industrial ceiling oil paint and off-gassing (help!)

noodles123

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My sister is coming to visit my parents in late July--I HAVE to be there because it's complicated..VERY complicated (and that means the bird has to come)...and we are talking world war 3 and 4 if I don't.
My mom has an old ceiling that needs to be resurfaced because there was a leak.
Painter wants to use oil paint as a base + a LOW VOC paint on top of that.

I voiced extreme concern about this and my mom is going to see if there is a no VOC top-coat, but even so, would that be safe? Oil is so freaking risky in my opinion and low VOC isn't free of VOCS....There wouldn't be a lot of time between now and late July and it is a pretty large room...

Thoughts???
 
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noodles123

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well, so it can be put off until after the visit- but I am reading that these base paints (wall and ceiling oil + the low voc cover) can off-gas for years....Thoughts?
 

SailBoat

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The terms do not make sense to me, at all!
Paint, whether oil base, water base or others varieties are never used as a 'sealing coat.' Only Primers are used to seal, especially when there has been water damage or seepage with stains.

Venting is everything! As is remembering that this group of 'gasses' rise in the air column, which means they are at first thickest near the ceiling and in upper floors.

In all cases, always use recently manufacturing dated product. Never use primer or paint that is more than two months old! See date code on the paint can! The drying process slows the older the product is. Also, product used on other jobs that has been opened and resealed should not be used as the drying process and depending of the product 'off-gassing' is greatly slowed.

Those products that have extreme 'dry-out' time are only used to seal industrial applications in which the staining chemicals are still active. I can see applications where they could be used for home applications, but they tend to be rare now a days with the vast increase in individuals who are sensitive to such chemicals.
 
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noodles123

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The terms do not make sense to me, at all!
Paint, whether oil base, water base or others varieties are never used as a 'sealing coat.' Only Primers are used to seal, especially when there has been water damage or seepage with stains.

Venting is everything! As is remembering that this group of 'gasses' rise in the air column, which means they are at first thickest near the ceiling and in upper floors.

In all cases, always use recently manufacturing dated product. Never use primer or paint that is more than two months old! See date code on the paint can! The drying process slows the older the product is. Also, product used on other jobs that has been opened and resealed should not be used as the drying process and depending of the product 'off-gassing' is greatly slowed.

Those products that have extreme 'dry-out' time are only used to seal industrial applications in which the staining chemicals are still active. I can see applications where they could be used for home applications, but they tend to be rare now a days with the vast increase in individuals who are sensitive to such chemicals.

Maybe I used the terms wrong--he wants to paint the dry wall with an oil base/waterproof something and then go over that with a low-voc paint.
 

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If there was a water leak, there might be sealers involved and anti-fungal elements too ( to revent mold). Honestly, I would ask if they can put off painting until yours and Noodles visit is over. Always some give and take in family situations, and your concerns are very valid.
 
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noodles123

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If there was a water leak, there might be sealers involved and anti-fungal elements too ( to revent mold). Honestly, I would ask if they can put off painting until yours and Noodles visit is over. Always some give and take in family situations, and your concerns are very valid.

They are going to put it off now (that was decided after I spoke with my mom about the concerns yesterday) but the issue I am concerned about is the long-term impact of an oil-based paint.

The leak came from the roof (which has been repaired) and the room in question has very little that would produce humidity...I know that ideally, one might want to prevent future issues, but fixing the leak should have done that...and if it didn't coating something with a waterproof paint doesn't really solve anything is there is still stuff going on below the surface (which there shouldn't be).
 

SailBoat

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Did not mean to imply that your wording was the issue, only that Paint and Primer are very different in their application. The painter really needs to use a 'primer' first to seal the effected area and to assure adherence of itself and than the paint.

To your question regarding the long term effects of oil base paint /primer: Once fully dried they are fully stable, i.e. those chemicals that release during drying are either gone or no longer active. Since oil based primer and paint 'tend' to create a harder surface with a stronger seal, any concern regarding 'off-gassing' becomes far less a concern than a water based product.

FYI: This Summer in the Great White North is not great for drying paint of any type as the high temperature and more of an issue; the high humidity tend to slow even the fastest drying chemicals. All 'product label' timelines are based on ideal conditions. With 90 degree (F) temperatures with relative humidity levels over 75 percent will add hours /days to the full dry-out time. Anytime that relative humidity reaches into the high 80's and into the 90's can greatly slow drying. Most painters will spot test prior to starting when faced with extreme temps and humidity levels
 
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noodles123

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Hmm...humidity is high there....for sure...How long would you estimate that the primer might take to dry/become stable if oil-based in ideal conditions?
what about humid ones?
 

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