How long to wait to sleep in a bedroom after painting it?

August 22, 2020 5:10 PM

Tomorrow morning we are painting our bedroom with Sherwin Williams Duration paint. It says it is low-VOC, and the temperatures tomorrow are supposed to be in the 80s. How long before it's a good idea to sleep in there?
posted by hungrytiger to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

I hang out around fresh paint as soon as I stop smelling it. Even low-VOC generally takes a day, though, and painting never goes as fast as I think it will. If you're painting on Sunday, figure you'll be back in there on Monday night?
posted by curious nu at 5:15 PM on August 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

I think it'll be safe sooner than it will be pleasant. As soon as the paint is dry and you can't smell it, you should be fine. A couple days after you're done painting.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:07 PM on August 22, 2020 [6 favorites]

Just a little bit off-topic, but the odor will be greatly diminished if you mix in about a teaspoon of vanilla extract before painting. It won't impact the color, even if you're using white, but it definitely neutralizes the smell.
posted by DrGail at 7:08 PM on August 22, 2020

If it's a water based acrylic, I would give it at least two days before I would sleep in the room. It's a large surface area, and you will be breathing for an extended period while sleeping. If you live in an area with high humidity, the paint will dry more slowly. If you put a fan, or several fans in the room it will accelerate the drying time.
posted by effluvia at 7:28 PM on August 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

I have never waited so much as overnight after painting a bedroom. I would wait until it's dry to the touch. If it's massively unpleasant, than sure, wait, but one day (I'm assuming you're not painting the bedroom every other week) of a tiny bit of exposure to low VOC fumes is not going to have any lasting health effects. Wait until it's not unpleasant to be there, open the windows if that's a reasonable thing to do in your current environment, and you're fine.
posted by brainmouse at 8:16 PM on August 22, 2020 [8 favorites]

Running a fan will help it dry, which will help the small dissipate. Open windows if possible, of course.
posted by theora55 at 5:35 AM on August 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

Even "normal" paint is a lot lower in VOC than it used to be. When we painted our bedroom last month we painted it first thing in the morning, had a fan sucking the air out the window, and slept in there that night. The odour was gone within hours, and we believed that a single night's exposure to anything lingering would not have any effects.
posted by quaking fajita at 6:22 AM on August 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

I worked for a large art materials manufacturer that also makes industrial paints. Just be aware that many paint manufacturers get the low VOC rating by making a cocktail of various organic compounds that are each below the required limit for the material so they can say that it's a low volatile compound. So it may have a low odor of a mix of different solvents, and not necessarily beneficial for your inhalation.

Another issue to consider is that detecting smell is not a good indicator of safety or health. The nose fatigues easily, and then that gas or perfume, for example, will no longer be noticeable.

I hope this is helpful information.
posted by effluvia at 7:19 AM on August 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

This is paint in the 2010s, not 1980s. You can sleep in there immediately after you paint it if you'd like. Just don't bump into the wet walls on your way to the bathroom in the dark. :)

The only concern is if your nose can handle the smell or not.

Assuming you are talking about your run of the mill latex paint.
posted by TinWhistle at 1:55 PM on August 24, 2020