Tapping the great SIG brain trust - Anyone have any experience in what type of paint and or primers are the best at permanently covering cigarette smoke odor on sheet-rocked walls and wood trim?

Thanks,
John

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JohnDFW, June 26, 2021 07:15 AM

Showing my age probably, but I used KILZ MAX back in the day to cover up smoke and pet odors.

Yep Kilz

I've used both Kilz and Zinsser product in the past with good results but before using either, I spent a lot of time washing down the entire room with a solution of TSP. Ceiling, walls and trim all looked several shades lighter afterwards and what was left in the bucket was disgusting.

The oil based Kilz is what you need. Kilz Original?

It's thick nasty stuff that does not roll like regular latex and spatters like crazy so wear lots of old clothes and a head covering and even goggles maybe. It does work well though, we moved into a house where the previous owner's wife apparently smoked like a chimney for 60+ years and some of the ceilings were literally brown.

I cleaned with TSP then applied like 3 coats of Kilz then a couple coats of white ceiling paint and it's like brand new.

Kilz is magic for water stains as well. Never owned a smoky house but I tend to think if airing it out and Killz doesn’t work then matches and a gas can is your only option. lol

We are in the process of remodeling a house where the walls were absolutely lacquered with dark cigarette/weed smoke. Contractor thought he could somehow skip TSP/bleach washdown. I think it took three coats of expensive primer before the yellow stopped bleeding through the paint. Cost him an extra week too. Used the oil based Kilz.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnDFW:
Tapping the great SIG brain trust - Anyone have any experience in what type of paint and or primers are the best at permanently covering cigarette smoke odor on sheet-rocked walls and wood trim?

KILZ or similar should do the trick, but, as FiveFiveSixFan suggested: I'd wash everything down with a solution of TSP (as per directions!) beforehand.

Good luck. You may think the smell is gone after painting and getting used to it, but any visitors will smell it. Folks owned rentals and tried every trick in the book. Kilz will lessen the smell, but nothing makes it go away short of stripping to bare studs, removing all floor coverings, cupboards, light fixtures, etc.

Servpro

quote:

Originally posted by SIG228:
Good luck. You may think the smell is gone after painting and getting used to it, but any visitors will smell it. Folks owned rentals and tried every trick in the book. Kilz will lessen the smell, but nothing makes it go away short of stripping to bare studs, removing all floor coverings, cupboards, light fixtures, etc.

That's been my experience with friends and acquaintances who have tried to refurbish/remodel houses, apartments, and businesses that have been heavily smoked in. You'll never get rid of all the smell, no matter how well you wash/repaint. It has permeated literally every component of the building, down to the studs.

Cat urine/spray is similar. Once a place has had cats urinating/spraying in it (especially large numbers of cats), it will forever smell at least partially like cat, regardless of remediation attempts.

Wash down every surface, multiple coats of primer, you’ll eliminate 80% of the smell of smoke. Rip out everything and replace it, 95% elimination. Pet smells are almost entirely urine. Rip out everything to the floor joists and replace, 95% elimination. There will be humid/rainy days where you’ll sometimes still catch a whiff.

I had an asshole contractor working on an unoccupied home screw up a bunch of the work and smoke in the house.

After trying a few things to get rid of the smell, what worked was an ozone generator - not a little one, a lunchbox-sized one with warnings not to stay inside while it is running.

I'm in the process of moving now and at the new place we had an issue with a dead rat while it was empty. Nasty smell that wouldn't go away. Ordered an ozone generator off Amazon. Problem solved.

Those things are like magic for getting rid of bad smells.

Interesting. Sounds like ozone works well for short-term smells. But I wonder how well it does with years/decades of persistent permeated cigarette/cat smell?

What about cleaning the HVAC ductwork? I'd imagine the smoke is coated in the entire HVAC system.

My brother was an interior home painter for a couple years. He said one of the worst jobs was painting the break room at a business that had allowed smoking in the break room for decades. Fortunately, it was all hard surfaces so multiple coats of Kilz primer sealed in the stank.

It's been over a decade and have no idea if Kilz is still the same formula. It certainly wasn't sold at Walmart back then.

Closing it up and running an ozone generator for a few days will help too.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
What about cleaning the HVAC ductwork? I'd imagine the smoke is coated in the entire HVAC system.

It would probably help. This is one reason why just repainting, even with Killz won't cure the problem entirely.

quote:

KILZ or similar should do the trick, but, as FiveFiveSixFan suggested: I'd wash everything down with a solution of TSP (as per directions!) beforehand.

This..

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
Wash down every surface, multiple coats of primer, you’ll eliminate 80% of the smell of smoke. Rip out everything and replace it, 95% elimination. Pet smells are almost entirely urine. Rip out everything to the floor joists and replace, 95% elimination. There will be humid/rainy days where you’ll sometimes still catch a whiff.

And this..

My current house was smoked in. Washed the walls, primered and or repainted everything. Pulled out the drop ceiling downstairs and had the carpets and duct work professionally cleaned. It has taken care of nearly all the smell. I get an occasional whiff in the living room when the house is closed and there is no air movement since I can't get better air flow out there. I think some of the smoke juju is in the chimney and can't get at it. Hoping to replace the picture window later this year which should help out even more but so far this has worked for me.

Wash it down to remove what you can. Prime with a coat of Zinsser 1-2-3. You typically don't have to prime until the stain is obliterated.
Multiple coats of Kilz oil is a brain cell killer.