I am having an issue with a bathroom that I had painted recently. 1 month ago I painted the interior master bathroom with Lowe’s semi-gloss paint. It did not go on well and I needed to use multiple coats (in some areas up to 4 coats). I placed fans in the bathroom to circulate the air and help dry. There are no windows in the bathroom, only a fan in the ceiling. The paint was still tacky even 2 weeks after I finished. I assume that was due to multiple coats and that it would just take longer.
The paint is no longer tacky at all, however, the entire bathroom smells like pickles. Yes, pickles. It is terrible and is making us sick. Do you have any idea of what this is or how to fix it? I am at a loss here and we have been living in the guest room for over a month. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance
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I am dealing with the same problem! Again, paint bought from Lowes. I have noticed that the smell is worse when the windows are open and the sun is warming the room. I say the smell is like an art room. More of a clay smell.. almost a cat urine smell. But so! SO potent! I have to close that room off so it doesn't permeate the entire house! I contemplated calling Lowes but thought it may have been an older Primer that we had used. Now I'm wondering if that isn't the case!
I just moved into an apartment and the first thing I noticed was the bad smell of feet when I walked though the door. I just thought it was because the men had just painted so I didn't mention it to anyone until my fiance said he couldn't stand it and the landlord told me that it only has that sell because it hasn't be able to circulate through the air. I'm going to give it a few more days before I actually move and if it doesn't let up then I'm going to ask to be moved to another apartment. Because I have a young child, if I can't stand the smell then I know its unbearable to her. I'm a wrong about this?
If this is just a paint smell then it should dissipate in a couple of days. To help it along the windows should be opened to allow some new air come into the rooms. Also open up the closet doors, if they were painted.
You are correct that paint fumes, of any kind, will affect children much more than adults. It doesn't take much with developing minds and bodies. Do pay attention to smells, especially when children are involved.
PS- This is why low or no VOC paints are the best options.
over 40,000 comments about this issue… which I am one. Just finished painting my bedroom ceiling. ekkkk, the stench… smelly feet. Only remedy is to re-paint after a sealant is applied.. has nothing to do with the walls or ceilings… it is the paint!
Check out this article…… MagicMum.com :: View topic – bad smell after painting??
Did you ever find a solution?
Never use Lowes paint. I am a painter and they have some of the worst and most difficult to use paint (Mainly Valspar) I have ever used.
There is a thing called "wall odor phenomenon" sometimes called "ghost odor". When you paint walls, the smell gets worse when the room is being ventilated (open windows) and when it's warm. I did a lot of research on this because it happened to us. We used Olympic zero VOC paint. Worked in all rooms except on bedroom and a bathroom down the hall. Bedroom smelled like dead animals and got stronger everyday. If we closed the window and it wasn't a hot day, the smell was less. And no, nothing dead in walls we checked. Painted over it with a sealant called BIN and the smell was gone the next day. Repainted and 3 days later smell is back but not as strong. It is exhausting!!! We move in a week and this is my daughters room and she can't sleep in it. We are thinking we may have to remove the walls and re-drywall. Our HomeOwners Insur. is going to have to come investigate and hopefully help.
Quite a possibility that it may never properly dry. If you applied coats over coats without allowing proper drying then the topmost coat will skin over never allowing the bottom coat to dry. It's got a shell over it that seals out aeration. Please read the directions on the container that your product arrived in and let the first coat dry properly to avoid problems like this in the future.
We just painted with brand new, but gone-bad NO VOC paint (Dunn Edwards in a dark teal). It went on smelling like good paint but when it dried it has a chemical sour smell like a cross between formaldehyde and vomit. We live in the desert (Sedona) so humidity is not an issue. Headaches and nausea are not fun. We sealed all offending walls with 2 coats of sealer primer (BIN Advanced) and another top coat of paint, as suggested by paint company, and it did not fix the smelly problem. Then we got desperate. We have burned two boxes of nag champa incense, as well as cinnamon candles for days. We have washed the walls down with backing soda…. vinegar…. and natures miracle. Everything we do alters the smell, but does not clear it up. Other rooms we painted with lighter tan color of same paint are perfect. The windows have been open for days with exhaust fans going, and we are being held prisoner in the only warm room that doesn't stink. Once the room warms up the smell comes back. After reading dozens of blogs on this issue and hearing over and over that paint company's do not own up to having a fix to this bad no-VOC paint issue, it looks like we may to have to tear down dry wall! HELP …. Any suggestions out there would be helpful before I rip my home apart.
We have not been in our bedroom for 15 months as we painted the ceiling with Sherwin Williams lo voc paint and it smelled immediately but we thought it would go away. Used Kilz primer, an oil based primer, repainted, even got a primer what Sherwin Williams said would eliminate all odors but did not work. Sherwin Williams said they could not analyze the paint as there were too many coats. Next step is to shellac it I guess. Any other ideas. We tore out our carpet and washed walls also. If shellac does not work will have to rip out ceiling. Please help.
Shellac primer is a good start. But, you should have someone inspect the room; identifying what the smell really is will go a long way to figuring out what to do. Do you still have the old paint can? This could be annualized by Sherwin Williams.
Personally, I think Sherwin Williams should do everything it can to help you, even if the smell isn't the paint.
If shellac primer doesn't work contact a lawyer and proceed from there.
I took the paint can back and they did not question it and gave me a new can which we never used, so the paint is gone.. Sherwin Williams did come out and gave us a paint they said covers all smells but it did not work. I have had contractors and painters and Sherwin Williams come out and they all said it is the paint. It is only the ceiling. Do you think it is that lo voc?
Most likely it is the paint. But, here an idea that could prove useful; Is there an attic or open space above this room? If there is, is the smell present in this space? The reason I'm asking is it might be possible the smell is seeping into the room. Sealing just one side of the ceiling might not be enough.
The best approach right now is two fold; Apply 2 coats of shellack primer and keep all receipts of any money you have spent up to now dealing with this smell.
Shellack primer is very smelly, alcohol based, so use caution. Plenty of ventilation is needed and 1-2 hours dry time between each coat. Allow to dry and ventilate the room for a few days and then find out if the smell is gone. Don't apply paint just yet, lets find out is the smell is sealed out first.
If the smell still persists then the only idea I have is replacing the ceiling. I hope it doesn't come to that.
I would let Sherwin Williams know exactly what you have gone through and what your plans are to resolve this issue. If they are smart they will take responsibility and find a solution that will work for both of you, and pay for it themselves.
To be honest I have used many Sherwin Williams products and only had 1 problem. Used Super Paint interior, it did have a fairly strong smell but dissipated after a couple days. My favorite SW interior paint is Harmony but I also use lots of ProMar 200 Zero without any problems.
Lowes, home depot, many other paints have same issue. I had them tint Bin (gal can full so take little out after mixing to add tint) Painted four coats and year later smell gone. Companies won't admit problem. I went through painting the room over repeatedly before finding Bin.