Painting over years of smoke...

[Ryanne]

I'm moving into a home and fixing to re-paint everything that is not
wood paneling. The previous owner smoked like crazy, and you can see
the nicotine on the walls where things were once hanging... everything
has a yellow haze to it... it's sick. The walls are textured, and I'm
fixing to start painting tomorrow... Any suggestions on how to clean,
(or if I even need to), the walls, and how should I go about cleaning
the wood paneling, as well? It's been aired out over the past two
years, so the smell isn't a problem, just the tar residue. Thanks in
advance,
Ryanne
ryannebeth@yahoo.com

[Vox Humana]

"Ryanne" <ryannebeth@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2e47a5f5.0311301903.79601ae1@posting.google.c om...
> I'm moving into a home and fixing to re-paint everything that is not
> wood paneling. The previous owner smoked like crazy, and you can see
> the nicotine on the walls where things were once hanging... everything
> has a yellow haze to it... it's sick. The walls are textured, and I'm
> fixing to start painting tomorrow... Any suggestions on how to clean,
> (or if I even need to), the walls, and how should I go about cleaning
> the wood paneling, as well? It's been aired out over the past two
> years, so the smell isn't a problem, just the tar residue. Thanks in
> advance,
> Ryanne
> ryannebeth@yahoo.com

You should find cleaning products at the paint store. I would scrub the
walls with TSP or an equivalent like JoMax. I would probably use a
primer/sealer (tinted to half the formula of the top coat). Zinsser makes
several primer/sealers that will improve adhesion of the paint while sealing
out odor and stains. If the residue is very heavy, I would be concerned
that it would bleed though the topcoat if not sealed over. I would also go
to a real paint store like Sherwin Williams and ask them for advice. They
know their products and can tell you what works with what.

The paneling can be washed with a mild cleaner like Pinesol or Murphy's Oil
Soap.

[sijka]

"Ryanne" <ryannebeth@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2e47a5f5.0311301903.79601ae1@posting.google.c om...
> I'm moving into a home and fixing to re-paint everything that is not
> wood paneling. The previous owner smoked like crazy, and you can see
> the nicotine on the walls where things were once hanging... everything
> has a yellow haze to it... it's sick. The walls are textured, and I'm
> fixing to start painting tomorrow... Any suggestions on how to clean,
> (or if I even need to), the walls, and how should I go about cleaning
> the wood paneling, as well? It's been aired out over the past two
> years, so the smell isn't a problem, just the tar residue. Thanks in
> advance,
> Ryanne
> ryannebeth@yahoo.com



"If you just paint, it loosens the nicotine and it bleeds right through,"
said Edward Raniszewski, a paint manager with Frank B. Shinn Paint Co. in
Wilmington.

1-Clean all surfaces with TSP (Tri-Sodium-Phosphate), bleach, and water.

2-Prime with a "stain sealing" primer like "kilz". The ceilings are the
worse--they really soak up the smells!!

Don't forget to clean the outlets-they like to really hold in the smell.

If the smell continues-rent a negative ionizer from someplace-maybe a auto
detailer, etc?? Leaving that going in the house for awhile will help a GREAT
deal!!

Good luck!!