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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).

Need Professional Painting Help in Hartford County, CT?

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.

With over two decades of experience, E D Painting knows how to prep, prime, and paint your home correctly the first time. Give us a call at (860) 989-6517 or request a free consultation online!

Comments (932)

  • Keith NYC

    Reply

    Lisa, so happy for you. As for my situation, I painted my walls in semi gloss. As mentioned in my previous post, eggshells and flats I used over primer never covered the odor. Semi gloss probably due to it’s higher durability and thickness did a better job, it’s been about 3 weeks and although not completely gone, it’s the best it’s been since this fiasco started. Semi gloss looks horrible in my bedroom but I’ll settle if it holds up, Benjamin Moore makes their contractor grade (Super hide and Super Spec) line in a variety of whites. I chose a ready mix color rather than custom in case the dyes are old or contaminated. Seems like many here may have had bad dye mixed in when one color produced smells while another didn’t.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Thanks Keith! My fingers are crossed for you. I too suspect the colorants. If you want to e-mail me at mlema 45 @

      gmail. com (no spaces) we can discuss more. I don’t want to keep writing lengthy stuff here.

      Thanks!

    • Sue

      Reply

      HI Lisa:

      Wow ! You did it ! You made the leap and replaced the dry wall and have results. If I were you, I would take a large piece of drywall (that is not on your wall) and paint it with Annie Sloan, then leave it in your garage to see if that works. Only after I am convinced that it has no fumes would I put that paint or any other paint on my walls. Or you could cover your walls with cloth. Keep us posted.

      • Lisa

        Reply

        Thanks Sue! I might just do that. I don’t want to leave the walls with just the primer, but it is very scary to paint now.

        I truly hope you’re doing ok. What did you decide? (if you don’t mind me asking)

        • Sue

          Reply

          Hi LIsa:

          The “stars” are coming together and it looks like I am going to move.
          But I plan to be very careful of paint int he future.

          • Bob

            Hi Sue, You’re moving and handing the problem down to somebody eles, putting another family health at risk that you created. How can you live with yourself sue? We’re all here to help each other out to find a solution.

          • Sue

            Dear LISA:

            Yes, you are right. It is a good idea to let the manufacturer know about these things and I do intend to do that, even at this late date. But I will expect nothing from them. This thread has convinced me of that.

            I am sorry you think I am a horrible person. However, I am not handing down this problem to others because at this time, there is no problem. I stand corrected. It has been 10 months since I painted (not 8) and currently, there is no odor or stench nor has their been for several months. I believe that this is now a safe environment. I just wish I did not have to pay the price while the paint was curing. I went through the worst of this. Now others will be able to enjoy a safe odorless environment.

            So I want to be clear. I am not moving because there is a stench, because there is none. I have bad memories from this experience and am tired of this whole thing emotionally and want to move on. But I must say that all of this experience made me realize that I am getting older and need to be geographically closer to my daughter who lives in another city. Plus, just a few weeks ago I learned that my daughter is pregnant and I want to be with her. In order to do that, I must move. I’m going to be a grandmother ! I am so excited.

            So you see, I am not passing on a home which has foul odors. I think that it has “cured” by now. But unfortunately, while it was in the process of curing, I had health issues. I paid the price and the next people will not have to go through this process as I did. Now I can be with my daughter.

          • Lisa

            Sue, for God’s sake, I don’t think you’re a horrible person! Why on earth would you think that? Please, I only want the best for you. I’m glad you’re making a change, and it sounds like a good one – I guess that’s what I should have said. I did not mean to imply that you were moving away from the smell and giving it to someone else. I’m sorry if it seemed that way. I can tell you are a very good and kind person. Again I wish you all the best. Let us know how things go. I’ve posted my e-mail somewhere in these comments, if you wish to contact me please do so 🙂 Thanks again for everything you’re said.

          • Sue

            Hi LIsa:

            Thank you for your response. My apologies. The following message did not come to me from you, but from Bob. He appears to think I am a horrible person.

            Bob Said: “Hi Sue, You’re moving and handing the problem down to somebody eles, putting another family health at risk that you created. How can you live with yourself sue? We’re all here to help each other out to find a solution.”

  • Holly

    Reply

    A week after priming and painting my son’s bedroom, the smell was still overwhelming, even after using fans and opening windows everyday. After reading lots of ideas from others with the same problem, I used this solution: I closed off the room for 2 days and ran a small space heater for about 10 hours a day in an effort to “bake” the paint to be sure it was completely dry. I also put 2 large Moso Bamboo Charcoal bags (from The Container Store) in the room to absorb the odors.
    The heater caused temperatures to reach as high as 95. I turned the heater off at night and with normal furnace use the room stayed at about 75 degrees. The smell traveled just a little to other parts of the house, but the room was already smelling so much better. On the third day I removed the heater and opened all the windows and turned on all the fans in the whole house (I got lucky with a 50+ degree day in early November.) I left the house for about 8 hours and let the whole house air out.
    This process made a HUGE difference in the room and there is very little odor left at all. I have been accused of having a Super Sniffer nose, and this really worked for me. No resealing or repainting, thank goodness!

    • Linda

      Reply

      Can you publish on here when you did this and is the smell still gone. Also would you be so kind as to keep us up dated if the smell should return. I had to remove the gyprock as we call it here in Australia.

      • Lisa

        Reply

        Heating didn’t work for me. I don’t know how charcoal would have worked because the supply of smell was endless. Here’s the thing: if heating “cured” it, it would also have cured at just warm temp over time – barring unusual level of moisture. There was something chemically and structurally wrong with the paint I got. We gave it a year to stop smelling, and tried to assist it in many ways. Nothing worked. But I hope that your problem is gone Holly. And maybe others who have whatever problem you have will be helped. Is it possible that the temperature you painted at was preventing the paint from drying and that’s why the heat helped? Also, you have to be careful no to get the paint too warm, as that can damage the surface.

  • kim johnson

    Reply

    I got results from heating a rental property I own. The paint I used was a Ben Moore SuperSpec paint, with urethane in it, designed for metal. However, I was told by the store it works great on wood floors because it is durable. I painted floors in 3 rooms with it.

    It smelled faintly for a few months, but to me just smelled like fresh paint-no problem. Then I tried to rent the place, and the new tenant could not take the smell and moved out.

    I heated the house to 90-100 degrees with it closed up, just turning the thermostat up all the way. Let it “bake” 3 days. I went in the house during the “bake” and almost passed out from the outgassing of the thinners (BM told me it was thinners). Then after 3 days of baking, aired it out a couple of days. Then I repeated the bake and air-out 2 more times. The 3rd time the bake did not make me dizzy, so I guess fumes were all out.

    It seems fine to me now-no smell of fresh paint.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      LYNN – Did you use the paint fresh from the can? Did you use it according to instructions? Was there any problem with the walls beforehand? If yes, yes, no – and the people at the store admitted that the paint smelled off, then I would think they’d be willing to help you fix the problem.

      I just discovered that there’s a mold-killing primer from Rustoleum. (wish I’d known that 4 months ago) It’s also supposed to kill bacteria and mildew. However, I wouldn’t assume that it would fix your problem, and I wouldn’t do anything without having a rep from the manufacturer come to your home and see what’s going on. It’s not up to us to do chemical analysis on these bad products so that we can prove what’s wrong. It’s up to the store or the manufacturer to take responsibility for selling you a bad product.

      This is what I wished I’d known when I realized we had a bad problem with the paint we’d bought and put on our walls. Instead, never having heard of this issue, I felt that there must be something I can do to fix it, since I had plenty of experience painting. Get the manufacturer and the retailer involved. It might be something they did at the store if there’s nothing wrong with the new cans. If you still have the cans you can check the batch # against the ones they sniffed at the store.

      If you can afford it, get a lawyer if you get no help.

      Also, after I’d already ripped out the drywall (having tried multiple coats of primer and a topcoat to no avail) I found out that it’s possible that an alkali-resistant primer might have done the trick.

      Call an expert like someone who does remediation after fires, floods, mold, etc. I had one come to my house and he said he could tell that the smell wasn’t mold because he was intimately familiar with molded or mildewed walls. He didn’t know what it was. The paint just stunk and kept stinking. I believe it was bacteria. There was nothing wrong with the drywall when it was removed.

      It is very stressful and I’m sorry it’s happened to you. I’m sure not all these problems are the same, but they do seem to have the zero VOC in common. They are perhaps more susceptible to contaminants I believe. Good luck.

