couldn't track it to a particular source.

It was only when a friend mentioned the watchdog story that we thought to sniff the walls (having sniffed everything else in the Kitchen already) and found out that is where the smell was. I was relieved to locate the source of the smell, but also annoyed for obvious reasons.

We have been in touch with DULUX who have requested we paint some onto some cardboard and send it to them for analysis, and gave us all the usual speil about it being the walls and paint reacting together and that painting it onto cardboard would prove that the paint was not faulty. Although as the paint is designed to go on walls, I don't buy that, and I certainly don't see why that should get them off the hook.

I hope they do the honourable thing and send someone round to inspect and then sort out this problem. I thought it was worth contributing to this thread as it was DULUX when most of the complaints seem to be about CROWN.

I find this very very hard to believe that after almost a year the paint is being blamed for a bad smell. The paint would have been completely dry.

Are you sure you never had an argument over money with your builder or something i have knowen builders to pack the back of gyproc with food if they are unfairly treated on a job.

I honestly cant believe after a year it would smell. I have used paint thats a year out of date and the smell has gone after a week max.

[h1]

Hi there,
We too have had this problem with Crown Paint. We painted a room a few months ago and a few days later there was a bad smell, so we repainted, this didn't help so we then took advice from crown and used alkalai resistant sealer and repainted again this didn't work, so we did it again - repainted with sealer, repainted with emulsion, the room still stinks!
I don't understand it at all. How can it still smell after sealing the walls twice!
So, is there anything else that has worked for anyone?

[frankiejenny]

Hi

Another update on the (hopefully) resolved problem we had with our ceilings. Crown collected the paint for testing (but then seemed to lose it!). A rep. came round to inspect the ceilings and sent a report to Crown agreeing there was a smell. We then had to get 3 quotes from decorators for the repainting with alkaline resistant sealant and then re-painting. Only managed to get 2 quotes as they all said it would be a tricky job. Fortunately Crown said we could go ahead with one of the decorators. They did the job in 2 days (we moved out as decorators warned it would be very smelly). That was all a week and a half ago and so far we have NO SMELL! So that's brilliant, but does in itself seem to prove that the problem is with the paint (we used extreme clean the second time rather than vinyl emulsion).
p.s to those people leaving posts saying they don't/can't believe this is a real problem - you have no idea what you're talking about - it's been hell for us and now it's sorted. What do you think we went through all this for if there wasn't a problem - fun?!

Hello again - just a quick update - Crown are coming to collect our paint for testing on Wednesday and they are also going to come on a 'site visit' to smell for themselves...Hope this means they are serious about sorting this.

Will post any developments and would appreciate others doing likewise.

Thanks.

[biggles]

THE SMELL FROM HELL. I have just painted my studio with Johnstone white emulsion using a brand new tin. The walls are concrete block which were emulsioned some 9 years ago. As soon as the paint began to dry the SMELL FROM HELL began wafting through the house. I just could not believe it was coming from my pristine white bricks. Then I remembered I had called out the gas man to fix a leak some two years back. He said he could not find one but charged us anyway. The smell was just the same. Looking on the web I was aghast to find that this forum dates back to 2007. Why is nothing being done about it. I have sprayed on antibac and bleach and room deodoriser but nothing seems to get rid of it. I don't see why I should have to spend time and money on repainting when it is clearly the fault of the paint manufacturers. The room is now unusuable and I need to relocate my work materials to another room.

[jacjohn]

I posted back in April about this problem and while Crown have been helpful and eager to sort the problem out, I'm still unhappy with the outcome.

Crown agreed to have the room redecorated and I got a top painter who used quality materials including the recommended Crown Alkali resistant sealer. The upheaval caused by a second round of decoration was annoying but ultimately I was happy to do it to put an end to the horrendous smell that permeated the upstairs of my house. I was also experiencing headaches and sinus infections which I really believe were/are attributable to the smell. Anyway, a week after the work was done and the initial smell of a newly painted room was gone, it appeared the smell from hell had gone also. I cautiously began leaving the windows open again but within a week or two, I began to get a slight whiff again. I thought I was being over sensitive and asked others to check it out and they agreed that there was a smell.

I will admit that AT THIS STAGE, it's not as bad as it was previously but there is still an odour that isn't pleasant. All I want is my room back to the way it was. This is like a bloody nightmare and I'm almost certain that it's adversely affecting my health. My GP has said that it appears my immune system is under attack and my cognitive function is affected also. If I find out that it is connected to this paint situation, there will be grave repercussions for the manufacturer.

I'm at my wits end and worn out by it all.

[banzy]

I moved to Paris three years ago, and have three weeks to finish refreshing the walls before I relocate and rent out the place. I bought a Corona professional acrylic wall paint as recommended at the DIY shop, and started first in the small toilet room.
I sanded the walls to a degree and cleaned them all down, leaving it a day or two before I started painting over the existing paint job that's been there for years. The room's well ventilated and the window always open. Looked great and everything seemed fine for several days, then an awful smell seemed to come. It comes and goes and varies in intensity with no rhyme nor reason - I was going crazy trying to work out what it was when somebody mentioned a similar issue was shown on WatchDog some time ago. That's how I came across this thread, and have been reading every reply.

When people start talking about dead animals, cat pee and musky hamster cage smells, I realised this is what I was experiencing. If I can't sort it right away, there's no way I can rent the apartment if the smell lingers.

I've only painted the toilet and hallway so far. I'm not aware of any smell coming from the hallway, just the toilet, and am not sure what to do. I tried spraying some white vinegar tonight (really no cost, and can't hurt to try, other than it smell like chip shop for a couple of days).
I think I will try and track down a resistant alkali primer in France (if it exists) and start again with a different brand. Spent a fortune on a big 15 litre tub of Corona, so am not happy.

Now a year has passed since Watchdog showed the problem, have people been able to sort their issue, and if so what did you do?

[Sapphy]

Just stumbled across this forum while trying to work out why my newly painted walls in the hall and landing are giving off a gassy smell intermittently. We papered with lining paper before painting with Johnstone's Covaplus Matt Emulsion two months ago now but the smell is still coming and going. We paid a decorator to do the original job but can't afford to pay them to remedy it ... is it possible to apply the alkali resistant primer to paint over paper or would we have to strip the walls again ... hope not as it's a very big area :cry:

Has anyone managed to get rid of the smell by just using a different paint to repaint the smelly surface?

All advice gratefully received!!! This is driving me mad!

[popsicle]

Hi Sapphy,
I'm not an expert, just another person experiencing wall odour. I would think it would be fine to try the alkali resistant sealer on the paper.
I dont think normal paint would block the odour so there isn't much alternative I'm afraid.
I have heard that oil based undercoat has worked and I'm also wondering about whether gloss would too.
It might be an idea to contact the paint company and get them to supply the alkali sealer.
Good luck, I really hope you get it sorted.

[Sapphy]

Thanks for this Popsicle. The odour is very strange and coming from specific areas ... I think I will do a test on a patch of wall behind a door which tends to smell very strongly before tackling the whole area ... I might try with an oil-based undercoat first to see if that does the trick. Can I ask ... have you managed to solve your wall odour problem or are you still experiencing it?

[popsicle]

Unfortunately, the wall odour hasn't gone for me. I tried the alkali sealer, odour blockers, etc and nothing worked. Eventually, I stripped the paint off and the smell has been absorbed into the plasterboard so it all has to be replaced.
So if you cant get rid of the smell by alkali resistant sealer, etc then if I were you I'd get the paint and lining paper off the wall asap.
I think my situation is rare though and from what I've heard most people have success with the sealer.