Painting - How to Remove Paint from Drywall

Over a year ago I painted a room with zero VOC paint, which is what I need due to a breathing disablilty. I still cannot use the room because of lingering paint odor! I do not have a sealer type product I can use either.....After much time spend airing it out, baking it out, etc, I give up. I think my only choices are to remove all the drywall, or to try to remove the paint. Of course, if there are chemicals that might do this, I cant use those. So I am left with physically removing it, as in sanding? Has anyone tried removing paint by sanding or some other means? Thanks

Did you use Ben Moore Eco Spec paint, I think it would be the correct product for your condition. I would try a coat of that before taking off the drywall, which I would think is the easiest alternative...or perhaps wallpaper?

Bill

Drywall isn't well suited for paint removal. Sanding would probably cause more problems than it would solve. I can't imagine removing the drywall as a viable option. I agree that recoating with another brand would be the best bet.... or wallpaper:D

btw - welcome to the forums!

Sherwin Williams Harmony line is also another zero VOC/HOC product with zero smell after 24 hours......

One solution is to skim coat or plaster on top of the current paint that is causing the problem. Sand to leave a smooth surface, then finish off with the proper low odor VOC/HOC primer and paint.

-Andrei
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but it has been my understanding (and I've done a lot of research through the EPA and other organizations) that VOCs are only released from paints during the drying process, essentially during evaporation. As the water content evaporates, the VOCs are released. No where in any of my research (and I wrote a 7 page paper on this subject) have I heard of VOCs being released after the initial painting period, especially not a year later. So I'm extremely confused and shocked by your dilemma.

The problem at hand is the odor, and I understand that must be annoying, since there is no way to "tell" if is just an odor or some lingering chemicals, I can't in good conscious tell you that there is nothing wrong with your room. But you cannot "remove" paint from drywall. You can paint over it, but clearly that is not a good option for you, and I didn't get the impression that you were interested in paying someone else to do it for you. My inclination is to tell you to re-drywall or find a great skimcoater. But you're looking at a lot of dust, will that upset your breathing condition? And after all that, you will still have to paint again. Perhaps next time you should paint a sample board, let it dry and see if it still bothers you.

Have you spoke to the manufacturer of your paint? Perhaps the odor is specific to the type of paint, and may not be a VOC at all?