  • iona

    Reply

    Some thoughts. I had a small office painted with Dunn Edwards Everest zero voc paint with ‘low odor’…on their website states ‘virtually no odor’ or something similar…with windows open fully and fan going full blast for a full month, there was still a relatively strong sour odor which is acrid and irritating so cannot be in that room…contractor sent rep from paint store who denies there is anything but a ‘new paint odor’ that just requires time to dissipate…actually said to me, ‘it’s like a new car odor, can take ten years, one year, six months’…am quoting his exact words…then told me his higher ups said there was nothing they could do, and I would simply have to wait until the odor went away…how long I asked…no idea he said…depends on the temp, humidity…I live in the southwest…then he was gone…I called corporate…they and their local store were seemingly helpful and stated it ‘should have no odor’ after a week, if that…for example, one said, he painted his son’s room and odor was gone within several days…additionally, they painted the store’s interior with the above paint while open with customers there…little or no odor and discomfort…take the paint to a local store they said, and let them send a sample to the lab…I did so and both the manager and salesperson, after we opened up a brand new can and compared the odor side by side with my eggshell and ceiling paint, two cans one of each, said, ‘yes, there is an unpleasant difference in your paint…does not smell like a new can’…I got it in writing on my receipt…I then found out the person who brought it to the lab to be tested locally was the very same rep who denies he smells anything different in my paint from other ‘new paint’…do I trust this…sadly no…could be he has the integrity to not tamper with it or remove my contents and put in his…just don’t know sadly…talked to him after he did so, and even tho two co-workers in store said there is a marked unpleasant difference in my paint, he again stated, it’s just a new paint smell, nothing more, which lacks any credulity as to his sincerity…he seemed to just want to blow me off…on reading all of the posts, it would seem that we are the tip of the iceberg…I just happened to find this site, thankfully…I was told by the local contractor’s association that, yes, they have heard of zero voc paint smelling badly and being problematic, so it’s out there…to simply have the walls in your home given a coat of paint, it seems ludicrous and outrageous that we should have our lives turned upside down when we find ourselves left with health problems and discomforts, financial costs to replace the drywall, drywall?, why in God’s name should we have to throw out structural components such as walls when it’s not gingerbread?…and be left with a problem that is emotionally draining, does not allow us to have a normal life since this is after all our home which should be a safe and restful and happy environment…all because of some small cans of paint purchased from manufacturers, corporations and wealthy ones which would be fine if their product was a safe one that caused no damage to our homes and to our families…therefore, we should band together and research what exactly can be done…friends and others in the know have suggested I bring the paint to a local lab with a good reputation, and I will see if the voc is zero, thanks for that…I will do that if their lab sample states nothing is wrong with the paint…that’s impossible as something is causing the odor, whether chemical or bacterial as you all pointed out…there is also the attorney general’s office where I believe a complaint can be filed…don’t know all the details…additionally there are local tv and radio stations that take complaints of this kind where we get nowhere with either the contractor or supplier, as with dunn Edwards…i’m very private and that would be daunting, but hey…we are all advocates of consumers not being ripped off especially since it has happened to us…if we do nothing, it will go on…also, re the receipt only without the can of paint…my receipt shows the numbers, at least some, and I was told when paint is released a sample is kept somewhere of the batch or a number…perhaps you can go to the store or where bought and ask to see their records…no need to give reason just say for your own files perhaps…I also agree that maybe it is best to do nothing to the walls until it is resolved with the store and manufacturer to protect the evidence, altho the cans of paint should be or might be enough…you’ve all been very helpful and supportive…but I have felt so badly for everyone and can’t understand how a major well known corporation like dunn Edwards, and others, can get away with selling tainted and unsafe paint causing the purchaser to have to pay huge amounts of money to tear down part of his or her house, or spend hours applying all kinds of so called ‘fixes’ for a problem they never caused, one that doesn’t work and leaves them emotionally drained…and still with the same problem that cannot be fixed until you tear your walls apart. Something isn’t right here seems to me. I’m in the middle of my chaos and worry now unable to get into my room, also, with my living room piled with files, computers, etc. Not ok. Will keep you posted.

    • Sue

      Reply

      Interesting. I used Zero VOC Dunn Edwards as well and it has taken around 8 months. Meanwhile I had health issues because the paint weakened my immunity. I have two bouts of Epstein-bar Virus, each of which lasted 4 months and left me extremely weak. Lisa, I did not contact Dunn Edwards because I was too ill and did not want to expend my precious energy getting frustrated with getting the run-around like LYNN. No time, no strength, no energy. Basta ! I have had enough. I’m moving on and when I have greater strength I am going to join a class action lawsuit instead. These manufacturers don’t care. That is the bottom line. Jump up and down, shout, do whatever, but it won’t make a difference. Only a lawsuit will. That is what I think at this point. Yeah, I’m disgusted. Sue

  • Bob

    Reply

    Ive been reading up on a machine call Hydroxyls it says its a odour control process, it’s safe and 100% green. Dont know the priceing for one of the machines, but do a search on” air testing (area u live) Hydroxyls” maybe you”ll find a company that has one for service.

  • karen

    Reply

    After following this blog for 2-3 years, I decided to use a “regular” paint at my office. I used Sherwin Williams Emerald paint. Now I wake up with a headache and have constant inflammation in my muscles. I can’t work in my office so I am going to people’s homes. I am a craniosacral/massage therapist and a looking for a new space. Has anyone tried Air Pure paint? They did a study where it removes vocs by 96% from the air and formaldehyde by 98%. http://www.airpurepaints.com. I get the sense that they are connected to ECOS..?? I have seen ECOS mentioned here but no one seems to say much about them.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Karen, my sense would be that if the paint on the wall is removing volatile chemicals from the air – it’s doing so by absorbing them. A paint can’t really “filter” anything. To filter out volatile chemicals, you can use specific kinds of air filters made to do so, or you can fill the room with various kinds of plants that will do so.
      So my question would be: how much can the paint on the wall absorb? and how likely is it to “keep” the chemicals in the paint?

      A paint that’s simply off-gassing will most likely eventually stop smelling when the volatile chemicals have dissipated and been ventilated from the room. If a paint continues to smell, there’s something else going on: mold, mildew, bacteria, etc. – or some mysterious problem that the manufacturers aren’t telling us about and which we, Joe Public, don’t have the education or means to analyze.

      How long ago did you paint? Is the room well-ventilated?

    • Sue

      Reply

      So sorry to hear of your symptoms. I have had many signs and symptoms which indicate that the paint weakened my immune system. Health was better before I painted. As you may have read on the thread, I had health-related symptoms from Zero VOC paint (not regular paint) so I do not trust any non-VOC type paint either. I have heard good things about Annie Sloan, so if I ever dare to paint again, I will try AS paint on a board and see if I have a reaction before painting walls indoors. My solution, since I painted 3/4 of my rooms and it is not cost effective to tear down walls, is to move. I have been in this home for 30 years so this is a major decision and disruption of my life. I have not been well since I moved back into my home after painting. Keep us posted.

  • Lisa

    Reply

    Sue, did you contact the manufacturer? If so, what happened? I am so sorry for what happened to you. I would like to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m sorry if you already explained, but which paint was used?

  • Lisa

    Reply

    Oh, I don’t know if I posted this before, but the drywall that was removed was in perfect condition. Everything was clean, white and bone dry. We endured three weeks of mess, gypsum dust, etc. The edge of the ceiling had to be removed and re-done (textured) This is criminal.

  • karen

    Reply

    Hi Lisa and Sue, thanks for your comments. The room is not well ventilated. I had a Sherwin Williams rep tell me that their Emerald paint is no voc. I used Emerald. Their Harmony paint, advertised as no voc, has extra agents to get rid of the smell! How misleading! I have someone coming by today for an estimate to bake the room. They heat it up to off gas it. The guy at Air Pure said it happened to him that he was sensitive and didn’t know it. Air Pure paint made it possible for him to go in the room. He said he has had people call that have used AFM and it didn’t work. Sherwin Williams says they can use Smart Strip and peel the paint off the walls. They are testing the paint and hopefully testing the air. I am posting because I went back go “regular” paint after the nightmare with Mythic at my home This is now my office that I painted 2 months ago. Going back to regular paint is not the solution.

