I used it for my exterior trim and didn't notice anything. I tested it on some inside trim and didn't like the rough finish and lack of sheen, so I didn't use it inside.

Thank you for responding! I haven't heard of anyone else commenting on the odor of Duration, but it does have a distinct smell. I hope it goes away soon! I also wasn't impressed with the paint as far as applying it. It spattered alot, and yes it does have a rough finish. Maybe I will try Aura for my bathroom.

I painted two rooms with Duration and I can hardly bring myself to go in those rooms. The paint smells like mold and mildew. I painted other rooms with the cheaper Quali-coat from sherwin williams and no smell. I will add that I painted the rooms over a year ago and still the walls are smelly. Not worth the price!!

I have the same problem at home, just painted one entire wall, smell started weeks after painting and will not relent, will be registering a formal complaint to our local body.

Is there a home remedy for this?

Old Indian trick. Add vanilla extract to the paint next time.
And DON'T use exterior paint inside.

I experienced the same woody smell. I don't mind the smell of drying paint, but something about this woody smell I can't stand.

I'm concerned about the postings that say the smell was still there a year later. I'll have to wait and see. I've been having my garage door open with a fan running all day.

I just bought my house, It's brand new. First time the garage was ever painted. I have used some other products and never had any smell issues.

This post was edited by green046 on Wed, Aug 7, 13 at 9:29

Well sorry hard lesson learned some of the chemicals they put in the government does not force them to put on the can cause they say it is essential for the paint and maybe the off gases are going to be there a long time infestigate the company and insist to get all the ingrdients they put in the paint even the ones they did not list on the label on the can then research on your own about those chemical to see how damaging they are to you and the enviorment and if they are try to get your money back plus all the labor you did plus have them charged for tearing it all down and replacing the possble poisonous surface that was contaminated cause that off gas is not normal for such a lond period of time polyurethane does that and it is bad for your liver that is why I try not to use it

We used the SW Duration interior matte finish in a large family room and the smell was lingering (at times quite overbearing) for some 12 weeks until we were able to fully air out the odor by opening all the windows in the house and running the ceiling fan in the painted room. That was something we did as much as the weather permitted this winter. We also let the furnace fan run during this airing-out time (without heat). Thankfully it is pretty well dissipated now. I won't chance using it again.

This post was edited by geoff_nc on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 17:21

A week after priming and painting my son's bedroom, the smell was still overwhelming, even after using fans and opening windows everyday. After reading lots of ideas from others with the same problem, I used this solution: I closed off the room for 2 days and ran a small space heater for about 10 hours a day in an effort to "bake" the paint to be sure it was completely dry. I also put 2 large Moso Bamboo Charcoal bags (from The Container Store) in the room to absorb the odors.

The heater caused temperatures to reach as high as 95. I turned the heater off at night and with normal furnace use the room stayed at about 75 degrees. The smell traveled just a little to other parts of the house, but the room was already smelling so much better. On the third day I removed the heater and opened all the windows and turned on all the fans in the whole house (I got lucky with a 50+ degree day in early November.) I left the house for about 8 hours and let the whole house air out.

This process made a HUGE difference in the room and there is very little odor left at all. I have been accused of having a Super Sniffer nose, and this really worked for me. No resealing or repainting, thank goodness!

I just bought a house and painted my bedroom with Sherwin Williams Duration - Tony Taupe paint and now my bedroom smells like vomit and/or wet dog. I cleaned the walls but did not use a primer. I have ruled out that the smell is not stemming from the carpet (literally smelled every inch of carpet) I am concerned about having to re-paint as that is time and money that I don't have. From what I have read - other's have had this issue?? If so, did anyone get rid of the nasty smell on their own without have to re-paint?

