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

[margo123]

How do I get rid of paint fumes, we are decorating our kitchen and the fumes from the paint is so strong, both my husband and myself are suffering headaches.

[stoneyboy]

margo123,
Use water based paint.
end

[theshedman]

Hi margo, sounds like you are having trouble with this kitchen. Where are the fumes coming from, is it the units, walls or woodwork. If it's the woodwork and you are using traditional Gloss and undercoat then the fumes will go after you have put the gloss on. It should be the same for the units. As for the walls are you using kitchen emulsion or proper eggshell paint as some people use. If it is eggshell that stuff smells fairly bad and some people say if you place a couple of onions cut in half around the kitchen it will help the smell to go faster. They absorb the smell. Worth a try. Make sure that all windows and doors are open as well as this will help.

[margo123]

the shedman
Thanks for that, the fumes are a little better than they were, we are doing this kitchen over a matter of weeks rather that days and so each time we do more then the paint gives off the odour. I supose we will not notice it so much as time goes on but we will give the onion idea a go.