  • LYNN

    Reply

    Hi My Dunn Edwards Everest zero VOC paint after application has continued to have a sour slightly chemical smell for over two months. Can’t get back into room. Told to bring the two cans to store, compare to a new can of the exact same and two employees and myself agreed there was ‘a sour unpleasant smell to mine different from the new can,’ which they wrote on the receipt. They supposedly sent sample of mine to their lab and was told it had no problem and ‘no smell’. I have tried finding a lab in Phoenix, Scottsdale area that would do a complete chemical profile and have not found one. Called another paint store two days ago and man there said, do not use a sour smelling paint as it means it’s spoiled and mold does that sometimes.. Also said the smell ‘never goes away’ if appied to walls, and when asked, said he would not use the room or allow his six year old son to do so. Are there agencies, government, whomever, who hold paint mfgs. to account for what they sell the public where we can prove, even by comparison, there is a serious problem and it is their responsibility. Reason being I was told when tested chemicals in paint can kill the mold so may be hard to prove. A chemist should be able to verify that spoilage causes the odor and it is typical of what the industry knows as ‘spoiled paint’. Since it is a health issue, as well as a customer complaint issue given you are sold contaminated paint, it would seem they should be held accountable and we should be able to be dealt with fairly on an individual basis without going to court for years and paying exorbitant legal fees reimbursed years later. Would deeply appreciate your input as stressed out. tremendously.

  • Lisa

    Reply

    karen – Thanks for your comment. I suspect there is no “regular paint” anymore. EPA regulations have called for lower VOCs, and people prefer low-odor. (although some zero VOC paint does smell when you apply it apparently)

    These issues are hit and miss I believe. We used the ICON zero VOC prior to our use in the room that ended up stinking and had no problem whatsoever. Also, when we were applying the paint that ended up being bad, there was very little smell. The smell began a few days after the paint was applied.

    I wish you well in correcting the smell. Sounds like they’re at least being helpful. A good sign in my opinion.

  • Lisa

    Reply

    Sue, I understand that you were too sick to deal with calling the manufacturer. I would just encourage everyone to make that their first step when they realize that the paint they used stinks and doesn’t stop stinking. Otherwise, the manufacturers won’t know there’s a problem and they’ll think you’re just another happy customer.

    So glad you’re moving forward and away from the stench!

  • Linda

    Reply

    The manufactures know about this problem they say they don’t. They are trying to avoid class action court cases.
    I am here in Australia I have gone through the drama and stress that having the smell that won’t go away. It stresses you out so much you just want some relieve from it. That is why these manufactures have got a way with it for so long. I am wondering how long it will take for all this to come to ahead and be dealt with in the courts.

    • LYNN

      Reply

      Still have difficulty finding a lab here to test chemical analysis of paint…re mold testing was told it is difficult to verify as chemicals in paint kill the mold…need further clarification as might be inaccurate…paint store employee over phone when asked said, ‘do not use paint that smells sour as it is usually mold, and if applied to wall, the smell never goes away’…it has been applied and still smells after two months, although less…question is this…these large multi million paint mfgs. are researching to find a safer, less toxic paint so i give them kudos for that…however, less preservatives mean there will be times that the paint might spoil…instead of accepting responsibility and being helpful (after all these are two small cans of paint, and my one painted room is small altho important in usage, the individuals i’ve dealt with and one person in corporate are denying there is any problem even tho two employees in store verified my two cans smelled unpleasant, sour acctually, and differently than a new opened can…i was told to bring it there expressly by the corporate office…i am left with a sour chemical smelling room after two months which i did not have previously as well as two sour smelling cans of used paint with the mfg. of said paint who sold it to me with the guarantee it was zero voc and had ‘virtually no odor or low odor’ simply walking away and leaving me with the problem and getting away with it…why?…because there is nothing out there to protect me…no govt. agencies, watchdogs for the consumer that i know of for this kind of a thing, and labs, contractors, environmental contractors telling me the mold may have been killed off…really?…what about the smell and residual off kill matter, gases…it is obviously not the same as other cans…may be why the mfgs. with lawyers, scientists, experts paid by a multi-million dollar budget know this…something is wrong here…a law suit takes years which discourages most thinking is it worth it…our limited money is stacked against their millions or billions…there has to be a solution…this is in our home and it has stressed me to the point, and i meditate, do all the right things to remain objective, keep perspective like all of you, etc….where my health has been compromised finally…i can’t escape from it as its right here where i live and usually get away from it all, in my home, can’t use an important room i need for work, relaxation…things piled in my living room…get on with my life…and using huge amounts of limited time to research, hunt, interrogate nicely experts…all because of the lack of ingegrity and decency, i may say humanity, on the part of this major mfg. who has glitzy ads which have proven false, and the poor customer relations i’ve experienced on the part of those i’ve gone to for help in resolving what for me is an energy draining situation which gives me little peace in my life try as i will. ..i can’t walk away from it as this could be contaminated and it might mean the smell will never go away…when i asked the employee in the paint store if he would use the room or stay in it for any length of time he said, ‘i wouldn’t, and wouldn’t let my six year old son use it either’…what to do? Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated, and all of you have been a God-send. Happier New Year!

  • Bob

    Reply

    Professional painters often use a tool called a heat gun. A heat gun is a small portable device that produces a large amount of heat. Painters will aim the gun at the walls and hold it a few inches from the wet paint or primer. They will then move the gun back and forth until the paint fully dries.

    • LYNN

      Reply

      ermand dima…i was interested in knowing how you resolved the continuing paint odor with the manufacturer and others…my room continues to have a paint odor after two and one half months as i’ve written…the contractor refuses to take any responsibility, as does the mfg. after their lab tested and supposedly found no problem…just had someone over for their professional opinion and they agree that the odor is relatively strong…unable to use room…was a zero voc paint…importantly also, what type of lab does interior paint testing for voc and mold…having a very hard time surprisingly to find one…and how did you get them to accept responsibility and what did you do to get rid of the odor and did they pay for it…please let me know as need to move forward as soon as possible…thanks

  • Lisa

    Reply

    LYNN – My advice, for what it’s worth, is: call the health department in your state. They may be able to give you info on labs that could test the paint and air. The paint companies aren’t testing for the things that are causing the problem. Here is something interesting:
    http://www.mayflylab.com/3.htm

    • LYNN

      Reply

      Lisa…thanks so much…I’ll contact them this morning…extremely helpful info but concerning as it appears the consumer has little protection given there are millions of homes utilizing a staple product like paint and statistically speaking i would think there are many dealing with similar problems…i stumbled on this website luckily but so many have nowhere to turn…i’ll also call the Health Department…called on governmental agency for type of lab and was directed to auto labs, etc. so seems there’s a tangle of information well meaning tho it may be…if there is anyone who has had success in resolving the problem with the store and manufacturer, i’d appreciate knowing how they did that…the mfg. of my paint, Dunn Edwards, admitted a difference in odor, same as the room, between my two cans and new cans of their paint, one of which was eggshell and the other latex for the ceiling…did a lab test for mold only…and altho i was told i would be given the lab report, instead received copy of only a letter from the technician describing what he did and a negative result, not the actual testing… i thought they would test for voc’s, etc. as they have their own lab here…my concern is that paint odor can be toxic and hazardous…and a consumer left with a paint odor after three months using a zero voc, advertised as ‘virtually no odor’ paint, should have more protection, legal rights, and access to basic information to help identify the problem so it can be remedied by whomever is responsible to do that…i’ve slept little as i keep hitting stone walls, no pun intended…all i wanted to do was bring the paint to a lab for testing initially and i have none like the one you referred me to…also, several environmental contractors said they usually do much larger jobs, and paint odor is not something they normally deal with…they charge a minimum of 500 dollars for three samples, but would not test the paint itself but send it out of state for an extra charge… a complete analysis of the paint is close to one thousand dollars and usually done with industrial jobs…i think the paint mfgs. know this and realize they can get away with this…there is also an outside chance with all paint that the instruments used to apply the paint can be contaminated, but that usually brings about mold…and the odor can have many other causes as you pointed out…very stressful as we can’t walk away from it…it’s right in our home…thanks, Lisa, and all of you for being there…makes all the difference…Lynn

      • Lisa

        Reply

        Lynn – at this point all I can offer is my sympathy and my assurance that I have been through the very same thing, along with so many others here and elsewhere. I dealt with this issue in my bedroom for two years. We tried multiple coats of primer to cover the smell. The link I provided explains why that doesn’t fix the problem. The nature of this problem is subjective, and unless someone has tried to deal with it themselves (living with a constant or even intermittent unpleasant odor and not knowing if breathing it is harming them, so always trying to avoid it for both reasons and basically being denied use of the painted space) they can’t appreciate the experience of frustration, helplessness and anger.

