Getting rid of paint smell
Today’s question comes from Aaren. Aaren asks:
Hi hope you can help! My daughter’s room will not stop smelling. In fact, I challenged Olympic Paint and Lowe’s – going back and forth until we settled. KILZ and another coat of paint reproduced the original smell! Olympic even paid a professional to do all that work for us. The second coat of Premium One water based latex interior paint still smells. We have 2 air purifiers and had our windows opens for a week while painting and for 12 days afterward. …. As of today however we are dealing with a smell from Friday. It’s awful and I’m afraid to let my daughter sleep in there (although she has for two nights). WHAT can I do to make it go away. The room seems like it’s cursed. No other room in our house ever smelled like this… Please help with ideas of what to do. How long is this supposed to last. The smell is like a sweet, clay smell. It doesn’t really smell like paint at all. We even crawled into the attic to check for smell and it wasn’t present. We tried sprays, onions, vinegar, steam cleaning. Everything. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Aaren
The E D Painting Expert Answer
Hi Aaren. When we first answered this years ago, it was a rare issue, but over our 22 years in the painting industry, we’ve seen this exact scenario pop up a few times. That “sweet, clay-like” or sometimes “sour” smell that lingers for weeks is incredibly frustrating.
Based on your description, you are likely dealing with one of two specific issues:
1. “Sour Paint” (Bacterial Contamination) Water-based latex paints can actually “go bad.” If bacteria get into the paint at the factory or the store, it starts a reaction that smells exactly like sour milk, clay, or dirty socks. Unfortunately, no amount of air purifiers or open windows will cure this, because the smell is baked right into the dried film on the wall.
2. The “Wall Odor Phenomenon” Sometimes, the chemicals in new low-VOC water-based paints react with the invisible residues left on the wall from older paints, creating a chemical off-gassing that smells sweet and pungent.
Here is the problem: you mentioned the professionals applied a coat of KILZ. If they used a water-based latex KILZ primer, it will not block the odor. Water-based primers allow the smell to breathe right through them.
How to Fix the Lingering Paint Smell
To permanently kill this odor and make the room safe for your daughter, you have to seal the wall so the smell cannot escape. Here is the professional procedure:
- Dehumidify the Room: Close the windows. High humidity (especially if you live in a humid area like we do here in New England) keeps the paint pores open. Run a strong dehumidifier for 48 hours to pull all the moisture out of the walls.
- Seal with BIN Shellac-Based Primer: You need to apply a coat of Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Based Primer (or a heavy-duty oil-based stain blocker). Shellac is what professionals use to seal in heavy smoke damage and severe odors. It creates an impermeable barrier that the clay smell cannot penetrate. Note: Shellac has a very strong alcohol smell when applying, but it dissipates completely once dry. Do not use a water-based primer here.
- Apply Your Final Topcoat: Once the Shellac is 100% dry and the room is aired out, apply a fresh coat of high-quality, premium acrylic paint. (If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, our residential painting services handle this exact process safely).
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Fixing a botched paint job or dealing with mysterious wall odors can be a nightmare. If you are located in our service area of West Hartford, Farmington, Avon, or the greater Farmington Valley, you don’t have to tackle this alone.
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Ruth
Well we painted with AFM transitional primer – the original smell IS gone but now I have the new primer smell. We just painted yesterday so hopefully that will dissipate soon. Will keep you guys posted. We have a fan in the room and windows open. It is not overwhelming and it doesn’t bother my throat etc.. but it does have a smell.
Ruth
Back to report that I am starting to smell the old nasty smell again. I do not think that the AFM transitional primer helped. I didn’t smell the initial smell at first because I was smelling the primer but as the primer clears – yeah the smell is back. And it fact it feels like it reactivated a bit. Geez. So we are back to window open, fan blowing in the room, box fan blowing out of the window. I am so sick of this. I might try bin shellac and after that it would be tear down drywall and start over. I am FURIOUS. Please WR do report back if your attempts worked. I am at my witts end.
Ruth
I am going to get bids in ripping replacing the drywall – insulation – carpet. I can’t continue to live with window open 24/7 to keep this smell under control. If there are any other people out there with Benjamin Moore aura smell issues please, please contact me ruth@casawilliams.com. – in fact contact me with other brands. Maybe we can help each other out.
WR
After two coats of shellac (with 7 days cure time for each), it did seem to get rid of the old smell. Hard to tell for sure because the shellac itself has a smell. We’re still finishing up with the AFM, which also has a smell if it goes up. The AFM is also not covering well–increasing our costs as the painter has to come back to do extra coats (and more time for it to dry and wait for smell to go away–grr).
I don’t think I’ll know for sure if this process worked for a few weeks.
Based on EP’s post, I’m wondering whether it is the cold weather that made our bad-smelling paint go bad. But, I can’t find any information on why the paint would smell bad if it had been frozen (especially if, like ours, there were no clumps or any indication that the paint had gone bad).