I had several rooms downstairs painted. Contracted used the Sherwin Williams Duration brand. Rooms were painted over a year ago. Smell would come and go. Now it's present all the time. If I repaint with different brand will smell go away?

our builder use the SW Builders solution and have same problem. the chemical smell is just so bad and lingering ! why only Sherwin Williams product has this issue? anyone has a solution ?

one of the problem is the SW product has VOCs although they claim its low VOCs

VOCs have nothing to do with odor - two separate issues.

You can look up the technical data for Duration here: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/data-sheets

People are having this problem of lingering odors with many different brands of paint

I’m having the same issue & found several discussions online about this.

I painted my room 1 month ago & theres still a chemical smell

I ruled out several other possible sources (AC, painted floor...)

Tonight I covered every wall with plastic.

The room smells normal now.

I’m encouraged by the results, but the problem is disheartening.

I don’t know yet what I’ll do to eliminate the odor. I might paint with one of the BIN primers, and have it tinted to match my wall color

BTW, this room was painted w/Benjamin Moore Regal paint/primer.

Take it back.

We just painted a 2500 sq ft new build with SW Duration flat. Not even a hint of bad smell and I have a very acute sense of smell.

I love Sherwin Williams Cashmere paint and get no smell. I have tried Duration and now never will because my nose and head couldn’t take it from the sounds of it. I hope the company will work with you to find a solution

Thank you Lori & Teddy for the great advice and info. I took Lori's advice and went back to Sherwin Williams. Great company, they were very accommodating. I swapped out a couple gallons for the Cashmere line for this weekend's project, hoping that line will agree with me more since it didn't bother Teddy. And if all goes well I will swap out the rest after that. (I didn't want to tint a bunch til I knew). The Duration line is the first paint to ever bother me after painting dozens of rooms over the years with a variety paint brands. Something in that line doesn't agree with me. Glad to have resolved and very much appreciate your input!

Cashmere is good stuff and has a pretty final finish.

Has anyone tried the SW Harmony wall paint? It's zero voc and is supposed to absorb voc's from your home, which is interesting. Also, people say it is virtually odorless. We're getting our kitchen done tomorrow and have asked for that paint. Hope it goes well.

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/property-facility-managers/products/videos/sw-video-art-harmony-int

So I painted my first room today with SW Cashmere after the Duration line made me sick and I'm happy to report no problems, didn't make me sick, didn't even notice much of an odor. Paint went on great, no complaints. Good option if the Duration line bothers you.

The Harmony paint was odorless, too!

We painted a very large family room ceiling and walls foyer upstairs hallway stairway walls and ceiling a large bedroom walls and ceiling and a small bathroom walls and ceiling with Sherwin-Williams duration in June and my house has not smelled fresh or the same since! I run air cleaners and light candles but that is only a short term fix. I’ve become nose blind to it at home but when I go away from the house and walk back in the door it hits me again so I know it’s still there and I cannot figure out how to get rid of it . It cost me a lot of money to have that work done I wish I would’ve read some of this before I agreed to that kind of paint I used Sherwin-Williams in the past for my kitchen redo but used SuperPaint then and had no issue.

We painted 2 bedrooms with Balanced Beige Sherwin Williams paint. It was the higher priced one. It was this past September. Since the weather was warm, we kept the windows open most days and all seemed well. As nights got cooler we closed the windows and doors for both rooms. We are now having guests come for Thanksgiving and I want to get the bedrooms ready. I opened my door and gagged! It is the most obnoxious smell. I’m desperate to find a solution so my guests won’t suffer. I sniffed everything in the rooms to find source of odor. The paint was all I could think of that could be the cause of the smell. Upon researching - I found this page. My current approach is using Arm & Hammer carpet odor removal, to hopefully absorb the odor or at least mask it. I have already tried bowls of vinegar set around the rooms. Wish me luck! I have a lot of company coming - I have to get rid of that smell!

