shelf life for interior paint?

[SOAB]

so the wife had bought some interior kitchen & bath paint for our washroom and then let it sit for a long time (2 years?). she finally got around to doing it.

now when i take a shower, it smells like a dirty shoe?? this only happens when it gets humid in there.

will this new paint need to be stripped off or can we just paint right over it with some fresh stuff?

[n1zm0]

look at the brand, check the website (hopefully they have one) for MSDS sheets (everyone took whmis in high school right?), they will tell you the shelf life for sure

[SOAB]

hmm... good suggestion. didn't even think of that.

high school was over 15 years ago for me. haha. i don't think they taught whmis back then.

[Masked Bandit]

If the paint had gone bad you would've known the second you opened the can. It would've smelled like rotten eggs, not paint. I'm also guessing that when you opened the can, you stirred it back up? If it was bad, it wouldn't have mixed worth a shit. Generally speaking, if kept inside (not in the garage) it should be good for four or five years.

[sxtothe240]

keep the fan on and air it out.

[lint]

If the paint was stored inside it should be fine. If it was outside in a shed or garage, it might be bad.

But if it only smells like funk when you're in the shower... maybe it's not the paint

[Frankie4Fingers]

Paint is fine to sit inside a house for two years but never store it in the garage! Once it hits winter your paint will go bad unless you have a heated garage. You could paint over it with a odour blocking primer such as oil based kilz, if it is the smell is coming from the paint however..

[SOAB]

it was stored inside and yeah, it mixed up again just fine.

i'm not sure what that smell is. it was never there before.

the paint was left to dry for a couple days before we used that washroom again so i'm sure it is dry.

[lint]

sounds like a mildew problem. Use TSP and scrub down all the surfaces and see if that helps.

[ZorroAMG]

New diet? Avoid pooing in the shower, that may help.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
New diet? Avoid pooing in the shower, that may help.

but thats how i multi-task. i save on toilet paper that way

mildew sound like its plausable but then why didn't it smell before she painted?

[ZorroAMG]

Maybe the mildew was minor, then sealing it with paint, combined with new paint fumes.....dunno....

[Kloubek]

I know when I repainted my bathroom and had a shower, the warmth (and possibly humidity) made it smell a bit.... though it was for sure not as bad as you are describing.

I kinda doubt that the paint was bad, or as has already been said, it would not have mixed properly.

It's probably just smelly paint that you need to let cure fully.

Otherwise, as has also been said, you can paint over it with a sealer. However, I suspect that simply painting right over it with another paint will seal it enough....

[masoncgy]

I opened a can of paint that was in storage for over 5 years the other day... gave it a real good stir, got out the brush, and completed my project... paint is 100% perfect.