        I suggested the health dept because it looks like that was the impetus for the investigation done by the lab in CT. Lab tests are expensive. We can’t afford them. But as that lab revealed, there were indeed volatile chemicals that triggered asthma in the child who’d never had asthma, and which are harmful to breathe over time. I don’t know how it will happen, but I believe that eventually this problem will reach critical mass and there will be some public awareness. Perhaps news media will start investigating. If everyone who’s buying paint is aware of this problem, they’ll report it to the manufacturer immediately and these companies will be required to deal with it. This is hard. These are big corporations and this is a problem that only affects a small number of cans of paint. It’s too easy for them to say they’re not responsible. But it will be more and more difficult for them to say they never heard of it, or, as in my case “we have no evidence of an odor issue” (I heard those exact words from more than one person at the paint company)

        One point – you already have the manufacturer’s acknowledgement that the paint you bought smells. Is that it? Dunn Edwards just said “yeah, those cans of our paint smell, but so what?” Did they just expect to leave it at that? Again, as I think I’ve said earlier – I would expect them to fix the problem created by their product. They can’t just do a lab test and then say “we didn’t find a problem so there is no problem”. There is a problem! It was caused by their paint! If the lab didn’t test for the chemicals that are causing the smell, they won’t find the problem. But the evidence is in the stinky room and the stinky paint in the can. What reason are they saying they won’t fix it? They should have to give you a reason beyond “our lab says there’s no problem”

        • LYNN

          Reply

          Lisa…to reiterate how it played out…the paint rep after six weeks said oh that’s only regular paint smell…it’ll go away eventually…and it’s like a new car smell (and i’m quoting exactly), it can take ten years, one year or six months’…so asked how long would it take to go away and he said, depends on the temp and the humidity…made no sense…called corp, was told to take to paint store and compare with new cans of same paint…two employees said yes it was different and upleasant…wrote it on receipt i have…sent to lab and was told by corp i could have lab report…didn’t get it and told paint benign..insisted on some info as promised and .just got copy of letter only from tech saying mold test given and passed…but did not test for anything else knowing it was a paint odor and voc, etc could be involved…a sub contractor was hired by co. doing work…low substandard work overall to be addressed but contractor says paint my responsibility…believe wrong as he chose dunn edwards, ordered it, paid for it, picked it up and applied it to walls…dunn edwards refused yesterday to do any more testing…i can make a bbb complaint as they are listed, consumer complaint for false advertising as it is not ‘virtually no odor’ as claimed on website, it’s everest paint top of the line…thing is, i cannot use the room safely, odor medium strength and caustic, and i’ve been saddled with a problem and odor i did not have until their producct was applied to my walls and the smell in the cans is now on my walls and not going away…as with you…i am filing a complaint with the contractors association to be addressed within one month…they will smell it…consumer complaint is for false advertising, etc…bbb to demonstrate their poor business practice of doing only one test on the paint for mold when a paint odor has other causes and, as you say, anyone and everyone smells the ‘paint odor’ when in the room…also, there is valid proof on line that inhaling unknown fumes, especially like those of paint, can be injurious and using such a room opens possibility of ingesting hazardous fumes and outgassing…i want to also have an air test, wall test and paint in can test…but need to call other labs, especially yours, and agencies…just as writing got call from lab here wanting name of mfg etc to view components of paint…will then suggest which tests to have…and discuss further…will keep you posted in more minimal fashion…gotta be a way when the odor itself proves their claim of virtually no odor is misleading in my case…proof is in the noses all of which agree…any thoughts appreciated…Lynn

          • Lisa

            Lynn, thank you for repeating your story. I’m all too familiar with the “yeah it smells, so what” . You don’t have the expertise to communicate with the lab and get the whole story unless you are a materials chemist. You are falling down the same hole that I did. In the end, it’s not YOUR job to solve the problem or prove that there’s something wrong with the paint. The proof is the smell. The only thing you can do is try to make the manufacturer take responsibility for the bad product. You probably need a lawyer. But again, don’t paint the room until the company agrees to something. I know this is the hardest thing to do, but there’s a chance it won’t do any good. Call the health dept and tell them you used a paint that is continuing to emit a bad smell weeks after it was applied. You are in a good position to prosecute some kind of claim because you hired a professional, who chose the paint, and you’ve still got the bad paint, and it’s still on the walls. You’re the one who’s put out the money, but it’s the people you’ve paid who are responsible for the result/product. I’m only advising you based on my own experience, which is worse as far as trying to get help or justice. (I believe) I wish I had a definite direction for you. I would say, seek legal advice. You have all your ducks in a row, but you don’t know how to make things happen. Maybe a lawyer would. Sometimes just a letter will cause them to pay attention to what’s happened. Yes, the contractor should be on your side. He did the job and the result is bad. He should be interested in having a satisfied customer and in preventing the same thing from happening again – since he;ll eventually have no customers if he keeps stinking up people’s rooms. Anyway, my thoughts aren’t well organized, but my thoughts are all I have to offer.

  • Lisa

    Reply

    Another suggestion. These odors can cause health problems: asthma, headaches or worse (things you wouldn’t know about without extensive medical investigation, or which might not show up for years). Perhaps you should go to a doctor and let them know what you’re being exposed to. Then contact a personal injury lawyer. A personal injury lawyer will be interested if you are having some kind of medical issue because of the product. Also, as I’ve advised above, report this to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
    http://www.cpsc.gov/
    They might be eager to have an opportunity to investigate because this is an occurrence they can document. You will be doing all of us a great service if you pursue this. It’s obvious that the vast majority of us have received no help from all our complaints. We can’t be sure that we’re all experiencing the same thing, but the end result is the same. That is, my paint didn’t stink at all when I put it on the walls. We threw away the cans because they were empty. The paint was awful and we used every drop of 2 gallons to paint a room that only should have taken about 1 and 1/3 gallons if that. The paint formed rubbery strings and looked awful on the wall. We had to fight to minimize the roller marks and decided afterwards we’d have to simply strategically hang some large pictures. The smell began a few days later and we didn’t even know what it was – thinking perhaps it was some touch up we’d done on the window casing after we were done with the walls. But it became all too apparent that it was the paint on the walls – every square inch STINKING. I wish you very good luck with everything. Let us know.

    • LYNN

      Reply

      Again, thanks, Lisa…your input and the others extremely helpful as is the support in pursuing this. had appts. today and will call your referral tomorrow and call agencies etc…did speak with local university chemical lab dept. and they gave me a referral who called today and was the one who is zeroing, again no pun intended, aint funny, in on the listed ingredients on their website required by law…that way am assuming he can focus on possible sources of an odor…i’m hopeful if dunn edwards gets a reliable report connecting odor specifically to an ingredient in the paint, they’ll behave responsibly as they are a multi=million dollar company and this is a small room with only two buckets of paint involved…still haven’t heard back from corporate re an exact copy of the testing lab report itself which will be helpful to myself and the lab i hire in tracing it to the truth of the matter…very sorry to hear what you’ve been through and always a good idea to keep the buckets i guess tho most of us don’t realize the need or that this can happen…mine smelled immediately but thought it would dissipate…it lessened a little with fan and open window kept up for months only turned off when slept but it’s still heady and it’s obvious it’s a paint odor…there are several paint institutes, etc. on line…the person today seemed knowledgeable and i’ll be more specific as to how a reputable lab approaches this…i’ll call your lab tomorrow and the others…promise to pass along in hopes it is helpful to other to get a fair resolvement of a problem we cannot walk away from…its the painted elephant in the room and extremely stressful and eventually causes health issues as with me when those involved stonewall you and behave unprofessionally and without integrity as with the several involved in my situation…point being i’ve done everything i could to resolve this fairly, cooperated throughout with everyone, was flexible waiting months…so am moving forward as needed with lots of support from family, friends and professional familiar with the situation, which i think is important when you are up against businesses that go for the jugular and refuse to accept resonsibility or be helpful leaving you in the lurch…i’m going full speed ahead with this…enuff is enuff…waited long as i could as prefer negotiating in an amicable way…i’m wigged out now with all of this and all i have to do ahead and will focus briefly on specifics tomorrow as bizzy day and just got home…more later…appreciate your suggestions…very helpful…tthe more informed we are the better so thanks…thumbs up to all…Lynn

      • Lisa

        Reply

        Lynn – here is my e-mail if you want to talk off-line: m l e m a 4 5 and that’s at g m a i l . c o m

        You’ll have to add the @. I’m trying not to attract “bots”.

        Please don’t try to make time to write me until things are a little calmer. but please do write me at some point. I’d like to talk to you/ explain more that would be too lengthy to try to relate here.
        Thanks.

