 | Mike Goebel
has been involved in the construction and home improvement industry for more than 40 years and is currently the Senior Vice President of the Home Center Division at Star Lumber & Supply Co. Inc. You may contact Mike by e-mail at mgoebel@starlumber.com or by phone at (316) 942-2221. |
Home Improvement
2003-09-01 15:42:00
Can you 'clean' a ceiling?
: I have a blown ceiling in my home. Obviously the former owner was a smoker because certain areas are yellowed and I can't get the smell out of the room (which I assume is due to the ceiling). Is there any way around having the ceiling repainted? Isn't there some way it can be cleaned?
ANSWER: Sorry, I cannot think of any way to clean stained blown ceilings. If your problem were dirt or even soot, a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush would get about 80 % of the dirt off, leaving a shadowy remnant. However the yellow areas are stained and the only answer is to repaint the ceiling. Some primers/paints are particularly good for covering stained ceilings (most regular paints will not). Zinser 123 is a water base paint that will cover well and has very little odor of its own. Killz is an oil base paint that has a lingering odor of its own which should go away when completely cured (about a week). Neither of the above products will kill the smoke odor you describe. To cover the stain and kill the odor you need a shellac based product such as Bin Primer Sealer. It will kill the smoke odor but has an odor of its own which will go away in about a week. I assume that you have replaced or thoroughly cleaned the walls and floor to eliminate those areas as a source for the odor. Sorry that I couldn't give you the answer you were looking for but a freshly painted ceiling will brighten the whole room and is probably worth the effort.