Ruth
We are replacing the Sheetrock. I’m done with this nightmare. I am getting bids in.
Kyle N
I painted two bedroom walls using a dark red matt emulsion from Wilkinsons. It was Wilkos own, it has made my entire bedroom smell like rotting old furniture, its definetly the paint as some dripped down the side of the tub and when it dried it smelled exactly the same as my room and the walls. Its not getting better, if anything its getting worse.
I dont have money so i need to find a solution that doesnt cost too much. Wilkinsons did nothing but tell me to repaint and said theyre sending me a gift voucher. It doesnt solve things though does it.
Donevette Evans
I live in an apartment and there is a water tank in a closet in my bedroom, we had a water leak from the third floor so my landlords nephew completely drywall the whole room and painted this happen two weeks ago and I still can’t breath, I am coughing all day and night, I have ashma and it is hard on me I keep a fan on all day. Pleas help me somebody. I feel like I am going to wind up going to the hospital.
Julia
We had the bad paint smell for two years. After 4 coats of the heavy duty bin it stopped but the wooden window sills have started stinking when sun is on them. I don’t think I painted them with as much of a coat as the walls. I will repaint them and see. The walls still don’t stink after a year. I had them tint the bin and didn’t have to recoat with another paint. The bin galloon can is filled to the top so you may have to have them shake the paint and take enough out to add the tint to but it’s worth it not to have to buy other paint. Good luck.
Ruth
By the way for all those thinking about using AFM safecoat transitional – we were very unhappy. A it stunk going up. Low odor – I don’t think so. And B. It feels slightly tacky after a month. What on earth? I would not bother with that product. Horrible coverage too. I would go straight for the shellac BIN if I could do it over.
WR
We also are not very happy with the AFM. Online it says that latex paint can take a month to cure, so I’m giving it another week or two. However, the AFM has not covered well and is still a bit tacky even after 3 weeks. I’m running a dehumidifier and keeping the temperature of the room elevated at night to try to help with the tackiness, with windows open during the day if it is over 60 degrees and not raining. We think the old smell has gone away, but the AFM paint still has a smell (yes, 3 weeks later). The AFM smell does not bother me as much as the old Valspar problem (I can be in the room for 5 minutes without getting a headache), and it does seem to be slowly improving. But I’m still wondering if we’ll ever have the room back again where I am comfortable with me or my child spending time in there.
I think the lessons learned here are to use the Shellac BIN (not the synthetic) to cover up the bad smelling paint. If that won’t work the drywall will likely need to be replaced. (See Ruth’s comments above on why AFM is not enough).
To prevent the persistent paint smell problem my husband and I have decided to plan all future painting for times in late summer or in the fall when it is above 70 degrees outside and low humidity. At that time of year, the winter inventory should be gone from paint stores, so the paint should be good (hopefully). And, conditions should be optimal to air the room out and allow the paint to dry properly and quickly. We will also research brands to try and find one with a low history of problems. (Unfortunately, I’ve seen complaints on the persistent smells from many of the major brands, so while I will never use Valspar again it appears that other companies are also not to be trusted.)
Ruth
WR ours is tacky too! Email me ruth@casawilliams.com – crazy!
Lisa
I painted my bedroom with a zero voc last fall (over 6 months ago – and I don’t even remember the brand) but it did have color added, which apparently changes the voc somewhat. It seemed to have little smell, and after it dried it was fine all winter – no smell. Then, as spring arrived, SMELL! It’s so strange. The walls were dry, now they seem almost tacky. I leave the windows open and let it get warm in there, with a fan blowing through all day. Then, I turn on the house circulation in the evening, then blast the AC, and I can almost get through the night before the smell returns. But now that it’s getting humid, even this doesn’t help. My next thing to try is shutting the room up with space heaters in there, and the attic hatch in the closet open. If I can get it warm and dry in there, and the attic draws the air up and out through the roof vents, I’m hoping I can finally dry this crap out. I don’t think I can bear going through any further work on the walls themselves. Painting is very difficult for me.
Jane
While it certainly sounds as if there are issues with the various paints people are using, one other factor in some cases might be bad drywall. Google “Chinese drywall,” read up on this on Wikipedia etc., and check the manufacturers of bad drywall listed there. Note that increased humidity (and painting would raise humidity of the drywall) exacerbates the problem. (Those of you replacing drywall might want to make a note of the manufacturer’s information you find on the sheets you remove.)
Since this seems to be a widespread problem, I believe that, rather than frozen paint, something has gone wrong in the paint manufacturing process itself. Possibly new chemicals, or a combination of chemicals that isn’t working out.
