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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to hope that the horrible smell from my Valspar paint is going to fade...

12 replies

blueberryporridge · 18/08/2018 12:05

... or do I just face up now to having to strip all the walls and ceiling of my bedroom and start again?

That's it really. Painter finished re-decorating our bedroom three weeks ago using specially-mixed Valspar paint from B&Q. Cue horrible smell of cat's urine (we don't have cats) through most of our house. Smell has since faded a bit but comes and goes, especially when it is sunny (bedroom has a large bay window and gets sun in the afternoon). Strong enough to make the inside of your nose smart sometimes.

Can't really face the thought of having to start again (either with decorator or doing it myself) but we can't use our bedroom till the smell goes and I am getting really fed up.

Looking at threads on the internet about this, people seem to be saying that the smell keeps coming back even once the Valspar paint is sealed and repainted with something else. I was planning stripping the newly-papered and painted walls and starting from scratch again.

However, does anyone have experience of the smell just going away after a while, and, if so, how long did it take (clutching at straws here...)?

OP posts:
DolorestheNewt · 18/08/2018 12:06

Crikey! Was looking at Valspar too. Absolutely not using it if it's smelly. Watching with interest!

Angie169 · 18/08/2018 12:32

I am not using valspar but I am painting using a paint for melamine which has a very high VOC . it's given a instant headache Hmm

MairyHole · 18/08/2018 12:34

We used it and never suffered with a smell beyond the initial painty smell, but it's awful quality and I won't use it again.

BarbaraofSevillle · 18/08/2018 12:36

Is this paint you've just bought. There was a thing a few months about this, but I thought they'd sorted it.

Here it says people have been compensated for the cost of stripping the paint away and the cost of redecorating, but that was over a year ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40655163

StrongerThanIThought76 · 18/08/2018 12:43

My friend had this issue 12m ago. Complain to B&Q - they got the funds to re-seal the wall and have it professionally redecorated.

ChipsAndKetchup · 18/08/2018 12:53

We had this issue. It stank of piss. We complained and got given £250 to cover the cost of redecorating.

We kept the money and decided to wait and I'm glad we did because the smell has gone mostly but on days when I have the window open it seems to make it worse.

Hang in there is my advice but do complain and get some compo.

FurryScoob · 18/08/2018 12:53

I painted 2 rooms with it 6 months ago, there’s still a lingering smell but not like cat pee more wet paint. The dried paints horrendous though, it still feels tacky & any moths that have landed on it over the summer have got there wings stuck & left a massive mess. Wouldn’t recommend it or use it ever again.

didyouseetheflaresinthesky · 18/08/2018 13:09

Valspar shouldn't smell, there was an issue with a dodgy batch a couple years ago but none should still be in circulation. Do you know what base it is? If not, upload a pic of the tin and I'll tell you. If they've still got any they'd be out of date anyway by now. Unless it's the same issue with a new batch.

blueberryporridge · 18/08/2018 13:16

I bought two 5l tins (two different colour mixes) towards the end of July. Both are V700 interior matt ("premium" blend!). Judging from (many) posts on the internet, it's an ongoing problem which doesn't seem to have been sorted out. Wish I had look up internet reviews before I bought the blooming stuff!

It is low VOC paint but apparently the problem is because of bacteria breeding in it.

OP posts:
bulletdodger · 18/08/2018 13:33

I had this but it went after about a month without having to do anything to it - but not after I was convinced that if it wasn't cats pee it was a gas leak and I had them out to check for leaks!!

minicheddars90 · 18/08/2018 13:56

Hi we used Valspar in our spare room last year and it smelt terrible for months when it was hot and sunny but we couldn't bring ourselves to redecorate.

But this year even in the heat wave we haven't really noticed it, so hoping it's gone for good now

blueberryporridge · 18/08/2018 18:57

Thanks all, especially bulletdodger and minicheddars for giving me some hope!

So frustrating that B&Q continue to sell this stuff when they know there are problems with it.

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