Can paint mould in the pot/tub?

andre_xs

Hi All,
I had a pot of Dulux wall/ceiling paint stored on the attic for close to 2 years. Now I used it to paint over some marks etc. and the room is horribly smelly, like mould or dampness. I checked, and actually the paint smells like this. Did the paint get mouldy, or did it just take up the smell of the attic (and the paint itself is actually fine, just smelly)?

I'd like to know whether I should scrape / wash off the paint, or whether I can just paint over it...

Many thanks in advance &
Kind Regards,
Andre

bris

It was out of date, yes paint has use by dates. It goes off so it will be smelly.


Wash or sand it off then buy fresh paint.

nickcc

Unfortunately water based paint does go off. We had a few part tins of Dulux emulsion left for repairs and found that they had all turned very watery even in the plastic Dulux cans.

andre_xs

Thanks. I'd be curious whether it could actually mould. Going off and being smelly is annoying, but becoming mouldy might have implications for health...

I just can't imagine anything surviving/living in a pot of paint, even not mould...

Best wishes,
Andre

gt568

I've used old emulsion in the past that was a bit whiffy, but the smell soon cleared.

phill99

Emulsion paint is normally ok if kept relatively warm (eg above 8 degrees. If it freezes it splits and then starts to decay. t often smells of sulphur.


Unfortunately it sounds like the loft was too cold and it has split, resulting in the smell.


Time to start again