I hate you and your paint.
I have never ever in my history of painting rooms had anything smell as bad and as toxic as your brand of Valspar paint. I thought it was supposed to be low VOCs and environmentally friendly (that's what your commercials and the Valspar website claims, anyways). I was afraid that I was going to fall off of my ladder because I was so dizzy from the fumes. My head was splitting from it's toxicity.
A week ago I went into your store. 'How different can paint be?' I thought to myself, so I bought your Valspar paint with the gift cards we have collected. Apparently, very different. Now my 3 year old daughter is on an air mattress in my son's room, but should be in her own room. I won't let her play in her room or carry my son into my daughters room because of the deadly air that is in there. My daughter has this newly painted room, but can't sleep in it because it is STILL way too toxic in her room to let her in there for any amount of time other than just to get her clothes. There is a lot of detail and mural work that I want to be doing in her room to get it finished, but can't because I know that if I am in there for more than 15 minutes, I will have a headache.
For the past 6 days we have even had a window fan in the room sucking the air out, as well as a fan in her doorway forcing air toward the window fan. Last night we even opened the adjacent bathroom's window in the hopes that it would pull fresh air from there through the fan in her doorway and replace the toxic air that is occupying her room. That didn't work either.
It has been a week!
I actually don't mind the scent of fresh paint, but this is beyond anything that I have experienced before -almost worse than an oil base paint.
A month ago, I painted my kitchen using a competitors paint (Sherwin Williams) and had no problems what-so-ever. No fumes past the initial paint can opening. I was not afraid to let my 6 week old son be in the room an hour after it was painted. I was cooking dinner in it that evening. We ate in the room that night.
Not only am I upset about the horrible fumes from this "environmentally conscious" brand, but the service I received from the man working at the paint counter was bad too. He treated me like I had no idea what I was doing and just wasn't friendly at all. I will say though, that when I took a paint can back to get the color corrected (yes, I had to because the guy the day before was just in a hurry to get me out of there and gave me color that wasn't exactly what I asked for), the second guy who helped me was very nice. He was my age.
I won't go into the complications that your paint has caused my family, but just know that I will NEVER be buying paint from your store again. I will tell all of my friends to never buy paint from your store. It is absolutely ridiculous.
From now on, I will be going back to Sherwin Williams or Home Depot. For that matter, Home Depot employees are always nicer and they have better kids' carts, so I'll probably be going there for home repair supplies as well.
Goodbye Lowes.
Dear Sherwin Williams,
I love you and your paint.
I cheated on you, and I am sorry. Will you take me back?
7 comments:
Hello, Reading your post I was sorry to hear of the odor issues involved after using VALSPAR Paints purchased at Lowes.
I would like to assist with the situation if possible and hopefully be able to keep you as a valued VALSPAR customer.
A number of things may contribute to lingering odor problems but is the coating fully dry to touch now?
If you can let me know the square footage being coated, how much and what type of paint is being used and by what method of application the project took place, i will do my best to help. Also, stamped on top of the can lid are ink stamp numbers in blue or black ink, if you can reply with these I can research the batch of paint.
Hope to hear from you soon, dnash@valspar.co or by phone at 888-313-5569, this is Dave @ ext 8621
I haven't bought anything from Lowe's since they treated me like &%#! when I was purchasing $700.00 worth of new doors from them a couple of years ago. I drive buy and don't even look in their direction and would gladly drive 10 miles in the opposite direction to buy an nail.
Pop
Well I was going to ask if you sent this to them, but obviously somehow they are aware of the problem. Good for you. Make them make it right.
Lois
I would have to say that first off, none of these fumes are "Toxic" Paint smells, paint will always smell. Was your color a more vibrant color that required more tints? The Valspar paint and the Sherwin williams paint are both "low voc" but once you add color to it, it will increase the odor and the VOC's I have been painting for 13 years, running a family owned painting business and when it comes down to comparing paints, Valspar is the one I always use. It covers better than the 45 dollar a gallon sherwin paint and the Lowes I go to get it has great people who work in the paint department. Do a little research as to what causes odors next time before freaking out, go get the same color mixed in the sherwin paint and you'll end up with the same odor.
Well, Anonymous, being that you weren't in my house, you have no place to say whether or not it smelled "toxic". It did and that's that.
I, too have been painting many years, and have never had a problem like this before. I am an artist and a designer. I know paint and I know that there was something wrong with it.
I bow to your "family owned painting business" and all of your "13 years" of painting knowledge. Congratulations on choosing Valspar as your paint choice, and your great customer experiences.
It's my blog and I'll freak out if I want to.
Apparently the above Anonymous does not live around here. Our Lowes staff leaves something to be desired! Whether paint fumes are not"toxic" per say does nothing for the nauseating headaches they cause.
WOW! I hope all of your paint "fumes" aren't still lingering . . .
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