        • LYNN

          Reply

          Thanks, Lisa. Will do. I’m very busy researching and trying to find an honest, ethical lab with high marks for reliability in the type of testing this requires and may have found one. I’m also calling the lab you mentioned, and governmental agencies again to find if there is something out there to help consumers left with problems because of the products purchased from ‘reputable’ companies. I still think Dunn Edwards is, and it is just the several i’ve been dealing with who are problematic, or perhaps their legal team is setting up access by consumers in a way that makes it impossible…their interest being primarily to avoid any financial responsibility if proven they are culpable. It was painted the latter part of October. That’s almost three months of being stonewalled. As i said the testing is needed to confirm all of this and i am keeping an open mind until results are in. Still, their single testing for mold, no lab report, the reps questionable comments…shows poor response on their part. Wonder if top corporate knows, or am i being naiive. Seems government should require some kind of ombudsman type department to handle these since there are enuff to warrant it as is, but not enuff to put a dent into their profits. Integrity is the bottom line, and as i told you, this particular paint is advertised prominently on t heir website as ‘virtually no odor’ paint, yet all who’ve been in room, and their have been many, including professionals, who state it smells exactly like paint with an unpleasant odor as well. As do the cans of paint. Will be in touch soon and thanks so much for being there. They say choose your battles, but with a problem like this, i and many of you have no choice. Full speed ahead…your support helps a lot…Lynn

          • Lisa

            Lynn – I changed my mind. Please write to me before you spend more time and money. I just want to share a few points that I don’t think I communicated well and which may be important to you.

  • axel

    Reply

    it’s been over 2 weeks since we painted almost all of our walls and ceilings and we have the same type of suffocating gassy smell that is being described here, made worse by heat and ventilation. if all your posts are anything to go by, it looks like we are in for a rough time. 🙁

    in our case we suspect it might be the ceiling paint that is the culprit, but not 100% yet. it might be a stupid question, but has anyone tried sanding the offending layer (or layers) of paint to get rid of the smell? obviously a much less drastic step than ripping the entire drywall out, especially given the huge area we are faced with. thanks!

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Benjamin – it might work. It might not. Call the company and tell them you want them to help you with this. Have them send a rep. Tell them you’re aware that this problem does occur from time to time and that there are dozens of reports online. Let them tell you what you should do, and get it in writing. If it doesn’t work, they can then try to help you with whatever the next step is. They are aware of these problems. Let them take responsibility. Like all the rest of us, your first instinct is to try to fix it. But answer this: if you bought a toaster that had bad wiring and it caused a fire in your kitchen – who would you expect to repair the damage?

  • Karen

    Reply

    HAS ANYONE TRIED BIN ZINSSERS ZERO PRIMER? It’s supposed to be less toxic than the regular Bin Zinsser’s and without compromise of sealing in fumes. I had my room “baked”, pasteurized up to 130 degrees for 2 days. Did not work.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Karen, I used BIN synthetic and non-synthetic primer – supposed to be the ultimate in odor control. It didn’t work. We had 4-5 coats put on over the course of a year. It seemed to help, then it didn’t. If the stinky paint is still on the wall in your home, I will recommend to you the same thing I’ve recommended to others: DON’T PAINT or PRIME OVER IT until you’ve had someone from the company that makes the paint in to advise you, and until you’ve had professionals in to check it out – and – called your local health department and notify the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

      Get an impartial professional in there to check it out. Testing the paint may not reveal anything, since the ingredients causing the smell may be at too low a concentration to be listed as ingredients, so they won’t be tested for. Without knowing what’s causing your paint to smell, there’s no way to know whether or not you can fix the problem by simply priming over it. And once you prime over the paint, it will be too easy to dismiss the smell (if it comes back) as being caused by the primer, or the company may say that they can’t access the paint to check it out.

      This is hard advice because you will of course be very eager to do something to try to get rid of the smell. Don’t let the company off the hook. You can see that, based on the posts here, this is a known problem. Don’t let them tell you they’ve never heard of it. Make them take responsibility for their products. They’re not causing us these problems on purpose, but they are avoiding responsibility on purpose.

      PS – I also tried heating the painted room. It only made the problem worse. And too high a temp will ruin the paint (not that that’s an issue when the paint stinks anyway).

  • Kane

    Reply

    There are hundreds of replies here spanning years so I will keep my reply short and to the point. The fix for this is Masonry and Cement Sealer or Primer. I personally used Sherwin Williams Loxon which is pricey but worth it. All brands make some form of this type of product with varying degree of quality.

    I went through what most of users here have and learned of the resolution when I stumbled across this problem overseas. Feel free to google “wall odour phenomenon” and their fix was Alkali Resistant Sealer which stateside is sold as Masonry/Cement Primer. Good luck to those still affected.

    Any questions, please ask !!!!!

  • Anita

    Reply

    Does anyone know how to post our on-going problems with this chemical contamination from these dangerous paints on social media sites like Twitter. We need more attention! The entire paint industry has known about what they refer to as “ghost odours” for years. Yet they still have sickened, contaminated and lied to unsuspecting consumers like us all over the world. “Odour” is the correct spelling, not odor. Please keep posting here and everywhere you can. Even if you have posted here before, please post an update with your location. We all should be able to live in the homes God has blessed us with without being terrorized by corporate greed.

  • Sue

    Reply

    I had a terrible experience nearly a year ago after using Dunn Edwards Zero VOC paint. But after several months, the smell left and all is well now.
    Just yesterday I went to DE and the sales rep told me that the problem was not with the Zero VOC paint, but with a chemical reaction that was occurring between the previous oil-based paint on the walls and the water-based Zero-VOC paint. She said that if I had sanded the walls first, then applied a primer before applying the Zero-VOC paint, that this would not have happened. Has anyone tried doing this ?

    • LYNN

      Reply

      Re zero voc paint over oil based paint.. My original paint is not oil based and zero voc. Yet Dunn Edwards paint applied over it does have an odor both on the wall and in the can. Only testing can determine the origin, and it is important that it be done first before applying anything over the wall to ‘remedy’ it. Protect yourself for any eventuality. The source must be determined in order to know what the correct and best remedy is. Stay positive hard as it can be after months of being stonewalled, have the testing done by a lab familiar with indoor paint (a university lab or scientist can be helpful in referring you to a local lab with integrity and experience), test for mold, bacteria, voc’s, and other ingredients as paint is very complex and it could be caused by a myriad of combinations and gas offs from various undeclared ingredients which are minute and allowed legally. If you can validate the problem on paper, etc. the paint company may cooperate…there is also the legality of there being a smell, period…and air testing can help…but don’t know enough about that. Local health departments, governmental nationally as well might help too, as an odor can be unpleasant, hazardous, new to your home via a contractor and there has to be some protection here as well if you didn’t have it before and it’s a paint smell…importantly, save your cans or get from contractor so you have back up. Good luck to all, and thanks for all the information.

  • linda

    Reply

    Excellent idea. Hope someone starts up chat on twitter about this. I am Linda from Australia who ripped out her gyprock and insulation. What Americans call dry wall. I don’t use twitter but I will try and set up an account. The saga of our problem really caused us a lot of problems for us. Now I am over that when I get back to Australia I am overseas at the moment. I will stike an enquiry up again with or Fair Trading dept. I will send them this website. I don’t hold much hope but I will do it. Our Government in Australia has been bought out by big companies and is no way a democracy anymore.

  • Anita

    Reply

    Paint companies like Dunn Edwards are quick to try to find fault with how consumers applied the paints instead of taking responsibility for sickening people and contaminating their homes with dangerous, defective products. Many consumers with the problems we are having can smell the foul fumes in the can even before applying the paint to any surface. Employees in the stores where these poisonous paints are being sold admit some of the paints smell chemically foul when they open the cans to add color. Professional painters, with many years of experience, are refusing to use some of these dangerous paints. Don’t fall for the paint companies excuses. Keep posting and spreading the word to Posion Control, lawyers, health departments, the media, consumer affairs, whoever will listen – this stuff is toxic!

  • Al

    Reply

    it’s been about 3 and a half months since my room was primer and top coated, I get nauseated evertime I go in there, I dont have the bad smell problem, just fumes , normal paint smell, I dont think its fully cure . I’m gonna bake the room using a lamp heater stand instead of a fan heater and just reposition the lamp facing a different side wall after a few days, plus I just order some activated charcoal odor absorbers, waiting for that to come in before I start the baking of the room. I will update when done.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      People are trying the same things over and over again. Not saying that’s wrong – because we don’t know for sure in each case what’s causing the problem.

      Sometimes heat helps, but it seems like most times it makes it worse. Sometimes primer works, sometimes it doesn’t. And it looks like the primer we’re supposed to try first is Masonry and Cement Sealer or Primer?

      I would ask people again to report:

      Which paint did you use? Please be specific. Include whether or not it was a custom color and what the color was.

      When did you paint and how long has it been stinking?

      Did you notify the manufacturer and what was their response?

      Have you tried anything to fix it? What worked? What didn’t work?