Did it work? I have the same problem, with Harmony which others said did NOT smell. The mold/mildew smell came on a few weeks after I painted and won't relent. This is a 1/2 bath that is virtually never used but I did some touch-up painting after we moved in and the sheen didn't match (over 7 years) so with COVID, I had time and decided to repaint the entire bathroom. I went to SW, my favorite paint store, but didn't ask for a specific type of paint, just asked for the color and finish. Never thought anything of it after that. I had a plumber come out to check for sewer gas. I put bowls of vinegar in the room. We removed EVERYthing from the bathroom and scrubbed it down, except the walls. Then, I smelled the walls and realized they were emitting the odor. Ugh. Bathrooms are the worst to paint in the first place :(

Pammy Sue, Winter here in WI but the windows are open which helps, until I shut them. Talked with a SW expert and plan on repainting with an extreme block primer and then the Emerald line which I've used in a different house with no issues. Pain.in.the.butt. to repaint, though. Will be going back to my local store to see what they can offer on Monday.

Lori Baumgart, I'm sure you will be able to resolve your issue with the plan you have. Good luck!

Lori Baumgart,

Please who is your SW expert, can we have the phone number? Did your plan work?

We painted the entire house in Harmony Low VOC, a month later the house still stinks like a sickly sweet smell described by others on the Harmony paint smell chain. I smelled it at first, strong, ( 1st week) now I smell a lingering vapor, it's been over 4 months. My wife can't be in the house. We are living in a rental, it's been over 4 months. Only some people can smell it.

They describe it as sweet, sickly sweet.

I tried scrubbing the walls with baking soda and white vinegar.

Ozone Machines running 24 hours a day, ( no pets or humans can be inside for ozone)

I was told that perhaps the paint didn't cure properly.

I had the house heated to 120 degrees for 3 full days. Still did nothing according to my wife. ( $3800 bux later)!

I have had a library test done by an environmental scientist to search for all known VOC's.

($1200 bux )

Still NOTHING!!!

We are too scared to paint over it and taking walls out will not be happening.

Has anyone found the solution?

We are desperate.!

Please help...

RJ in Charleston SC 609-658-6248

Pammysue52 did repainting alone work? Thank you all!!

We went to our local Sherwin-Williams store and the rep for that store was the one who told me to use a block primer and then repaint with the emerald line. It still does smell in there but more like paint instead of a noxious smell. My local store is Sturgeon Bay, WI

I have just painted a bedroom, ceiling with Sherwin williams Emminence, and the walls with Sherwin Williams Cashmere, and have the same problem with a lingering odor that I don't know how to get rid of. Its not like the years ago strong chemical odor, that you have to leave the windows open after painting. Its a closed up smell , and not even a musty. Have tried to figure it out and you can't smell the same odor from the can. Im very disappointed, and will probably not go back to using Sherwin Williams again.

yikes. I just came across this after having an issue with Sherwin WIlliams Duration Interior in Matte. I purchased mine Fall 2020 and painted one room and I'm usually not bothered by paint smell, but I got lightheaded pretty quickly and donned a respirator. It took a solid month for the smells on the walls to dissipate. I used the same paint, but in another can for a second room. I painted that in May 2021. It is November 2021 and my room still smells and has been unlivable. I'm not sure if it was a bad batch or what– but I tried VOC Charcoal air purifiers, charcoal in bags, plants, vinegar, baking soda, washing the walls with Dawn, and enzyme odor eaters, candles, "cooking" the room with a space heater, lemon-water, carpet cleaning, etc. Nothing– it still smells. It's like I opened the can and never shut it. You can sit in there for 2 hours and will be light headed! I have had it sealed off with the window open for 6 mos! The other room seems OK however, but when I called SW they said, "Oh, wow, this has never happened before!" I went into SW and they said I needed a sales rep to come out and see it (or smell it). No one has called, stopped by or anything. I have repainted that room w/ one coat with Zissner BIN to seal the smell in but I need a second coat bc the smell is that bad. Zissner BIN smells better than SW! I will never buy from SW ever again, esp for the price. I had Benjamin Moore for the rest of the house and no issues. I have been painting for 25 years and never had this problem before.

