This paint stinks!!!! General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[Sand_storm]

Hi All--
I painted my sitting/dining room last July with 4 coats of Crown CoverMatt Emulsion paint over the 3 or so layers of wallpaper that the previous owners had left us. Shortly after, my wife and I noticed a sulfur-type smell (similar to natural gas or propane) coming from the walls when the sun hits them. When winter arrived the smell went away, so we assumed that the smell had just been the paint drying fully. However, now that it is warming up the smell has returned and shows up every time the sun hits the walls. Any idea what is causing this? I'd hate to paint over it if the smell is in the plasterboard or wallpaper underneath. The stink is nearly unbearable! :( :x

[curly]

I opened a cheap tin of "trade" emulsion which had been locked away in our outside bunker for too long. It smelt like sewer methane when I opened it - in fact I thought there was something wrong with the toilet at first. So i sugggest it might be using poor quality out of date paint that might be your problem.

[Stu W]

Hi Sandstorm,

Just come across your problem and I think I have pretty much the same problem - in a brand new house. :x

Moved into our brand new Wimpey house a couple of months ago which was so poorly finished it needed completely redecorating. Painter repainted all walls with Crown Trade Matte Emulsion (magnolia) and everything was fine.

Until the weather warmed up and we opened a window. Then we get the same smell as you describe - a strong gas-like smell. Even had Transco out to check the gas supply which was not the cause and we've checked the drains etc. As yet we can't explain it but we only get the smell with the window open in any room of the house - doesn't seem related to sunlight - but there's absolutely no smell outside the house. Only thing I can think is that the paint is reacting with airborne pollen - shut the windows and after a few hours the smell goes away. I would not have thought this was old paint because of the volume Wimpey would be getting through on large development.

Getting kinda fed up with it now. Anyone got any suggestions?

Stu

[H M]

Hi all, I believe I have the same problem with Crown Matt Emulsion (white). We painted a bedroom 3 weeks ago and developed a strong gas-like smell after a couple of days. Like Stu, we also had Transco out last week as the smell got pretty bad - having read your posts and thought about it I would agree that it does seem worse on warm days. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated as like you said, it can be pretty unbearable some days. Has anyone called Crown? We tried Homebase where the paint was from, but they couldn't help.
HM

[DOLLY]

What a relief I too have had smelly paint problems, it's driving me mad. I know the paint is new because the decorator had to buy it especially. It was Trade matt emulsion by crown :x I,m now trying cut up oranges all over the house, as apposed to the old wives notion of placing sliced onions everywhere!! HELP! Any ideas!!

[H M]

We have now been in touch with Crown regarding this, and last week they sent a courier to pick up the paint. They said they have never heard of this problem but are interested in any reports of problems with their paint. They also said that they are going to 'analyse' what is remaining of the paint we used. Has anyone else contacted them in relation to this?

[Lynette]

Has anyone come up with an answer yet for this or have Crown replied? We have one bedroom painted with this which has exactly the same smell. It was at least reassuring that it was the paint and not the drains - or something worse under the floorboards!!! We have just washed the walls with Milton - will let you know - other than that has anyone repainted?

[Lynette]

Think we may have come across an answer. It seems that if the paint had water added to it and stored for a little time the water can become stagnant - hence the dreadful smell - it will go away eventually we are told - in the meantime we are trying everything to get rid of the smell - it is really pungent at present but even Crown suggested we cut up onions so we are trying that!

[H M]

Crown have now written to us saying that our paint was 'normal' according to their testing. They said that all smells are subjective and recommending ventilation throughout the drying process. However 2 months on with the window always open I think that idea has run its course. They did also give us a voucher for another tin of paint - ironic really as we will not be using Crown paint again. We will be writing back to Crown as we're not satisfied with their explanations and will let you know how we get on. Has anyone tried painting over with another brand?

[Katy]

Hi, I think we may have a similar problem. Although it's only been four days since the hall was painted in Crown matt emulsion I'm starting to worry that the smell of drains will never go away (my husband describes it as the smell of ammonia).

I noticed that Lynette was going to try milton - did it work?

[Stu W]

Hi everyone,

Well, we still have the smell.

The Crown rep visited and couldn't help. Crown referred the issue to a consultant working for them and he came round and told us it was because the house was damp, which I don't believe is relevant. Nevertheless, we've had an industrial dehumidifier running in our hall for a couple of months now and the house still smells as soon as we open a window. When the consultant visited he took paint samples and some 6 weeks later, we got a letter to say the paint was fine.

So, we're no further forward and Wimpey are now going to cut a section of wall out and send it for analysis. Nevertheless, after reading about others having this problem, I'm more inclined to think that it's the paint reacting with something in wall.

Has anyone else had any success in getting rid of the smell?

H M - any chance you could let us know exactly what the letter from Crown said (including the name and position of the person who signed it)and what batch number of paint you had??

Regards,

Stu

[kekec]

Same proble mwith Crown matt emulsion - funnt they actually call it 'Breatheasy', batch number on lid of 5l tin = P054703088

have anyone solved this yet, painted over with another paint?

[kekec]

just sent email to Crown, will let you know their response, will not let this go away as 4 month old baby and his sister are soon back from their holidays, may contact Wachdog or simmilar people to get to the bottom of this. Must be that paint is reacting with something and that they just do not admit it. Well, I am from the law background....

[kekec]

Got a call from Crown today, very polite but useless, telling me to use onion.....asked how did they sorted other customers simmilar problem with their paint and was told that this is client confidentiality and crap...we are not talking about bank accounts, are we??? They offered another tin of paint, which I politely refused, than told me to use oil based primer (??) which again I refused. What i do want is to know why is the smell forming and to know if I paint over (obviously with other brand paint) will the smell go away, but to no avail.

So fellow sufferers of Crown emulsion smell, has anyone painted over and got rid of the problem or any other solution, like Milton???

[Stu W]

We finally got a result from Crown 'scientific tests', verified by an outside lab apparently - from a sample of paint taken from the remainder of a tub left for us by our builders' decorators. It would seem it is all fine - although there was evidence of water added. The builders say this was added during crown's tests, but actually the Crown letter (copied to us)does not say antything about this merely that water had been added. All are convinced the smell is due to the house drying out. But 40+ days of an industrial dehumidifier running 24/7 (joy - not!) -installed by the builders to sort a known high level of damp out (apparently caused by the concrete screed absorbing rainwater during the build) - and we are still getting the gassy smell. Builder's sent a rep to 'experience' it one day when we reported it, but they were a smoker who was chewing minty gum at the time. Unsurprisingly all we could smell while he was here was mint and cigarettes!!
Obviously now the weather is cooler we get it less as we tend to have the windows open less. The builders take this as evidence that the smell is diminishing thus reinforcing the drying out theory. we are not convinced.
Interested to know if anyone has painted over and had any success. Running out of any other ideas. We too have small children in the house (2.5y and 7 mth now) - need to get to bottom of this.
We've also considered watchdog. Need a strong case though and this thread is the only reassurance we are not imagining it at the moment!