High VOC paint on banister - how to paint over

[Mel83]

Hi, newbie here. I decided to paint my banister black and have keyed prev paint and done one coat of Johnstones Matt black wood and metal paint yesterday morning. It looks nice but I stupidly didn’t check The type of paint - it’s solvent and has high VOC. House is well ventilated but the paint stinks and I feel headachey and sick - can’t bear to do the second coat and my children will be back in the house in a couple of days and I don’t want them to have to breathe this in.
Can I just lightly sand now and then apply a water based black coat or two on top? Any recommendations for which paint to use? Thank you

 

[Millwright]

If you sand now you'll just move the skin of paint, it won't have cured and won't have done for a while. Leave it, let it dry, don't worry about it.

Exactly which paint is it? I'd like to check the datasheet as for years paints been low VOC.

 

[opps]

High VOC doesn't mean harmful to heath. It means bad for the environment.

I occasionally use two pack isocyanate based paints. According to the Health and Safety Executive, they have been known to trigger asthma in people that had never previously had asthma. That class of paint is not considered to high in VOCs.

Some people are more sensitive to paint smells than others. It doesn't follow that the paint is harming you though.

At a guess you used the following, which is indeed oil based

Matt Paint for Wood & Metal

Matt Black Paint for wood and metal is a high-opacity, non-reflective matt finish for use on interior wood and metal surfaces. Suitable for use on beams, paneling, doors, decorative ironwork, stage scenery, dark rooms and blackboards.

www.johnstonespaint.com

As per @Millwright 's post, you can't do much at the moment. It is too soft to sand back. You can't (read: shouldn't) use water based paints over it yet because it will reject the water based paints.

I can only advise that you wait a few days, and then if you want to use waterbased, go for it.

Water based on bannisters is fine. Water based on handrails is fine, if no one ever touches the handrail.

Waterbased paints become incredibly soft in high traffic areas because of the oils in peoples' skin.

Regrettably, there is no perfect product.

2 packs paints are extremely durable and will not discolour, but you cannot use them in a property that is occupied.

Oil based, pretty durable, but may stink.

Waterbased, typically less smelly, faster drying, but less resilient than both of the above

 

[Mel83]

Thank you both. Yes it’s the paint you have found Opps. it’s 300g /1 VOc which is I believe it’s the max allowed? As well as bad for the environment they can cause short term (and long term if enough exposure) health side effects. It’s definitely making me feel ill so I must be sensitive to it and I’ve had the doors and windows open for two days all day long - if I could leave it as is, I would but it definitely needs another coat (or wait a few days and sand and paint over with water based) perhaps I can persuade my other half to do the second coat and I can book myself into a hotel

 

[opps]

I suspect that the long term effects that you have encountered through your web searches are not quite the same as you sleeping in a house where 1L of oil based paint was used.

That said, you are clearly sensitive to the paint and, yes it makes sense to go for water based.

I would however recommend waiting a few weeks before applying a water based coat over the top. Oil based paints take about 6 weeks to cure fully. That is how long it takes them to completely release all/most of the solvents. If you apply waterbased paints too quickly, you may end up with fisheyes.

Fisheyes are a little pools in paint where the paint pulls itself away from a spot. The paint kinda creates little void craters.

 

[JohnD]

yesterday morning

Give it longer.

Painting over it will not take the solvents away. If (and only if) it slows down their escape, the effect will mean that they escape more slowly and the smell lasts longer.

Continue with the ventilation.

Opening the loft hatch is very effective at ventilating a stairwell. If there is a door or window open downstairs, the air will be sucked up and away through the eaves. It is very noticeable on a sunny day.

 

[Lower]

Thank you both. Yes it’s the paint you have found Opps. it’s 300g /1 VOc which is I believe it’s the max allowed? As well as bad for the environment they can cause short term (and long term if enough exposure) health side effects. It’s definitely making me feel ill so I must be sensitive to it and I’ve had the doors and windows open for two days all day long - if I could leave it as is, I would but it definitely needs another coat (or wait a few days and sand and paint over with water based) perhaps I can persuade my other half to do the second coat and I can book myself into a hotel

The VOC's in paint are the solvent that maintains the paint as a liquid to enable you to apply it. Once the paint has been applied and touch dried, the majority of the solvent/VOC's have evaporated and there is only a very small amount that continues to release as the paint cures. Once the paint has cured, there is no more release of solvent. It only takes a few parts per million of voc's in the air for you to be able to smell it, and that's what it sounds like your sensitive to, some of which is usually phycological, ie if i can smell it it must be dangerous and therefore i feel ill.

There are no isocyanates in single pack, brush applied paint, so no risk there.

I'd bite the bullet, apply the second coat with the house well ventilated, and after a week or so the smell will have gone and you'll have nicely painted, hard wearing banisters.

Water based paint will not be anywhere near as hard wearing as oil based gloss.

 

[opps]

Although I suspect that the release of VOCs is exponential, by which, as @Lower says, means that most flash off as it starts to become touch dry, I did try to find graphs showing the rates.

Rather than finding graphs, I did find the following on the Australian Dulux site

Water-based and oil-based enamel paints | Dulux

Learn the differences between oil-based and water-based paints, their application, handling and clean-up.

www.dulux.com.au

The Australian Dulux seems to be a very different beast to the UK one.

They claim that waterbased paints are superior for exterior woodwork. "[oil based paints have] Poor UV durability(becomes chalky and more faded in short time frame)".

What a bizarre claim.

 

[Lower]

I think Dulux have done the 'compare a brand new, state of the art product with an old fashioned, old tech product' trick to highlight the benefits of water based paint.

 

[opps]

I think Dulux have done the 'compare a brand new, state of the art product with an old fashioned, old tech product' trick to highlight the benefits of water based paint.

Having looked at their product range they don't seem to carry any oil based exterior woodwork paints. That probably explain why they claim that they are inferior.