Strange old paint smell

[fragola]

I moved into a new house in September and noticed that one of the rooms had a strange smell which wouldn’t go away, despite keeping the windows open. I can’t really describe what the smell is like as I’ve never smelt anything like it before. I thought it might be the carpets, but it was still there after I removed them.

In October I stripped off the wallpaper… and the smell got much much worse. It seems to be the paint that’s on the walls. It looks pretty old (from the shade of blue I’m thinking maybe 1950’s, although it could be anything up to mid eighties), it’s opaque and has a slight sheen. On one part of the wall, it looks like someone has tried to remove it (unsuccessfully) and there is old yellow distemper underneath.

My question is that I am planning to get the room skimmed, do you think this will block out the smell (the wall paper didn’t!), or will I be better off trying to get the paint off first?

Also, has anyone any idea what the paint could be? I’ve done up a fair few old houses and never come across anything that smells like this or that sticks around so long – I’ve had the windows open in the room since October and it just hangs on in there!

Thanks!

 

[joe-90]

I suggest you look elsewhere for the odour (such as damp). In order to smell there must be particles given off that your nose can detect. In paint it just can't give off any particles once the paint has dried for a day or two. There's no way that can happen decades later.