The build of nicotine, tar, water stains (water damaged) and smoke stains leave apparent marks on walls and ceilings that are nearly impossible to remove with normal painting. Not only do bad smoke stains stain your walls and ceilings, but they smell dreadful and linger for years to come. They also release harmful chemicals into the air of the home. This is why getting rid of that nicotine and smoke smell will likely be a priority!
But how do you get smoke stains off walls and ceilings? Is it even possible? If so, what is the best cleaner for cigarette smoke on walls?
The short answer is yes, you can remove smoke stains from walls and ceilings. By properly sealing your wall and ceiling surfaces by applying a fresh coat of primer and paint, you can easily cover the water stains and smoke stains, and prevent them from contaminating your air.
It might not be easy, but it’s definitely possible! And to help you out with that task, we put together a list of some great tips and tricks for getting rid of those nasty nicotine-stained walls once and for all.
How to Paint Over Smoke Stains and Cover Water Damages
Step 1: Make Sure the Surfaces are Properly Prepared
- Prior to painting the wall and ceiling, it is extremely important that the surface is free of dust and debris. To ensure the bond between the wall and ceiling paint is strong. Cleaning nicotine off walls before painting will prevent any discolouration of the new paint and make sure it sticks to the wall. You can clean nicotine off walls with a combination of warm water and vinegar, or with commercial products that are specially designed for this purpose. Make sure you wipe down all surfaces thoroughly so there’s no residue left behind from cleaning products or dirt.
- If there is wallpaper, you want to be sure this wallpaper is removed as well
- If the nicotine stain is exceptionally bad, wash the walls down with TSP with a scrub brush or scouring pad.
- Apply plaster as well to make sure the walls are smooth if there are any holes.
- To ensure a smooth surface, it is beneficial to sand down the walls once it has been plastered and filled. This will remove all imperfections that lie on the surfaces.
Step 2: Prime the Areas with a Low Odour Oil Based Prime
- Once the wall is prepared for painting over smoke stains, it is time to paint the first coat using primer.
- When covering smoke stains you need to either use a low-odour oil-based primer or a stain blocker primer.
- This is essential in order to prevent any chemicals from seeping through into the new layer of paint.
- Avoid using water-based primers as the water stains or smoke stains will leak through, and help new stains form on the surface.
- The best primers to use are Oil-based or shellac primers which are known to kill stains, and prevent any odours from entering the next layer.
- Kilz and Zinser both have good low-odour primers that can be purchased at your local hardware/paint store or Home Depot.
Step 3: Apply the Paint over Stains
- After applying primer, you can then do the final stage – apply the interior paint.
- For heavy smoking areas, it is common to use a latex flat or eggshell paint depending on the area. Semigloss is used in bathrooms and kitchens.
- 2 coats are definitely the standard here. But, again, if the areas were particularly bad, 3 coats have been known to take care of things.
Home Painters Toronto Tip:
CONCLUSION
After the application of a coat of special primer, then two to three coats of paint, your walls and ceilings should be free of smoke stains or Water stains!
If you want to save some time and hassle, we can do this for you.
With over 35 years of experience in home renovations in Toronto and the GTA, we are here to please.
We are a top-rated painter on HomeStars, are regularly seen on City TV’s Breakfast Television CP24; and offer 100% guaranteed satisfaction!
At Home Painters Toronto, we are one of the Top Rated Interior Painting Companies in Toronto and GTA. We are especially dedicated to making your Interior house painting or removing Stains experience as pleasurable as possible. All of our staff are Expert Interior Painters. We only use High-end name-brand home Painting supplies such as Benjamin Moore, Behr, and Sherwin Williams. We take our job very seriously and are committed to delivering the best Paint job for you in Toronto.
Please call us NOW at 416.494.9095, or email us at Brian@HomePaintersToronto.com for a free Smoke Stains removal or Painting over Water Stains estimate. And don’t forget to follow us on all our social channels below as well!