      This list of comments is getting really long. Let’s try to keep it from getting longer by sharing helpful information.

      So far, some have solved their problem with dehumidifiers, charcoal filters, masonry primer. Anything else? Some have had to remove drywall – like myself – because we didn’t know about the alkalki-resistant primer, and we tried multiple coats of top-shelf shellac and it didn’t work.

      My personal advice, again for what it’s worth, don’t do anything until you’ve involved the company that makes the paint. This is obviously a product problem, even though probably in some cases there MIGHT be other issues. It’s telling that many here used the same paint in other areas but different colors and didn’t have a problem. Also, the fact that they were painting other areas without problem speaks to the fact that this is not “operator error”. Let’s continue to share facts and get this in other social media. hopefully some people will be saved from this problem before going broke and crazy.

      Thanks and good luck to all.

  • Lisa

    Reply

    Al – you should NOT have a smell after 3 1/2 months after painting. Be sure to report this to the paint company. Let us know what happens from “baking” the room.

    Thanks.

  • Anita

    Reply

    Since painting, does anyone have a metal taste in their mouths? I know many people have mentioned burning in mouths and noses, headaches, nausea etc.. I can’t get rid of the fumes in my house or the burning, metal-like, sour, foul, horrible taste in my mouth.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Anita – are you the same Anita that posted in April, July and October of 2015 about BEHR paint? And then again in Jan and Feb of 2016?

      If so – what’s going on in your home now? Have you been communicating with the manufacturer? Have you tried primers or anything else to fix the problem?

      Sounds like the problem is still going on – when did you originally apply the paint?

      Any help from your health department?

      Wishing you well.

  • Sue

    Reply

    Dear Anita:
    Goodness ! I am so sorry to hear this. I do not have an exact answer to your question as to whether it is related to the paint or not, but let me share a few experiences I have had which might point you in the right direction.
    Experience #1-
    Many years ago, I was taking mega-doses of kelp pills. I knew I was taking more than the recommended dosage, but I did it because that amount gave me the desired results and less of it did not. But I did notice that I had a metallic taste in my mouth. I panicked and went off of the kelp pills. The metallic taste went away. I always believed that I had somehow poisoned myself with the kelp pills. In your case it is more difficult to live elsewhere because this is your home. However, you are already suspicious that the cause is the paint, which is could be, because you noticed it after you painted your home. I suspect there is some chemical in the paint which may be toxic to your body. All bodies are different.
    Experience #2
    Around a year or two ago, I was smelling burnt wood all the time. I really thought one of my neighbors was burning logs. I asked people if they smelled burning wood and they told me that they did not. Then I knew I was in trouble, so I sent to see my ENT doctor and I was shocked when he told me that that was a common symptom of a nasal infection. Because I do not tolerate medications, three times a day I used the Netty Pot instead to get rid of the infection.

    So I suggest that you go to see your ENT doctor and see what he says and that you use the Netty Pot several times a day to see if that helps.
    Perhaps the doctor can identify a possible ingredient int he paint that might cause the metal taste. Please keep us posted.
    I wish you the best.
    Sue

  • Kris

    Reply

    I’ve read many but not all of the complaints here due to lingering paint odors. I have been in the paint industry for over 35 years and have witnessed numerous product developments. Many of which the manufacturers have scrambled to meet EPA standards and left me/us feeling like Guinea pigs when there is product failure.
    There are few definite solutions to completely removing unwanted odors from interior surfaces short of removing the contaminated surface, but there is one tried and true method that the restoration/remediation industry has been using and continues to use for over 80 years.
    This is Shellac encapsulation , a pigmented shellac can be applied over most any surface and provides a crystalline barrier that can then be painted. Shellac is alcohol based and dries fast. and should only be applied in a well ventilated area. Its odor will dissipate in under 48 hours if you don’t paint it right away, otherwise you can paint it in an hour and problem solved.
    You must however make sure your problem is due to a completely cured surface and not hidden in the wall cavity.
    I hope this helps, I would not have bothered writing this if I did not feel confident that it would. :o)

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Kris – if by pigmented shellac you mean something like BIN original shellac tinted with a paint pigment – I tried it. and that was after two coats of synthetic and one of original 10 months prior and three weeks apart.

      The walls still smelled funky. And we finally tried a new topcoat after the pigmented shellac had been on the walls one month. The smell was as bad as ever after that point. The only thing that ever lessened the smell was cooler temps in the room, and lower humidity. but any time heat and humidity returned – smell returned.

      Although we consumers don’t know the biological or chemical basis of this problem and don’t know whether all our problems are the same – we do know that this problem isn’t always fixed by primer ALTHOUGH there are only now some reports that we should try the cement and masonry primer

      SHOULDN’T the PAINT COMPANY TELL US THAT? Instead of denying the issue -still? After class-action suits (Benjamin Moore Natura) and dozens of complaints? YES, they should. But if they did that, they’d be acknowledging the problem. And heaven forbid they admit there’s any problem with their paints. Heaven forbid they try to help their customer save time and $.

      We tried multiple coats of BIN shellac over a period of about 10 months. The smell still existed, and when we finally decided to try a topcoat anyway – the room smelled as bad as ever. So we removed the drywall. We would have been willing to try whatever the paint manufacturer advised, but they led us to believe that they couldn’t give us advice – because they had no evidence of an odor issue.

    • Lisa

      Reply

      And yes – the drywall was fine. As it is throughout the house and has been during the 10 years we’ve lived here. We have no mold, mildew, smokers, flood, fire, murders. It was just the paint folks!

  • Kane

    Reply

    Anita, it sounds like you should really see a Dr about your health issues which may or may not be related to your paint problem.

    For your paint problem as I posted, you should try Sherwin Williams Loxon Cement & Masonry Primer which worked for me. As of this writing, it retails for $52 with a promotion of 30% off which brings it down to about $38 plus tax. I would advise to try it on a small portion of your offending wall to see if it works for you.

    Although paint companies in the USA will not admit to any problems, in Europe it has been admitted by paint companies as posted on http://pra.clients.squiz.co.uk/technical_services/consultancy/wall_odour

    In case the mods here edit out the link, the text is below. What they call Alkali Resistent Sealer is sold as Cement & Masonry Primer here in USA.

    =========================

    Wall Odour From Decorative Paints

    Wall odour has been around for quite some time, involving paints, wallpaper and plasterboard in several different countries. It relates to the occasional instances when an unpleasant smell is noticed after painting. Whilst this does not occur very often (less than 0.001% of walls are affected), it is perhaps becoming more noticeable as paints are being developed that contain less solvents, which hitherto would have masked other smells. Indeed, repainting a room is often carried out not just for cosmetic reasons but also to reduce background odour and refresh the room.

    Users of paints should not be alarmed about ‘wall odour’ as there have not been any health and safety side effects reported arising from it.

    What causes ‘wall odour’?

    The cause of ‘wall odour’ is not completely understood, but it is thought to be related to an interaction between the walls, the paint and ozone present in the air, which in sunlight, then releases very low levels of detectable odours. Independent tests following recent incidents show that this is not related to the quality of the paint products.

    How do I know if I’m experiencing ‘wall odour phenomenon’?

    ‘Wall odour’ typically presents itself as an unpleasant smell, which is particularly noticeable after walls have been painted, and especially when there is direct sunlight on the wall in question and a draught in the room.

    How do I deal with ‘wall odour’?

    There are two ways of addressing the issue of ‘wall odour’:

    If you are happy to rectify the problem yourself, you should seal the wall in question with an suitable primer / alkali resistant sealer, before repainting.
    If you need further assistance then we recommend that you contact the Customer Service department of the paint brand you have purchased. You should be able to identify the manufacturer of your paint from the pack and, as a guide, we have included here links to the Customer Service departments of some of the major UK paint brands.
    Crown Paints
    Dulux Customer Care Centre
    Johnstone’s
    Leyland Paints
    Current research

    Research continues into understanding the specific causes of wall odour and some manufacturers, notably in continental Europe and the USA, have recently launched new products aimed at being odour suppressing.

    In the UK, paint manufacturers have been working on the matter and, as developments become available, we will share them with you here.

  • Anita

    Reply

    Below is a post from someone on the DIY This Paint Stinks blog with the same complaint. People on this blog that have experienced vomiting, headaches, burning in your mouth, do you taste anything?

