stagnant smell after painting

Nicky321

My mum painted the room walls with an old tin of dulux emulsion paint. At the time she didn't realise anything, but later on she could smell a very stagnant odour. She bought a new tin of dulux emulsion paint and the smell seemed to fade, but now it has come back as bad as ever. Any advice on how to eliminate the smell?

TIA X

SplanK

How old was the paint?
How was the paint stored? Outside in a cold garage/shed, or indoors?
How long has it been since the room was painted?
Did she paint over the old paint with new paint or was the new tin for another room?

Nicky321

How old was the paint? not sure of exact age but at least 5 years old
How was the paint stored? Outside in a cold garage
How long has it been since the room was painted? 5 days ago but repainted with new tin 1 day ago
Did she paint over the old paint with new paint? she did paint over old paint with new paint.

SplanK

Paint goes funny in cold environments, especially if it ends up being frozen. Needs to be stored in a cool 'room temperature' environment, such as at the back of a kitchen cupboard. I tried the same using a tin of white from the shed, but as soon as I opened the tin the smell hit me!


Paint does take a while to properly dry, it maybe touch/repaintable dry in a few hours, but in reality can take days or even weeks depending on the product.


If it was me, I would see what happens over a period of time (say a week) to let it fully dry before taking any further action and just ventilate the area.

DaftyDuck

Old paint does smell. Try leaving a candle or night or tea light alight in the room. Doesn't need to be scented, it will a) mask the smell and, b) burn off volatile components of the smell.

Joss sticks may do the former, but they won't do the latter. Electric plug-ins and their ilk are just plain evil! Ordinary night light is best!

jimi_man

With old emulsion paint, if you leave it for a while the water goes to the top. Depending on the conditions this water can sometimes 'go off'.

esmy

I did the same in my bathroom - the smell disappeared after about a week.