Doug
I wanted to followup on Andy’s post from April 2, 2014. I have had the same problem. I repainted a bathroom with the same paint left over from the previous painting four years prior. I also ended up with a terrible musty clay smell that lasted for weeks. (of note – that original paint was purchased by our painter during a terrible snow storm and may have been left out to freeze in his van, not sure – it smelled fine when it went up the first time). To fix it I followed Andy’s advice and applied three coats of BIN Ultimate2 Shellac (It states on the can – odor and stain blocking). Its clear and is supposed to not leave a yellow tint, but it did leave yellow streaks where I applied with a brush. The instructions on the can were to apply with a brush but I checked back and saw Andy used a roller. So I rolled on two coats. That worked much better. As crazy as it sounds, my wife went into the bathroom today (24hs after 3rd coat of shellac) and smelled the walls. she has given the all clear. I will be applying a coat of paint with stain blocking primer mixed in today. But the smell is gone so there is a way to cover it up. I just hope its a cure and doesn’t come back.
Ruth
WR – do you have an update? Our transitional seems to be less tacky now. How is your room going? I am trying to decide if to give shellac a go or if we should just rip it off all together. I am so tired of dealing with this. 🙁
Lisa
This paint is an “entity” – like Jerry Seinfeld’s BO smelling car. Unbelievable.
Jody schneyer
Has anyone had a permanent cure using bin or must the drywall be replaced to get rid of the odor permanently?
Julie
Having same prob as all others. Solver Paint In Australia and not sure if products her are in Aust.
Andy,
Can you let us have a further update. I want to do what you did but would like to know if the cure is still going. 3 weeks seemed too early to tell given all the other info on the site.
Johnny Numbchuck can you give us an update too.
I will email address above to see if anything has changed there.
Thanks to everyone for ideas. Mine has been going 3 months with door and window sealed but I need to use the room. I was going to wait it out, but see from here that I cannot do that and need to bite the bullet and get the shellac.
Zinser products are sold here, I see, so at least that is something.
Putting shellac on walls is the absolute opposite of low smell and danger paints.
How did we ever end up in this mess >
Helen
I bought a house. The previous owners painted my master bedroom with low VOC paint from Lowes a brand I have never seen. It has a Lowes sticker though. I started repainting with a regular Olympic paint/primer in one from Lowes. I had to stop due to running out. When I came about 2 hours later with the new gallon the room smelled so pungent I couldn’t finnish. It has been 3 weeks and still smells with the sliding screen open constantly.
I painted my son’s room with Behr Ultra Premium paint/primer combo. His room is fine. The regular latex odor disappeared by the end of the day.
My master bedroom does have a bathroom. Could running a dehumidifier while using BIN get rid of the smell? I live in Southern CA so my humidity isn’t much.
WR
@Ruth — The AFM seems to have a paint blocking problem since we had to put on so many coats. There is still a smell in the room, but I think it is mostly the AFM, however I can’t really tell if the original Valspar problem is contributing to it. For the one week that we had just the Shellac, the Shellac DID seem to cover the original paint problem. I’m at my wits end on what to do. For now, we are not using the room. I’m not sure if we will try Shellac again or rip out the drywall. In the meantime we have ordered a $1,500 air filter so that hopefully we can use the room again. This is such a nightmare.
WR
For others dealing with a paint problem, consider making a report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (saferproducts.gov) if you are experiencing a health issue, like headaches, because of bad paint. If they get enough reports, maybe the manufacturers will have to do something about this.
Lisa
It has been many months since I painted and the room still smells – not like paint but something – I don’t know what. It’s worst when it’s warm. Has anyone tried stripping the paint before going so far as to remove drywall?
Ruth
I was told that because drywall is porous chances are that he smell could remain even if paint is stripped. And it’s a big job anyway! We are redoing drywall in 2 weeks. We have been dealing with this mess since March 15.
tara turner
I am so glad I found you guys talking about this. I thought I was crazy. I rent a home, when we first moved in I thought there was this smell. When I would first walk through the front door, I live in arizona so it is very hot. The hotter the day the stronger the smell. Not to mention the terrible, thick,, paint the landlord did on the inside of the house. Its a concrete block house so no drywall, the paint peels right off. And not to mention I THINK the landlord may have used exterior paint for the interior, since the color of the outside of the house is the exact same as the inside of the house. I already read somewhere where you can’t use exterior on interior cause of the mildewcide and what kind is used. I wake up in the middle of the night coughing and coughing, in the day I can not breath my nose is running I am coughing, it horrible. Today the smell was the worst yet, probably cause it was 115 outside today. Also this house was built in the 1940’s and I have a toddler and a 9 year old and I am very worried about health affects.??? I noticed (unless I missed it somewhere i am sorry if so) but i noticed that concrete was not mentioned through out this post..what can I do??
Lisa
Thanks Ruth. A professional painter examined the room for the first time today. It’s been several months since we painted. He said that stripping the walls would ruin the drywall.
