BBC Watchdog: Crown Paint - not to be sniffed at?

Tony

What Consumer Founder
Apr 7, 2008
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Bolton
Who really enjoys decorating? Especially the paint stench?

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So, when Crown brought out their range of 'Breatheasy' paints they hoped to appeal to our noses as well as our eyes. On paper the phrase "virtually odour free" looked like a winner but in practice it might be coming back to haunt them...


Watchdog viewer Debbie Aunger wanted to spruce up her daughter Michaela's bedroom over the Easter holiday and Crown's paint seemed ideal for the job.

Seven weeks later Anita Rani visited Debbie's home in Cambridgeshire for a bit of a sniff.

She thought the bedroom smelt like "a damp cloth that's been left to rot. It's just musty and not very pleasant."

Debbie reckons it was "a dirty sort of smell". She says the smell comes and goes and varies from mild to intense. When it was at its worst, the family suspected they had a dead animal in the house and turned the place upside down looking for it. They even called in the council to investigate before eventually realising that the smell was coming from the walls

When Anita visited she thought that there was still something in the air but although the room smelt different to the rest of the house, "the hum" wasn't that bad.

Debbie reckoned Anita had come on a good day and if the heating is on because it's a cold day and you open the curtains and you open the windows the smells increases.

Other viewers who contacted Watchdog said their Crown painted walls smelt of ammonia or wee. And according to Robert King from Essex, the problem isn't restricted to Crown's Breatheasy range. He's had similar issues with the company's trade paint. He thought the smell was down to a gas leak or a drainage problem.

There have been other complaints to Watchdog. Each time, similar words come up. And there've been dozens of complaints to the DIY Doctor, an online forum for decorating advice.

Mike Edwards set-up the site after a career in the building trade and he says this issue has attracted a lot of attention.

Mike told Watchdog, "My webmaster said to me, you know this topic is really, really busy with 46,000 views. We've not experienced anything like this before for one single product."

Watchdog has heard a few whispers about whiffy issues with other brands but the majority of our complaints mention Crown.

Two weeks ago there was a breakthrough - maybe Crown had realised what's causing the stench? Mike Edwards had a mammoth three-hour meeting at Crown's HQ to see the experiments they are conducting into the smells.

Mike said, "Some of the tests are stunning. They are able to identify shall we say rogue atoms in the air that could be causing the odour down to one part in a million."

But despite all the technical wizardry, Crown can't pinpoint the problem and the next day, we were in the City of London to meet Crown's Technical Director to discuss the issue.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions about why this paint can sometimes cause a bit of a stench but I only had one question for the company - Why do their tins still say 'virtually odour free' on them?

In the meeting they told me that they felt it was perfectly ok to have that written on there because they say the bad smell wasn't coming from their paint. Crown claim that this is a problem with all brands of matt vinyl paint and that it's affecting people around the world - in America, Australia, France, even Serbia.

They say they've been investigating this problem for over a year and have currently got a German company conducting further tests.

But the crux is Crown say this isn't a problem with their paint, but your potentially smelly walls.

Crown Paints statement:

"This is a rare phenomenon affecting many different brands across the global paint industry. It is generally known as wall odour.

"The odour is caused not by the paint itself, but by bacteria or chemicals present on a very small number of walls. The chances of being affected are around 1 in 100,000. In the unlikely event that you experience the phenomenon, it is easily rectified by applying an alkali resistant sealer to the offending wall before repainting.

"At Crown Paints, our commitment to customers is at the heart of everything we do. We have offered immediate advice to carry out the relevant remedial work for the very few customers who have approached us. We have also conducted rigorous tests on both the affected wall and the paint. All tests have been verified by independent industry bodies and leading academics, and confirm beyond any doubt that wall odour phenomenon is not caused by the paint itself. Nor is there any evidence of health and safety side effects.

"Crown Paints is leading the way in researching and tackling this industry phenomenon and we are now close to pinpointing a definitive answer to the problem."

"Contact details for consumers: For further advice and customer service contact details for some of the major UK paint brands, the PRA (Paint Research Association) has a dedicated section within its website, at www.pra-world.com/wallodour.

"Similarly, Crown Paints is encouraging any of its customers who think they may be experiencing wall odour phenomenon to visit its painting and decorating advice website for further information at www.askcrown.co.uk, or to call the customer service team directly on their dedicated helpline, on 0845 521 2499."

Note: You may be charged for calls to this number.


Industry statements on 'wall odour'

Statement from the PRA (Paint research Association):

"Over recent years, the solvent content of paint and coatings has become the subject of more stringent regulation in many countries, particularly in Europe and North America. The industry has responded with products that feature very low or no solvent content.

"Where previously, the solvent content in paint would have masked any underlying smells in substrates, the introduction of products with low and no odour formulations has coincided with a growing awareness of 'wall odour' when paint is applied to certain substrates and in certain conditions.

"While 'wall odour'is not limited to any particular paint manufacturer or brand, it remains quite rare. it is also preventable or easily rectified. Customers should not be alarmed and we recommend that they seek advice from their paint manufacturer for methods to avoid or resolve the issue."

Statement from the BCF (British Coatings Federation):

"'Wall odour' or 'ghost odour' is an issue that is known to have existed in the global paint industry for a number of years and does not relate to any specific manufacturer. There have been reports of this effect from the UK, Europe, USA and Australia, although the numbers are extremely small.

"In the UK, it is accepted that instances of 'wall odour' is an industry-wide issue that affects a very small number of customers.

"Crown Paints is active in the UK industry in attempting to find a solution to what we believe is a situation caused by conditions in or on the wall being painted.

"In the limited occurances, we would always advise the individual customer to seek professional advice from the manufacturer."



Crown Paint - not to be sniffed at?