paintng smelly wood?

Question

a family member gave me a childs bedroom set for my son, the problem is it has been in thier basement for almost 2 years and it smells really musty. I tried wood cleaner and lysol but i cant get the smell out. I would like to paint the wood to match the room, would that help with the smell? cover it up? the wood doesnt looklike its sealed or has varnish..but it could just be so old that it has worn off..any help with the smell? and/or how to paint the wood?

Answer 1

First paint it with Kilz primer. Kilz is an oil based paint designed to block stains and odors from penetrating.

Put the set outside on a tarp or other large item to catch the paint drips. Choose a nice day and your location should be shady with not too much wind. Open paint, stir, and paint in long strokes from the top down. Clean all brushes with lacquer thinner or paint remover and NOT water. Attempting to clean oil paint out of brushes with water will cause the brushes to foul and there goes a couple of dollars worth of brushes! Allow frames to dry for at least 3 hours (depending on weather conditions) and recoat. Allow to dry 7-8 hours more before even attempting to reassemble.

Remember that for your second coat Kilz now comes in attractive colors to suit your taste...

Answer 2

before you do a thing to it, find out what you have really got there. it might be something antique and valuable, your messing with it could ruin it.

There has to be a reason for the smell. Mold, mildew, some such, maybe it is just rotting. Whatever is done, must address the cause for it to be gone. Set it out in the sun. Why? UV rays will kill many types of mold and bacteria. if it isn't some old valuable piece, sand it and seal it with some good quality sealer. even if you decide to paint over it, the sealer will help it take paint and give you a better looking job. Seal it with several light coats, rubbing it down with 0000 steel wool in between coats and dust it off and use a tack cloth on it. you may just find you like it better natural.

Answer 3

Hi, This is what I would do, get some liquid sandpaper,or just plain sandpaper if you like to sand.I use 60 grit,than 100 grit,than to 240 or 220. Get some ,"Killz Oil-base primer "and prime the wood.After, you can paint it. Now depending on what color you choose,I would use Rustolium Oil-base Paint.It is very durable,goes on smoothly,it's good for children's furniture,and it looks like a professional job.The only thing is you can't get custom colors,and you need to clean up with thinner.Oh, I wanted to tell you, if your going to paint,wipe down the wood with ammonia and let dry first.(or bleach) Also if you want to stain it, you need to thoroughly sand all of it and don't use sandpaper finer than 240.Hope this helps in some way!Bye.

Answer 4

Prime it and then use an enamel paint. Latex won't mask any smells, the primer however will seal it.