Lisa
Doug – did the smell return after three coats of BIN Ultimate2 Shellac?
Lisa
comment/question: has anyone noticed that the paint isn’t actually dry after several months? All I have to do is wipe the wall with a damp paper towel and the paint comes off – and not just a little. There is something seriously wrong with this stuff. It stinks and it’s not dry – 10 months after painting.
karen
We peeled our smelly paint off of all four walls and ceiling. It came off like wallpaper! Still smells
Lisa
oh my gosh Karen.
elsie fulkerson
We’ve been having the same problems anybody figure out what to do
Lindsay
I have had this for 2 years. Worse in hot weather.
I’m told its bacteria in the emulsion caused by stagnant water before I mixed the contents.
TEMPORARY SOLUTION : Try spraying the walls with clear antibacterial surface cleaner and leave on walls to dry. This sorts it for a while. ( weeks or months depending on weather ) Each time it comes back its less obvious. Still drives me mad though.
HAS ANYONE TRIED WALLPAPERING over it..? I’m about to try. Is it just wishful thinking..?
Glad its not just me!!!
Maria
Painted our son’s room after he moved out in February 2013 with Behr Premium Plus Ultra stain-blocking Paint/Primer in One. It STILL smells like paint—yes STILL—1.5 years later. If we close the door, the odor is trapped a bit except for what seeps out the bottom of the door. We know how to paint, so we made sure and left the coats dry. We aren’t sure if it is the Base Ultra White or the color tinting by Home Depot that made it smell, but I have an EM to Behr to see what they can suggest. We can’t use the room and we keep getting headaches from the smell. Hope we can get this taken care of pronto since we have guests coming and we need the room!. So glad I found these comments—thought it was just me and my incredibly sensitive nose or my husband’s much less smeller!..:) Will keep you updated.
Kathryn
Paint does expire…2 years after opening…10 yrs unopened..and that is all dependent upon temperature regulation too. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to eliminate the foul smell without complete renovation…so good luck to you all.
Sandy
Ruth:
Now that all sheetrock down, how is it?
Over one year ago, when we ran out of Mythic paint for the bedrooms (which I have no problems with coffee ice cream color in living room only problem with blue and purple in bedrooms – maybe it is the blue coloring?), by mistake I bought a quart of Yolo for each bedroom to finish off one wall. As mentioned in email long ago, Yolo changed from using Zinc to some other preservative / anti-fungal. Maybe we need to look at what is the common denominator in all these paint brands.
I took down what I thought was the “bad smelly” wall in each room, resheetrocked, repainted with Mythic and smell still there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @%*t. Looking at taking down all walls and then when just read someones post made me realize I may need to take down the ceiling too! Oh my, what a drag and costly.
Well…. the good news is we have places to live and aren’t on the street or living in a car like millions of other people. We will get through this. Take care, Sandy PS I am thinking of doing VOC air test, but not really sure how that is gonna help me. Any thoughts appreciated.
Sandy
I wrote the law firm mentioned in this article and gave them this conversation link we are having.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/04/lawsuit-claims-benjamin-moore-zero-voc-paint-has-foul-odor/index.htm
Will get back to you all if they have any insight.
Ruth
Drywall coming down on thursday. Can’t wait to put this nightmare behind me. Scares me that you are telling me the smell is still there. We are replacing all walls and ceiling and re drywalling and replacing carpet as well. To be on the safe side. That is the only room that smells although if it is closed and really hot the smell will travel outside to the hallway upstairs. Hopefully removing all walls and ceiling will do it. The thing with drywall is that it is porous so you might have to redo the whole room in order to get rid of the smell. For the research I have done the people that replaced the drywall got rid of the problem.
Ruth
By the way my color was a greish blue – maybe a blue dye could be a problem. I don’t know.
Ruth
Also – truly you do not know if the yolo was the problem. Each color and batch can be their own problem. You might be better off replacing all walls just to be sure. I bet you that might be the problem in your case. Of course you would think it is the yolo if that was in common but the reason could be the other room (without problems) was a different batch without problems.
Ruth
Sandy – we had to push the start date to next Tue instead of tomorrow due to the holiday weekend/rain. Weill keep you guys posted.
judd
Thank God for your posts. Same issues.
I replaced ceilings in 2 rooms.we primed then painted with dulux latest hightec paint.
Ceiling was white.walls yellow. We painted the hallway same.
The hallway doesn’t smell. Can’t walk in to the toilet and the laundry is better with the drier on.
I have had the dulux rep here 2times. He can’t smell it.
Complete morron. I have kids. I painted bin first on yellow yesterday. Going to second coat bin today
Don’t look forward to painting the ceilings as well.
We are all very sick.
Is it possible a virus or bacteria can come from me into the paint.
Totally lost. …