Painting the apartment dangers?

[lmk1]

Not sure where to put this...but looking for any advice.
I'm about a month from my due date, and we live in very sunny and humid Florida. About a month or 2 ago, the A/C in our condo stopped working while we were traveling and we came back to mold on the walls, in closets, etc. I can't seem to get rid of it now no matter how much bleach we're using to wash the walls, and I'm very concerned on the effect on the newborn.
So, I'm having a painter come in and repaint most of the condo. He's suggested using an oil primer, and someone else suggested using this one: Kilz Oil Base Primer. I am wondering if there's a danger from lingering fumes, etc?
I can stay at my Mom's while the painting is going on...but not when the baby is going to be born, because my brother's family will be visiting and they will stay with her for 3 or 4 weeks. I don't know what's worse...the mold or the oil primer?

[Kelly1101]

I'd say the mold is worse than anything.

I'm confused about the paint, though. Is it a situation of, you have oil paint on the walls, and want to do the re-paint in latex? Or you want to do the re-paint in Oil?

If the former, I'd just stay away while the painting is being done (which really shouldn't take THAT long), make sure that the place is being well ventilated. I wouldn't be that worried about lingering fumes after the paint is done and dry and the place has been aired out.

If the latter, I'd see if you can't get the repaint in latex rather than oil, just because oil is a pain.


I'm not an expert on paint, but my husband is (what he does for a living). I'll ask him when he gets home. But for what it's worth, he just put a coat of latex paint in the nursery. He opened the windows and turned on a fan while he was painting, and while the paint was drying, and kept the door closed. But the next day when the paint was dry and you couldn't smell it, he said it was fine for me and the baby to go in (I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have a 14-month-old).


So basically-- ventilate-- see if you can't get the repaint in latex unless there is a good reason to use oil-- and be much more concerned about the mold than the paint. Has someone who is an expert in mold damage looked at it?

[lmk1]

Originally Posted by Kelly1101

I'd say the mold is worse than anything.

I'm confused about the paint, though. Is it a situation of, you have oil paint on the walls, and want to do the re-paint in latex? Or you want to do the re-paint in Oil?

If the former, I'd just stay away while the painting is being done (which really shouldn't take THAT long), make sure that the place is being well ventilated. I wouldn't be that worried about lingering fumes after the paint is done and dry and the place has been aired out.

If the latter, I'd see if you can't get the repaint in latex rather than oil, just because oil is a pain.


I'm not an expert on paint, but my husband is (what he does for a living). I'll ask him when he gets home. But for what it's worth, he just put a coat of latex paint in the nursery. He opened the windows and turned on a fan while he was painting, and while the paint was drying, and kept the door closed. But the next day when the paint was dry and you couldn't smell it, he said it was fine for me and the baby to go in (I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have a 14-month-old).


So basically-- ventilate-- see if you can't get the repaint in latex unless there is a good reason to use oil-- and be much more concerned about the mold than the paint. Has someone who is an expert in mold damage looked at it?

I am not sure if the painter wanted to use oil paint or latex paint (he said flat paint), but he does want to use oil primer because it's better for controlling mold? The other concern with ventilation is that I don't think this painter has a real commercial fan...I could get one from my mom, but it's not a big fan...and use that together with open windows/doors.
I was looking for information on the Kilz oil primer, and on one website someone mentioned headaches for 3 weeks after using it...so that worried me! Not sure if it's because the fumes are lingering for 3 weeks or because of initial overexposure.

I haven't had any mold companies out here. I'm waiting for the A/C guy to come and clean out the A/C, but pretty much everyone in my building has mold issues...it's just an older building with older plumbing that's always problematic as far as condensation and mold. I'm really planning on leaving within a few months, but meanwhile, am worried about the effect on the baby.

[PoppyMama]

Can you get a used dehumidifier and then sell it when you move? That might help to dry the paint a pull fumes out faster and keep the mold down while you're still there.

[lmk1]

Originally Posted by PoppyMama

Can you get a used dehumidifier and then sell it when you move? That might help to dry the paint a pull fumes out faster and keep the mold down while you're still there.

Thanks...yes. I actually have one dehumidifier and just ordered a 2nd one. The first one is so loud, it wakes me up when it comes on. But that's a good idea to run them both when the painting is going on.

