Hi, looking for some advice, and apologies for long post. Full disclosure, I am a DIY novice and usually mess things up the first time I try to solve a problem. Here is the situation. My wife and I bought our first home just over a year ago. The former occupant smoked heavily in the main bedroom, and even though we washed and repainted ceilings and walls after moving in, there was a faint cigarette smell even a year later. I decided to try and sort the cigarette smell once and for all, and some googling and looking on forums suggested I needed a non-water based primer. I spoke with a local paint shop employee, who recommended BIN cover stain. Did some more googling and it appeared others have used it for this purpose. All seemed good, so I bought and applied a 2.5 litre tin to the ceiling, and some of the walls before running out.
I then googled how long before the oil smell fades, and ended up down a rabit hole about VOCs, and discovered coverstain is teeming with them. The problem is, my wife and I have a 4-month old baby, and now I am afraid to have her in our bedroom. Any advice on how bad this situation is, and steps I can take to solve it? Currently I have not painted over the cover stain, am leaving windows op 24/7 and running an air purifier. My plan is to let it cure for at least a week, before re-priming with a water-based primer (either zinnser bullseye 123+ or the new BIN Aqua), to try an seal in any remaining vocs. Then I will add a final top coat of normal paint. Does this sound like a good strategy? Would 123+ or BIN aqua be better for this purpose? Any advice would be much appreciated. Worst case scenario, we sleep in the pare room until the baby is at least one years old. Then she can share her sister's room (all painting water based).
I then googled how long before the oil smell fades, and ended up down a rabit hole about VOCs, and discovered coverstain is teeming with them. The problem is, my wife and I have a 4-month old baby, and now I am afraid to have her in our bedroom. Any advice on how bad this situation is, and steps I can take to solve it? Currently I have not painted over the cover stain, am leaving windows op 24/7 and running an air purifier. My plan is to let it cure for at least a week, before re-priming with a water-based primer (either zinnser bullseye 123+ or the new BIN Aqua), to try an seal in any remaining vocs. Then I will add a final top coat of normal paint. Does this sound like a good strategy? Would 123+ or BIN aqua be better for this purpose? Any advice would be much appreciated. Worst case scenario, we sleep in the pare room until the baby is at least one years old. Then she can share her sister's room (all painting water based).
