# Bad Smell coming from drywall



## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

When I moved in to my apartment six weeks ago, I painted it, but after the paint smell disappeared, I noticed a strange musty odor which I have been plagued by since. I assumed the paint cause this, and I applied a coat of Zinsser BIN, which did not help. I was getting ready to apply another coat, when out of curiosity, I began to scrape the paint off to expose the drywall.

It seems that when scraping aggressively to loosen paint in areas where it is well-adhered, a yellowish layer of the drywall becomes exposed. When I put my nose to it, this is clearly the smell that has been bothering me. It is like a cigarette smoke odor. 
On the white area of the wall, there isn't any smell. Apparently the white layer is very thin, and if you scrape or sand it, it gets exposed.

Is this normal for drywall? Should I continue to apply the BIN primer to try to seal in this rotten smell? Is it possible, and would 2 coats do the job? 
Thank you!


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

See photo here. You can see the yellowish areas exposed around where the drywall is slightly damaged from sanding/scraping.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Which Bin did you use? The shellac based version will encapsulate that smell. The latex / oil version not so well.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

The shellac version.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Normally BIN would work, but you said it didn't. I think it was a heavy smoker and someone painted over it without cleaning it first to cover the smell and it is bleeding thru. I would try another coat of the BIN. And use it on the whole wall not just to spot prime.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

ToolSeeker said:


> I think it was a heavy smoker and someone painted over it without cleaning it first to cover the smell and it is bleeding thru.


I think that's exactly what happened.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

stevew700 said:


> It seems that when scraping aggressively to loosen paint in areas where it is well-adhered, a yellowish layer of the drywall becomes exposed.


Do you find that the paint over top of the yellowish layer scrapes off easily, or does it appear to be sticking well to that yellowish layer?


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

My brother and his wife's house
New, about 9 yrs., they are the only owners.
The walls started to turn a color similar to that.
Neither smoke.

Could be from burning candles, and condensation.

Kitchens get that way when using a lot of grease.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Simply stated you almost always have to wash any visible crap off walls before you paint.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Another guess might be a small leak behind the drywall and what you are seeing is a water stain and the smell is mold behind the drywall.Really hard to tell just from a pic. What is on the floor above it?


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

I don't know exactly what I've pictured on the wall. Could the yellow stuff be a layer underneath the drywall underneath its chalky white surface? 

I know the odor problem started from my previous application of primer and paint in the living room. I don't know if its bad paint, or if I didn't allow each coat enough time to dry before applying the next one. This is proven because I don't have an odor in the other rooms where I had not painted.

The roof top is above this floor, but like I said, no problems in other rooms.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

I just applied the second coat of BIN ultimate, now its evenly white and looks nice, but the smell has returned, and quickly. 

I read on another thread that someone needed eight coats of BIN for foul odors to be fully contained.

Should I:
1. Apply another layer of BIN. 
2. Apply a different brand
3. Sand the paint layers down to the drywall?

I don't have much faith in BIN as its very watery. I would like to try sanding to get at the root of the problem.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

If you can get it try this https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...ler-ultimate-odor-blocker-1-gal/p-1963133.htm I have been using BIN for problems for years.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Thanks.

Can I sand the paint down to the drywall as well?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I would say no to try and sand down to the drywall it would be really hard to not sand through the drywall paper.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Thank you so much for the help. I am not sure if I have the type of drywall that is white paper-like on top, and cardboard-like underneath. Mine appears to have a chalky white surface and, I think, a yellow layer underneath as you can see pictured, which is being exposed at the scraped edges.

Maybe I can test out sanding or re-binning in a small area in the foyer.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Also how long would I need to wait between applying coats of BIN so that it dries properly?


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

stevew700 said:


> Also how long would I need to wait between applying coats of BIN so that it dries properly?



Sounds like you might have some of that bad Chinese drywall, and the only solution is to do a tear out and replace, have you checked out your wiring for corrosion.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Thanks all , I'll check the wiring this weekend.

It is a really bad feeling to come in to your home and smell the stench. It almost seems like the BIN has made the smell worse. I ventilate with fans now, but that will be difficult as weather gets colder.

Also notice slight headache sensations in the morning, probably after I've been hanging around that smell for some hours. That's why I'm thinking of sanding the walls down to try to remove the offense rather than apply another BIN layer which may not help.

When I sand would I be able to see a certain paint color underneath, and stop when that that layer is removed?


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## 78Vette (Nov 25, 2009)

Have you considered removing the drywall where the stench is coming from? You can have fresh drywall up and taped before the day is over and be done with it. Even add insulation/vapor barrier if it's a outside wall.
With the smell, time, labor, effort and applying BIN again, and possibly still dealing with this next week, I personally would just replace it.
You mentioned it's a Apartment.....do you owe it or rent? Have you contacted the Landlord about the smell?


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

I rent so I cannot make any modifications. Since the other rooms don't have an odor, this means its my fault for painting, which is discouraged. I will have to solve this on my own.

It's strange that after applying the BIN the original musty smell has now changed to a sweet/sour smell, and a stronger smell at that.

I am interested in sanding the walls, but don't want to risk damage. I also wonder if the BIN clear 'sealer' product would yield better results than the white BIN product.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Do I need to check for asbestos first before sanding?

The instructions / guides here that I've read don't seem to talk about that.


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## stevew700 (Sep 23, 2015)

Good news. The cooler weather has reduced the odor significantly.

I wonder why that is?


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