My first house I used Kelly Moore and did not have an issue. With Sherwin Williams Super Paint I waited for a week and the smell is still there. It hits .you the first time you open the doors of the room. I don't know what to do. I will not do any business with Sherwin Williams again.

UPDATE: I had a professional painter come and smell it and he said it smelled like cat urine. Then, the only way I was able to get rid of my SW Duration- Matte- Sedate Grey smell was to seal the entire room with Zissner BIN primer using a QUALITY brush and roller (which is totally NASTY stuff btw and I will never use BIN ever again) then repaint it using Benjamin Moore Ben line in eggshell sheen using a QUALITY brush and roller. Slightly different in color bc of manufacturers, but it it worked after 2 coats of BM. 2 months after all that– no smell– thank god. I will NEVER buy SW ever again. Their sales reps even IGNORED me.

Just used superpaint with air purifying technology and after a week it stinks to high heaven. Didn't smell initially and then it came on. It's very strong! Sweet chemical odor. Has made me sick. Nausea, fatigue, lightheaded, drowsy, the works. Will probably need to seal it with BINs again and then repaint - will probably use ecos. I'm worried about my cats although them seem ok. Can't believe I picked this paint. The idea of having to seal and paint again in winter, sucks. Today I put aluminium foil on the wall which has stopped the smell from knocking me out when I walk by it. But I suspect that won't be a fix. Have tried charcoal, expensive voc air filters, fans, open windows, baking etc - none of it worked. Will never use this product again.

Wow! I have the very same issue with bad smell. My garage was painted last July with Duration from SW.. I was going to put a hot tub in the garage. thats why I purchased Duration.

After the painter was done the smell in the garage was still lingering after a year and made me caugh everytime I opened up the door, I couldn't stay in the garage. My friends could also smell it they said. its a chemiical smell, It worried me that I could potentially get really sick from that smell.

This garage was my pride and joy set up like a living room I also had a expensive screen installed a few years ago that goes down across the garage door opening... I spent so much money on this garage to make it an extra living space.

Thank you to everyone posting, I am not the only one.

The painter came back a few weeks agao with the new purifying paint. I moved everything out once again and then back in and now the smell is gone.

I am so happy I found thiese reviews thank you for taking the time to post.

It is so hard and still is to prove it was the paint that has a lingering strong smell thats not healthy.

We have used SW paint for years. And this was the first time we had a problem.

Just had my jime office painted SW naval. The smell is the most strong chemically urine smell it is horrible! Our nostrils and roofs of our mouths are burning. Nothing is working. We have aired it out for three days with and air purifier on constantly. When I leave home my symptoms disappear. They come back when I return. My painter and my local SW store have been no help. I am out my money and my home office, so soon I will be canceling clients because I cannot handle my office. I am so heartbroken. Help please?!?!

*home office

Hi all, just came across this post. We painted our garage three months ago with SW Duration and the smell is still really strong, especially if the doors are closed. We are hoping to create a nice home gym / studio set up. Are there any ways to get rid of the paint smell apart from painting over it again? I was even looking into getting a ventilation system set up to properly keep it aired... Would love some advice on how you fixed it if possible. TIA!

I used charcoal, fans, and kept it well ventilated. It finally went away.

https://a.co/d/41uoJLG

Amazon- Charcoal Odor Absorber for Strong Odor (6 Pack, 100g each), Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifying Bag

I had the same problem 6 years ago. I went back to Sherwin Williams and exchanged the paint, at no charge, for the same color in the S.W. Cashmere line of paint. After painting over the Duration I had no more problems with headaches. It sure made me sick, I have never had a problem with any other paint and I've used a lot from Behr to Benjamin Moore over the years. I suggest you go back to the store, explain what happened and see if they will work with you. I was so stressed about it at the time, I was painting my whole house and had invested a lot of $ already in paint but they totally were cool and took it back. Try the Cashmere line and good luck!