New paint stinks! Please HELP.

I have recently had 3 bedrooms re-plastered and painted with paints I bought from B&Q, but the paint stinks! I then did a quick search, (which I should have done before buying the paint), it turns out there are so many reviews with people complaining the smell, which being described as cat urine smell…

It’s been painted 3-4 weeks and still have strong smell, I keep the windows open all day only close at night, but the smell is still there, sometime lighter sometime stronger but I can always smell it from another room if the doors are not closed. I am now seriously concerning about health and definitely will not live with it.

I don't want to cover it up with other paint as the smell may still slowly come out of the new paint layer, I would like to totally remove the paint then repaint, with a different brand of course.

What would be the best method to remove the paint? I was thinking to sand them down but my builder said it’s too much work and he would not consider doing it. I know there’s a steaming machine to remove wall paper but will this remove the paint too? Looking for some advice on the best/cost effective method. Please HELP!

PS: is it possible to have professionals to come to test whether the smell causes any health issue? I ‘m still looking for my receipts so I can take this up with B&Q, I think this paint should not be sold on the market, can’t understand how they can get away selling it at B&Q…

What sort of paint is it?

endecotp said:

What sort of paint is it?

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mixed valspar from BQ...

Pursue B&Q for your money back and the cost to put it right. You can't really remove the paint. I would put a coat or two of zinsser coverstain as it blocks smells, they recommend it over smoke damage so i'm sure it would work in your situation.

dcdec said:

Pursue B&Q for your money back and the cost to put it right. You can't really remove the paint. I would put a coat or two of zinsser coverstain as it blocks smells, they recommend it over smoke damage so i'm sure it would work in your situation.

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Thanks, I 'll look into the zinsser. My current preference would be totally remove the paint from wall, might be a lot more expensive but get rid of it forever is what I wanted, getting some local sander for a quote.

Do as dcdec suggests and you should be fine. Although it's Zinsser B-I-N that is recommended for odour blocking, Coverstain does a good job of it too, and B-I-N can be very difficult to work with. Stripping the paint away, especially if it has been applied correctly, will be nothing short of a nightmare and you'll end up with walls that look rough, meaning another re-skim might be required.

B & Q now accept that there is a problem with Valspar Paints ( they are the only stockists for this brand) it is due to the lack of a type of bleach in the product that creates the smell.
Suggest you contact your Branch of B n Q do you still have the receipts or any cans of the Paint left it

yeah, they offer compensation, so get claiming.

The BBC Article detailing the problem with Valspar Paints is here dated 19July2017:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40655163

The BBC article in very quick summary -
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Tighter restrictions on what preservatives can be used now makes paint more susceptible to bacterial growth whilst in the can.
It is a well known issue in the paint industry.
Valspar says the problem was caused by a preservative being removed from some of its paint. It has now re-added a preservative.
Without a preservative in the paint bacteria can grow in the can and release hydrogen sulphide gas which is the bad egg small, and ammonia which is the urine smell.
If the smell is present after painting, an Alkali sealant painted over the Valspar Paint should break down hydrogen sulphide so it shouldn't smell as much.
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sfk

Well known problem there is a massive thread running to 18 pages on a an other DIY site!