Walls turning yellow!

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Hello,

So, I've finished a room for my Ball Pythons. It's often in the high 80's and 50% humidity. The areas where the drywall joints are, are turning yellow. The walls were all primed and then painted using bathroom paint. The actual joints seem fine, the parts that are yellowing are where the drywall compound was feathered out. This room was painted only a couple weeks ago. I'm very upset!

At first I thought it was the humidity in the room, but now that I think more I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the paint?!? It’s from Lowes, Valspar.

Any ideas? I can't believe it's mold or water damage, since the room is only 3 weeks old. Any ideas??

Sorry, I know it's not easy to see on the photos.

[Pyrate81]

If it's at the joints it leads me to believe the joint compound went bad(or something) or the tape is seeping color for some odd reason.

[Raven01]

It looks like the staining is on either side of the tape, and bleeding through the paint from the back.

Are all the taped joints showing this discolouration?

[Rickys_Reptiles]

It looks like the staining is on either side of the tape, and bleeding through the paint from the back.

Are all the taped joints showing this discoloration?

Yeah. All of them.

Incase it matters, I used the fiberglass self adhesive tape for the joints, not the paper. and premixed dust control compound.

[Elusive Dream]

The joint compound was not cured. How long did you wait before sanding the joints and painting?

You can try and run a dehumidifier and get it down to 35% for a week or so and then try and repaint. It will dry out even after being painted but takes a while. I would recommend a good fan on each wall or just point one at a wall, move it after 8 hours or so and just keeping repeating for a week.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

The joint compound was not cured. How long did you wait before sanding the joints and painting?

You can try and run a dehumidifier and get it down to 35% for a week or so and then try and repaint. It will dry out even after being painted but takes a while. I would recommend a good fan on each wall or just point one at a wall, move it after 8 hours or so and just keeping repeating for a week.

Well, I worked my way around the room over a 2 week period, so some walls were dried for longer than others. The one wall was dry for over a week for sure though.

Will it get worse and worse? or at some point will the yellowing stop. I don't want to repaint if its going to just come back.

[Pythonfriend]

umm, what can you do except adding another layer of paint?

a friend of hime moved into a home where the walls had turned quite dark and dirty over several years of neglect by a previous owner. it kept creeping through and it took him 8 layers, using special paint that is supposed to be more resistant to this in at least 3 of the layers. But now his walls are white and stay white.

add a layer of paint, let it dry properly, wait and see if anything comes through, if the discoloration comes back add another layer. Repeat as often as needed.

it sucks, but what are the alternatives? maybe you can find some white paint that is more resistant to this effect, there are some paints designed to get walls that got too much cigarette smoke white.

its not rare that one or two layers just dont get the job done.

[Elusive Dream]

It will stop eventually but it takes a while. I have been in construction for 16 years and every time a general contractor puts a rush on a job there tends to be an area that doesn't cure properly.

Biggest thing is get the room dried out and humidity down as low as possible. Run the back or your wrist over the wall I am betting it just a little cooler when you pass it over the tape joint.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

It will stop eventually but it takes a while. I have been in construction for 16 years and every time a general contractor puts a rush on a job there tends to be an area that doesn't cure properly.

Biggest thing is get the room dried out and humidity down as low as possible. Run the back or your wrist over the wall I am betting it just a little cooler when you pass it over the tape joint.

Alright, thanks for the advice! I'l get the rooms humidity as low as possible for a week or 2, and hope it helps! Thanks for the advice

[snakeman13]

Ricky, did you add any water to the compound to make it a little thinner?
With the high iron content in Toronto area water, I find this does happen from time to time.
Prime the walls with Zinzer stain blocker, then repaint. Problem will be gone.

regards
John