[slgt]

Definitely stay away while the painter is putting down the Kilz oil primer - it will be very fumey (VOCs - volatile organic compounds) while he's applying it, and for several days afterwards even with ventilation. Ask him to finish with a low-VOC latex paint, these are the least toxic & will not stink for months. Normal paint will offgas noticeably for several weeks, and continue for up to several months. The dehumidifier is a great idea.

FWIW, we did a bunch of research when I was pregnant with my DD b/c DH is a boat builder. I read several studies that referenced children of men who were in the trades who spent a lot of time doing either finish work or painting work (varnish, polyurethane, paint, etc.) had higher levels of certain chemicals in their blood - due to a combo of the dust & the fumes that their fathers/non-pregnant parent brought home.

[finnegansmom]

Benjamin Moore makes a line of paint called Natura which is no VOC...
we used it in our new house, it didn't smell like paint or fumey at all.
we also aired out the rooms for a bit before we moved stuff in (especially the kids' rooms).

[lmk1]

Originally Posted by slgt

Definitely stay away while the painter is putting down the Kilz oil primer - it will be very fumey (VOCs - volatile organic compounds) while he's applying it, and for several days afterwards even with ventilation. Ask him to finish with a low-VOC latex paint, these are the least toxic & will not stink for months. Normal paint will offgas noticeably for several weeks, and continue for up to several months. The dehumidifier is a great idea.

FWIW, we did a bunch of research when I was pregnant with my DD b/c DH is a boat builder. I read several studies that referenced children of men who were in the trades who spent a lot of time doing either finish work or painting work (varnish, polyurethane, paint, etc.) had higher levels of certain chemicals in their blood - due to a combo of the dust & the fumes that their fathers/non-pregnant parent brought home.

I'll talk to the painter about the finishing paint to find out what he's going to use. I am concerned about the off-gassing. I think I read that study too when I was pregnant with ds1, and dh insisted that we finish our basement...we weren't in Florida then though, and we got our basement waterproofed, so I don't even know what primer we used. I did ask my OB at that time about the latex paint, and she said it was safe.

[aikigypsy]

I used Mythic paint in our house. It's expensive, but it's VOC-free and non-toxic, and is also supposed to be mold-proof. For me, it was worth the extra money because I could do the work myself and so that more than made up for the extra cost. It's worth checking out.

[NorthernPixie]

The Kilz stuff smells really really bad. Really bad. But it is the only thing out there (that I'm aware of) that will stop mold from coming through the new paint. There's also a product you can wash the walls with called...something with three initials/letters that comes in a carton like for milk and is a white powder that you mix with water. You shouldn't use it, but somebody else could. Paint stores should have it.

I'd try the washing powder first, then do as much as you can to ventilate while applying the Kilz (it's the same stuff that is used to paint over knots on bare wood to stop them bleeding through), and then finish with the Benjamin Moore Natura no VOC paint. It's great stuff. Costs a fortune but definitely worth it, almost no smell even while you're painting with it. They now have it in every colour because their tints are no VOC as well (other companies, and the Aura line of Benjamin Moore used to only do light colours because the tints were regular VOC, and if you got into dark colours you used so much tint it negated the difference in the paint, but thankfully they've fixed that problem!).

ETA: It's called TCP --- I was thinking TVP for a while, but that would be textured vegetable protein instead

[fancyoats]

i'm not an expert in painting houses, but i was a painting major in college and if you are using an oil-based primer (which is sounds like the kilz stuff is) then you pretty much have to use oil-based paint over it and forever after. the latex won't stick over top of oil-based paint (i.e., it will end up peeling much much faster than it otherwise would), but oil-based paint will stick just fine over latex. just something to think about.

[fancyoats]

Originally Posted by NorthernPixie

The Kilz stuff smells really really bad. Really bad. But it is the only thing out there (that I'm aware of) that will stop mold from coming through the new paint. There's also a product you can wash the walls with called...something with three initials/letters that comes in a carton like for milk and is a white powder that you mix with water. You shouldn't use it, but somebody else could. Paint stores should have it.