    Postby danieldd » Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:42 am
    Hi,

    I’ve repainted my bedroom with Dulux White Daffodil mat paint. Since then I experience very strong gassy smell when the windows are opened or the weather gets worm. The smell makes me sick, my hands swallow, the skin gets irritated and i have heartburns.
    Sometimes is so strong that I have experience metal alike acid taste in the mouth.
    I read somewhere that there is no health implications as a consequence of this smell but I strongly doubt it considering what it does to me.
    Today I rang Dulux customer service and they said that never had such a complain. Strange.
    From what I’ve read in this forum this problem exists with all brands.
    Does anyone can suggest how to fix the problem as the walls are covered with lining paper which has been painted with the smelly paint?

  • Lisa

    Reply

    If the bad paint has been applied over a paper – why not remove the paper?

    And yes, depending on the cause of the problem (again, we don’t have thousands of dollars to do analysis – so – we can’t know what’s causing the problem) it DOES cause health issues.

    I’ve posted this before, but I think it’s worth studying if you can. It talks about low-VOC paint offgassing over lengthy periods of time, even after being covered with other materials like primer. The chemicals in these paints can exist in such small concentrations that they’re not regulated or even listed as components, and yet – THOSE can be the components that can cause problems like headaches and asthma.

    This is why people who still have the offending paint on their walls should do their very best to get their local health department involved. The health dept may not have the capacity to test the air, but they may have access to specialty labs that would be able to. Which was the case here:
    http://www.mayflylab.com/3.htm

    And of course, if you are having symptoms like that, you should see a doctor. If the paint offgassing is harming you physically, you can consult with a personal injury lawyer. He will know what to do to prove that the paint is harming you. And if he thinks you’ve got a case, he will probably find out what labs will test for the guilty chemicals.

    It would all depend on whether or not the lawyer thought he could make enough money to justify the cost and time of prosecuting (unfortunately) but personal injury is a better reason for a claim than just the fact that your home was totally or partially destroyed by a stink – and that you spent tons of money and time to fix it. This I know because so far I am still unable to collect anything in compensation for the damages done here.

    I will continue to encourage people to contact their health departments and the Consumer Safety Product Commission as long as their room(s) still stink. Best if the bad paint is still on the wall uncovered.

    If I’d known then what I know now – that’s what I would have done. I’ll never know what we were exposed to or how our health has been damaged. At this point I only know that we got screwed.

  • Anita

    Reply

    I am 100% certain that the burning and taste in my mouth came from the paint. As others have stated, it is the paint folks. It is a chemical reaction, and poison is poison. I agree with others, don’t try to cover it up with other chemicals. The paint companies are doing enough covering up already.

  • Matt

    Reply

    I have not visited this thread in awhile, so I apologize that I was only able to briefly skim the hundred or so posts since I last checked in.

    My wife and I purchased a home in July and we knew we would need to repaint the interior. My wife is extremely sensitive to chemicals, so we knew paint smells would be an issue. We actually had to break a lease and move out of an apartment as it was across the street from an auto body shop, and the paint fumes were destroying my wife’s health.

    She is extremely sensitive to paint smells as evidenced by other episodes I won’t get into here. Keeping in mind that, in my experience, people who suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities are an extremely diverse group, and what works for one won’t necessarily work for another, here is what we did.

    At the time I had asked if anyone had heard of ECOS paint. I got no reply. After doing a considerable amount of research, we ended up going primarily with ECOS paint as it seemed like the best, if an unknown option.

    The ECOS paint seriously has no smell. I repainted the entire interior of the house. I (note: I am not chemically sensitive) could not even tell the walls had been painted. I was assisted by my father. He has considerable home improvement experience. He (also not chemically sensitive) was impressed not only with the quality of the product, but with the lack of odor. He said he would use it if he is ever painting indoors in the winter or in an unventilated area. While I was remodeling the existing house, I had a contractor building an addition. His laborers also commented that they were amazed at the smell, or in this case the lack thereof, of ECOS paint.

    It is important to note that my wife was NOT in the house at the time, but that she did “inspect” the work, sometimes less than 24 hours after painting. She has been living in the house for 2 months with no ill effects (at least not from paint).

    In addition to being truly no-VOC, I found the ECOS paint to be a superior product to almost all paints I have worked with. It is a little pricey, but it has excellent coverage and dries to a nice vivid color. It also goes on very smooth.

    ECOS offers a wide range of colors and offers a color matching service wherein they claim they can match any color by any major paint company. This boast falls a little short of the mark. My wife, in addition to being chemically sensitive, has a very discerning eye. She wanted a very specific shade for one room offered by Benjamin Moore. We purchased a sample of the Benjamin Moore and also had ECOS send us a quart to try to color match. It was close but no cigar. We ended up using Benjamin Moore Natura paint for this area. This paint also claims to be no-VOC. It had a very slight odor, not as good as ECOS, but much, much less than conventional paint. It was very thin and did not cover well and was a little streaky in my opinion. My wife could also tolerate the product, but I don’t think it is as good as ECOS.

    The Benjamin Moore Natura can be bought at any BM store. ECOS has no brick and mortar stores and has to be ordered on-line. They have a pretty convenient shipping policy and you can pick your order up at any UPS store for a $10 flat rate. If you do, make sure the UPS Store does not charge you a pick up fee. I had a little issue with that.

    ECOS is not without fault. Their website ( http://www.ecospaints.net/ ) is cumbersome and clumsy. I received one can of “exploded” paint, but given the volume I ordered, that’s not terrible. Their packaging is generally pretty good. Some orders ship right away. Others for whatever reason are delayed. I did have a couple of incidents where an order was shipped incomplete and one where a completely different color than what I was ordered shipped, delaying the project. Sometimes their customer service department was helpful. Other times it was completely unhelpful or even non-responsive. In short, I recommend the product, but the company leaves a little to be desired.

    With regards to some of the other posts on here about correcting a situation whereas a room has already been painted and is giving off a noxious odor, I can only offer the following advice (I am a structural engineer with considerable construction experience…I am not a chemist, an industrial hygienist, or a paint expert…I am not sure if this information makes my opinion more or less credible.):

    Do NOT paint or prime over walls that are painted with toxic smelling paint. It seems to me that this is completely counter-productive. You want the wall to off-gas. Sealing the wall with another coat which is going to form a continuous film and encapsulate the chemical will trap the offending chemical in the wall.

    What I would do is ventilate the room with negative pressure, placing fans in open windows to draw the bad air out. I would also look into an air purifier. Alen sells one that works well for us.

    If this does not work, I am afraid that the only thing you can do is get the bad chemical out of the house (I have had this experience numerous times with my wife). Unfortunately, this means removing the drywall. This is a very onerous task and not without it’s own risks. Drywall compound also has a pretty noxious smell. It affected my wife for several days after we used some. It eventually dissipates though. Ventilate!!!

    I would not recommend using a heat gun with a chemically sensitive person in the house. One of my projects before moving in was stripping the carpet and about 100 years of paint and stain from the main staircase, and refinishing. I used a variety of techniques, including a heat gun. That took years off my life, I’m sure. The paint will vaporize and those chemicals that are causing you a problem will only have a more direct pathway into your lungs. I also recently used a heat gun to unfreeze some frozen pipes in the bathroom. Despite my best efforts to protect the wall with a scrap piece of ceramic tile while doing so, I heated up some of the paint/ drywall. That rendered the bathroom unusable for my wife for a day or two.

    On a somewhat related topic, though not paint, if anyone with chemical sensitivities is thinking of refinishing a hardwood floor, I recommend Rubio Monocoat. Absolutely no smell. We were able to move in shortly after refinishing all floors. It gives a matte finish which may or may not be appealing to you, but it is a great product. One word of caution: Make sure your contractor sands any test patches with the same equipment he will use on the main floor. This greatly affects the color the stain dries too. Mechanically sanded floors will dry much darker than hand sanded floors. A great product, but we would have selected a different shade had we known that tidbit.

    I hope this information is useful and I hope and pray that everyone suffering on this thread finds some relief!

    • Lisa

      Reply

      Thanks so much Matt! Before I sat down to check my e-mail, a thought ran through my mind. That is: I wonder what’s become of those who commented early on and hadn’t solved their problems?

      Everyone will appreciate the paint tip. But I will give a word of caution: even a low or zero VOC paint can cause an odor AFTER it’s applied. Don’t know if you read my link above, but, in that case a zero VOC paint was used and there is no note that it smelled to begin with, but appeared to be off gassing long-term.

      There is apparently a certain combination of the drying paint with the environment (there’s a continual amount of ozone in normal air) and can create the “Wall odor phenomenon”. Who knows how long it would take to finish off-gassing?

      Again, thanks for the tip. Perhaps it would make sense for those of us searching for new paint to do some “googling” to see if ECOS turns up any problems with developing a smell.

      So glad it worked out for you!

      Thanks again.

