Steel beam/RSJ - smell / painting?

travel_freak

Hi,

I have a steel beam in my kitchen. It has plasterboard on it but parts of this were removed by the building inspector when I bought the house to check it was put in correctly as no building regs consent has been obtained for it.

So there are now two holes. In the plasterboard. I've noticed a horrible smell in the kitchen and when mentioning this to a builder I had round he said that it could be the steel beam because steel attracts moisture/cold(?) and smells.

He said there is a red paint you can get to paint the steel which would stop it from smelling.

I've no idea if this is true - please can anyone shed any light and suggest the name/type of paint if it is.

Or if I just seal the holes might that stop the smell/

Many thanks.

ariba10

If you are going to paint it you will have to take all the plaster off.

I would repair the holes that have been made and see how it goes.

woodbutcher_2

I think he is refering to red oxide paint which is put on steel beams to stop them rusting.All steel beams should be fire protected which means either it should have 2 layers of normal plasterboard on it or 1 layer of firecheck plasterboard.

travel_freak

Hi,

Many thanks for the replies.

I think there's just one layer of plasterboard at the moment as far as I can see. I'm going to have to take some of it off anyway as there are two "punch" holes at either end at the moment, so will investigage further before repair.

I'll also look into the red oxide paint at the same time.

Kind regards

ukwoody

I have never ever heard of an RSJ directly causing a smell, and red oxide paint would have little or no effect on that. Whilst no harm would be done, I also cannot really see the point in now painting it. It should not be getting anywhere near wet enough to be rusting, and if anywhere should be primed it would be the ends now buried in the brickwork.

woody