I'd try the washing powder first, then do as much as you can to ventilate while applying the Kilz (it's the same stuff that is used to paint over knots on bare wood to stop them bleeding through), and then finish with the Benjamin Moore Natura no VOC paint. It's great stuff. Costs a fortune but definitely worth it, almost no smell even while you're painting with it. They now have it in every colour because their tints are no VOC as well (other companies, and the Aura line of Benjamin Moore used to only do light colours because the tints were regular VOC, and if you got into dark colours you used so much tint it negated the difference in the paint, but thankfully they've fixed that problem!).

ETA: It's called TCP --- I was thinking TVP for a while, but that would be textured vegetable protein instead

i think you are thinking of TSP, short for tri-sodium phosphate.

[Bia]

I'm sorry you have to deal with this!
Do some research on Borax killing mold. Bleach doesn't, that's a myth... I found this out when I had a mold problem inside a bathroom wall. I used Borax and the mold never came back. Maybe if you use the Borax, you can then use no-VOC paint, without having to use the off-gassing primer at all? Borax is safe for humans, but if you have pets, you have to be very careful that they don't ingest it (or get any on their fur that they then lick off).

[lmk1]

I'm very confused now. I've had the painter, some maintenance company folks, and now the A/C guy come and look at my apt. The painter said I should get the A/C cleaned out, because the ceiling right where the vent is one of the problem areas. The maintenance people said I should keep the A/C at 78 degrees so there's not so much differential between the outside and inside temp. The A/C guy said not to waste money cleaning the A/C (we actually had all the vents cleaned 6 months ago) and to keep the A/C below 70 degrees. They suggested the dehumidifier too and thought that would resolve all the problems. So, I don't know what it is I have...mold or mildew or both? I remodeled the place completely 3 or 4 years ago and didn't have any issues until 2 months ago when the A/C wasn't working in the entire building for a week, and no one was here. I'm very hesitant to use an oil based primer and be stuck with using oil based paint forever as fancyoats suggested. I really just want something that will work for the next 3 months or so, because this place is really too small (one br) for 2 adults/2 kids. I'd move out now, but dh is looking for a job, and I don't know if we'll end up living in Florida or not, so I can't just sign a lease for a year and move to another place here.
Also, in looking at some of these No VOC paints, can they match to an existing paint color? I think we got the paint originally from Home Depot, and I really want the painter to start ASAP, because who knows I could go into labor in a week or 2 (I'm at almost 36 weeks pg now). So, I'm looking for some solution that will work now and quickly. I'm tempted to just use Kilz 2 (which is water based) and just the same paint...and hope that with the 2nd dehumidifier we won't have any problems until we move somewhere.

Now, is Borax - boric acid? That's what's used for killing cockroaches, no? Isn't boric acid toxic to people? I don't have any pets, just a toddler who puts his hands everywhere...

[jenifera2]

You are getting conflicting opinions, but I don't think I'd put much stock in the advice of a house painter or a maintenance person regarding what to do with your A/C - that's not their area of expertise.

And none of them will be able to really tell you what you've got on your walls, but there are mold experts who can. Mold testing is not necessarily cheap, but different types of mold require different types of remediation. If you want to be sure that whatever you do works once and for all, talk with a mold expert before getting started.

If you just want to get through the next few months and not bother with what happens later (which might be the best choice given the age and quality of the building as you described it), then your current path of Kilz and paint might be fine. In that case, I'd talk to the painter about mixing oil primer with latex paint and whether or not that will work.

Keep in mind, too, that if you don't kill the mold/mildew, priming it with anything will be a waste. Kilz will cover the stains left behind (and a latex version should be fine), but if the mold is still living, it will continue to be a problem.

[Virginia884]

Lowe's sells a line of low-cost no-VOC paint that we used all over our house. Olympic? It didn't smell bad when painting and the smell was totally gone in a day or two. Good luck!

[BlackSheepPDX]

When you get to the painting part, I highly recommend a zero VOC paint. I would use them pregnant or not. They're very good, and there's just no good reason to expose your self to that stuff at all.

However, before painting, I really think you need to deal with abating the source of the mold. Just painting over it is not effective, and potentially creates a further health hazard. Not to mention, I don't know what the rules are in FL, but mold can become a serious disclosure issue when it comes time to sell, which it sounds like you're considering soon. It's spendy, but the best answer would be to get a company in to inspect the mold and specifically recommend a solution. Here in OR, we used a company who specialized in it to do inspections on a property we were buying that had a known moisture and mold issue.