Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 06, 2007 8:24 pm About 6 months ago we had a small wall put in our lounge room. It is wood and plasterboard. It stinks!! We painted over it, we've kept windows open etc but it still smells. It smells like a cat has visited it, but we don't have a cat! It's not getting any better... The paint was brand new. We painted it about 3 weeks after it was done (in summer). There's no moisture getting in and it's not near any plumbing. I'd be thrilled if anyone has any idea what's wrong and whether there is anything we can do to rectify it before I suffocate. Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 2Oct 06, 2007 8:40 pm Hey Cass, just a quick question, are you on stumps or concrete slab? I once had a smell when i bought a house in one particular area.
I began to renovate it before i moved in and one of the tradies that went under the house to fit the ducted heating vents, put his hand into a dead cat. Ohhhhh the words that came out of his mouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't repeat them cause i'm a responsible mum. So my question is, check the subfloor and then check the roo cavityf. You might have a visitor that you might not even know about even in the wall cavity - possibly??? If that isn't the issue, then i'd call the tradie back that did the job, maybe he can look at it? Hope that helps.... Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 3Oct 06, 2007 8:44 pm Hi Phoenix, thanks so much for your reply. We're on a slab - there's a concrete slab above too - so there probably isn't anything dead underneath. We initially thought it might be a strip of old carpet (the guy sat the wall over the carpet) that had rotted but we've pulled it all out thoroughly and there's nothing there now but concrete...any other ideas? C Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 4Oct 06, 2007 9:21 pm Is is possible the plaster used was second hand (so to speak) and had been cat soiled prior to being installed at your house.
It would not be uncommon for offcuts to be used if it was a small wall.. Matt I have reverted to username - mattwalker Carlisle Homes - Grande 43 My building experience is here: http://www.ourgrandeplan.blogspot.com Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 5Oct 06, 2007 10:20 pm Hi Matt, I think that could be the case - the guy we got was retired and doing odd jobs (it's only a small wall)...that said, surely actual cat wee would dry up eventually? This doesn't seem to be getting any less smelly. Do you think if this was the case then I'd have to knock out the wall and have it redone? Thanks for your post. Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 6Oct 06, 2007 10:24 pm Cat wee ... in my experience, never goes away.
I seem to remember an expert here in regards to smells...hopefully they will stumble across this thread and give you an answer... Matt I have reverted to username - mattwalker Carlisle Homes - Grande 43 My building experience is here: http://www.ourgrandeplan.blogspot.com Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 7Oct 07, 2007 4:00 am Cat urine smell always comes back..... because of enzymes/urea crystals or something... especially in humid or wet weather, unless cleaned with the right ingredients.
Dont know if you can get rid of it, especially if it has soaked into the wall, and 'cause you have painted over it. Cat urine shows up under a black light, so if you had one of those you could possibly check. You could try cleaning the wall with white vinegar, it is meant to get rid of cat smells, Bio Z (or is it Bio Zet) is also meant to work, as it is an enzymatic laundry detergent..... but again I dont know if it would work at all as the wall has been painted after the urine... if indeed, that is what it was. Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 8Oct 07, 2007 9:33 am We had a similar problem with our investment property. Called our local vet and explained what was going on and she had a product called "Urine off". Spray it anywhere thats affected and it will break down the crystals. Although its quite costly @ $27.00 for 500mls. It worked well, havnt heard the tenants complaining of any smells
Might want to give that a try? Re: Smelly plaster wall! Help Please!! 9Oct 07, 2007 12:58 pm Thanks for your replies guys. I am going to try the urine off stuff first and the light to see if I can locate it. I did a broader internet search as well and saw some people in America were having a problem with paint, even though that paint was new too. We bought cheap paint from Big W, so if all else fails I might try painting over it again before I take a hammer to it! I read on the internet that someone in America mixed some scent (I think it was caramel) into their paint and it stayed on the wall and apparently smells permanently "like a cake is baking"! Only in America I hear you say...not any more!...ha ha...I'll write again when it is resolved one way or the other, unless anyone comes up with any more ideas. Cheers, Cass Hi, Have used the Dulux 1 step, oil base on my walls(white set), out of can it’s already a more thinner product than a final coat paint Also in water base Water or… 3 5024 yeah i couldnt picture it issue either, but i could clearly picture what they were doing wrong haha 2 5295 Our 6m high Cathedral ceiling has 0 insulation, just plaster, wrap and tiles as far as I can tell. Wife likes the exposed beams, I hate the $600 per month heating bill,… 0 13478 |