  • Rachel

    Reply

    I have MCS and severe persistent asthma and the simple solution that I have found for interior paint is simply a cheap, non-toxic acrylic art paint that I got from Blick art supply store. It’s just a really cheap paint but I mixed a little yellow in with the white and painted a wall with it and it’s not shiny, but it looks great. I also used pure white to paint over a table I bought online that stank like petroleum and it covered the smell right up. The bottles come in half gallons and it says “Bestemp Certified artist”. Yellow has to mixed with white to look good but the red comes out bright and nice. Just buy extra white to mix with the other colors. Takes more coats than regular wall paint but I can’t even breath outdoor air or go into any buildings without a gas mask, so this simple art paint is a miracle to me. Plus it’s cheap. These companies selling non-toxic paint are ripping off disabled people with their $70 a gallon crap. Why should we have to pay ten times as much for less poison? Exterior is another matter, I’ll likely have to pay the non-toxic high price for that.

  • anastasia

    Reply

    @Matt, I’m having the odor issues with Natura, painted in October 2015. Odor is less when the weather is cold, but it is unseasonably warm this winter and it’s causing sinus problems plus nausea when it’s really warm. So, I think the problem is hit or miss with different brand names — some people have no problem with one, and others do. I really hope you’re one of the lucky ones! In my previous place I painted with low-VOC Valspar, which was terrible going on but turned out OK after a couple months, and also a cheap Walmart brand which surprisingly had no odor going on and no odor afterward. Go figure.

  • Brenda

    Reply

    My husband painted our bedroom over two weeks ago with Kilz primer and Olympic Icon One Step and since that day we’ve entered the nightmare. I have asthma but haven’t had a bad occurrence since childhood. I had such a bad attack I should have gone to the hospital. I did go to my doctor 2 days later and she put me on steroids to try to clear it up. We’ve been sleeping in the quest room which is next to our master bedroom and I still have problems with breathing and now have a metal taste in my mouth.
    I’ve read all the MANY comments here and am horrified to realize we will have to gut the bedroom and start over. Although my husband is against doing that, he can’t wrap his mind around that thought. He did call the paint manufacturers and told him to take photos of the cans. I’m sure they will send their reps out and we will get the same song and dance as everyone here!
    I am going to call the U.S. Consumer Product Protection and a few other places to file a complaint. Also I hope to reach someone in the media and hope they would look into this as it’s pretty crazy. I feel like Erin Brokovich!

  • Anita

    Reply

    The sickening, gassy, suffocating fumes from Behr Premium Plus are still in our house more than a year after painting. We can’t live in our own home! Doesn’t smell like paint. Changes from smelling like ammonia mixed with Ben Gay to burning sulfur or cigarettes, to burning, dead skunk mixed with plastic, to ether mixed with powdery clay and vinegar. We are suffering from headaches, nausea, burning in our mouths, noses, eyes and sometimes on our skin. The nauseating fumes have gotten into everything all over the house! Furniture, clothes, paper towels, our cars, my hair. It can even be smelled inside of the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator! When we called over a year ago, Behr told us to use KILZ. We had the piece of trim outside of our house that had been painted removed days after painting, but our house had already been filled with fumes from the paint. We cannot get rid of the strong fumes no matter how much we ventilate. Behr tech from Home Depot told us to call corporate. Behr now says they will send us an odor-blocking paint, at no-charge. There isn’t anything left to paint! What was painted outside was removed right after painting, and the sickening fumes are still in our house! Behr also said they are responsible for the paint not the labor! Behr asked questions about application and told us to keep ventilating. We have spent more than a year ventilating! Behr seems to want to blame consumers for their defective paint, but I spoke to a person who worked at the paint counter in Home Depot. He said some of the cans of paint smelled horrible when he would open them at Home Depot to add color. He said the fumes were so bad, it would make him wonder what could possibly be in the paint cans!

    • Brenda

      Reply

      Anita you mention trim, was it the exterior of your house that was painted? My husband painted our master bed room two weeks ago with Lowes Olympic and we have awful fumes that seem to get worse as time goes on. I have asthma but has been in control for over 20 years and I had an asthma attack from the fumes I should have gone to the hospital. So we’ve been sleeping in the guest room but my lungs feel like they are on fire I moved into our little travel trailer.
      My husband was told to wash walls with bleach then 2 coats of the premium killz for odors. Then for the paint use Harmony from as herein Williams for sensitive people. God I wish I knew about hat paint before we used Liwes crap!
      I’ve been to my dr she put me on steroids but it’s not helping. I’m terrified it has damaged my lungs. Am trying to see a pulmonary dr but can’t get an appt til end of April so I sit in my trailer and suffer. Thinking about going to ER. This has been such a nightmare it has stressed my husband and myself beyond belief.
      It’s time for a class action lawsuit! I did call NBC to tell them about this issue and hoping thy take it on.

  • Anita

    Reply

    Yes Brenda. The small area of trim was painted outside of the house, but the chemical fumes are all over us, the house, clothes, cars and everywhere we go! Lungs are also burning. Call Poison Control today. Call 911 and tell them you are being overwhelmed by strange, chemical fumes. I think law enforcement, fire officials and even Homeland Security should be involved. Post on social media sites. The poisoning we have all suffered is criminal. We all need help now! We all know that our homes were fine until these defective paints were applied. We are all dealing with a dangerous, chemical contamination. Even people who don’t think they smell it any more have still been exposed. Can you have all of the drywall in the painted room removed before the fumes get into the rest of the house? After reading this entire post several times, it seems like it is the only thing that some people have been able to do to get relief. We live outside of Philadelphia. Where are you?

    • Brenda

      Reply

      I’m from Massachusetts and yes I highly agree everyone needs to know about this it’s an outrage. I spent my day today in the ER, my lungs have been so bad since we painted and we haven’t even slept in there but I did spend 3 or 4 days putting furniture back and cleaning the walk in closet thinking the slight odor would go away, thinking maybe it hadn’t dried fully because of the rainy weather. Then my lung issue started and I had a full blown asthma attack. I should have gone to the ER that night but was so weak I didn’t want to move. My husband has been sleeping in the basement and I should have too I guess but I like the soft bed in there and he doesn’t as he has a bad back. Anyway I didn’t go and got thru the night but my lungs and esophagus haven’t been back to normal yet. I knew it had to be the fumes from the paint but hadn’t found this website yet. I decided to search how to get rid of paint smell and this popped up first. I was horrified to read all the comments it’s terrifying and yet when you tell someone they look at you like your crazy
      We had 4 friends over the day after we painted they couldn’t smell anything but I did right away, I’ve always been hyper sensitive. But about 4 or 5 days later the odor was getting stronger and stronger, I do wonder how does happen?
      I called a remediation company and a guy came out yesterday, he checked for mold, found none, and tested to see if the paint had dried to the drywall, it had. He commented on the smell and thought we had just refinished the hardwood floor with polyurethane, told him that was done 8 years ago. He agreed it was the wall paint and recommend putting 2 coats of Kilz Ultimate Primer which my husband put the first coat on today
      In the meantime I’m living in our small 21 foot trailer and husband still prefers basement. We had set up our bedroom down there but my lungs prefer more fresh air and dr said was good to stay in trailer. I still have to go in to use the bathroom but we have one in the basement so that’s good.
      Sorry this is long but no one else understands, my fried just painted her kitchen last week and no smell, she used Valspar.
      It’s driving me nuts trying to figure out what the core cause is. I agree we need to all start taking action and getting he word out. I’ve been telling everyone I talk to and posted it on FB warning everyone. I called the media number hat someone on one of these comments asked everyone to call and leave a message, I did! And they called me back 3 days ago. It was for NBC, a reporter will look into seeing if it’s “worthy” of a story. So please spread the word for everyone on this site to call. If they get enough calls they will have to think it’s worthy!
      I wanted very badly to hire someone to gut the room and start over but my husband is very stubborn so I’m doing it his way for now. If I get another attack after the room is done again it’s being gutted! I just think the paint company should pay for it! We are both retired and on a budget so this is killing us and unfortunately it’s probably true! I am scared, frustrated, mad, disgusted
      We need to get a lawsuit going, I think nothing will happen until someone dies from it and I do think that will happen, I almost did!
      I am sitting down this week to fill out the form for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission but I will also look into sending a complaint with the places you also mentioned.
      I’ve decided not to put colored paint over the Kilz I think I will use the ceiling paint.
      Thanks for listening!

      • Brenda

        Reply

        Anita did you move out of your house? What are you going to do? I’ve been living in our small trailer. It’s tough because I can’t fill the tank with water as its freezing out suppose to get snow tonight. This is all so insane I feel like I’m living in Twighlight Zone

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