[house update over due]

We hired a licensed drywall person, they came in and took off all the popcorn ceiling and fixed any blemishes that needed to be done, then sprayed/knocked down painted with primer and paint. Happy with the results, except.............

The day they sprayed the ceiling with knock down we stopped home and the smell was nasty but my husband said that it would dry and go away. Well its been a week and my kids and other people have stopped and said it smells like vomit when you walk in. In my google research it says it could be a bacteria or mold from bad/old mud. Ive been told they can repaint with a mold and order killer?????
Can anyone tell us if this is the correct way to take care of this? I don't want a band-aide fix or some kind of bacteria or mold to continue to grow. Thanks for the help.

 

[APT-CO]

This happened to us on a job a long time ago. We had a back up rig sitting with a little bit of mud in it. It STANK! We learned a few things.
1) empty the tank if it’s going to sit for a while
2) rinse equipment before using again. Some guys use soapy water (scented soaps) to help eliminate odor. Add a little bleach to kill any bacteria in tank or hoses.
3) Kilz primer also helped with eliminating odor.
It could also be the texture guys got a bad batch of material. Rarely happens but it does happen. Texture mud is usually a powder which is then mixed with water to its desired consistency. I had a batch that shrunk, dried super fast and then it would separate the water from the mud if the mixer wasn’t on

 

[house update over due]

This happened to us on a job a long time ago. We had a back up rig sitting with a little bit of mud in it. It STANK! We learned a few things.
1) empty the tank if it’s going to sit for a while
2) rinse equipment before using again. Some guys use soapy water (scented soaps) to help eliminate odor. Add a little bleach to kill any bacteria in tank or hoses.
3) Kilz primer also helped with eliminating odor.
It could also be the texture guys got a bad batch of material. Rarely happens but it does happen. Texture mud is usually a powder which is then mixed with water to its desired consistency. I had a batch that shrunk, dried super fast and then it would separate the water from the mud if the mixer wasn’t on

so which is the better option - to paint with kilz or to have it removed and redone? Will this haunt us later? Will there always be a slight smell?

 

[APT-CO]

I would try the kilz first. They should have an odor and stain blocker specific formula. Ask your contractor to stop by while the smell is still present. If kilz doesn’t work I would just gut it and start from scratch.

 

[Shelwyn]

Did you hire a properly licensed contractor? What he use to spray the knock down a towable spray rig or a portable machine?

He's gonna have to fix it but whether he'll get compensation for this will depend on if it was his unwashed equipment a problem with the materials and so on.

Anyway call him tell him something went wrong. You need to be firm but don't mention a lawsuit or anything so the relationship doesn't get hostile. He just needs to fix it plain and simple.

Also are you absolutely sure it's the drywall? You didn't mop with dirty water or maybe something died in the attic? Just cover all your bases.

 

[Muddobber]

This sounds definitely like soured mud. If it sits to long without use it will “stink”. Especially in summer months. When the texture was mixed they no doubt smelled the “stink”. A knockdown will have to be painted. Have painter use Kilz or Zinsser sealer as a prime coat. That should take care of problem. Your drywaller should compensate for material cost if he’s honest.

 

[picks drywall]

i agree sounds like rotten mud. it will turn black and smell like rotten eggs.

old popcorn story
i was working for a company when i first started. we were at a remodel in the country. the home didnt have water that day from a well problem. the boss made us go to the pond and get water. oh boy was that a mistake. lmao. he got call a few days later and said the popcorn turned green. it had an algae bloom from the pond water. what a mess that was.

i hope the kilz fixes your problem.

 

[Shelwyn]

Lmao we've gotten pond water before LOL

I've never even considered an algae bloom before LOL

 

[jmcguyer]

We are in similar situation. Did the odor sealer work? We are considering using BIN shellac sealer but want to know if it will work or not. Walls were spray textured October 19 and day of, the smell was horrid- pungent vomit/dog feces/cat urine. Smell dissipated some but is still there now two months later. They sprayed one coat of primer but that did nothing for the smell. The weird thing is that if you smell the walls they don’t stink. It’s just the room itself. We’ve cleaned the a/c coils and ducts and looked for water in the lines. Plumber said the smell is not sewer related. It started the day they textured which was two-three weeks after drywall was hung. please help!

 

[Mjaw]

We are in similar situation. Did the odor sealer work? We are considering using BIN shellac sealer but want to know if it will work or not. Walls were spray textured October 19 and day of, the smell was horrid- pungent vomit/dog feces/cat urine. Smell dissipated some but is still there now two months later. They sprayed one coat of primer but that did nothing for the smell. The weird thing is that if you smell the walls they don’t stink. It’s just the room itself. We’ve cleaned the a/c coils and ducts and looked for water in the lines. Plumber said the smell is not sewer related. It started the day they textured which was two-three weeks after drywall was hung. please help!

Try some oder absorbors , thats pretty crazy. Maybe a ozone machine, but read directions b4 using it.