Getting rid of smokers rank ceilings

Soldato
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25 Aug 2010
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So the place we're buying has been inhabited by someone that has smoked loads of fags all day long - the ceiling and walls in the sitting room as bad as an old pub!!
Anyone got any idea what the best way to sort them out for re-decorating is?

My initial thought was sugar soap then some kind of stain blocking primer, then paint.

But then in terms of time/costs I am now minded to either remove the plasterboard ceiling and get it re-sheeted, taped and filled, then painted - which might be more expensive but possibly give a much better finish...

Anyone had to deal with this before?
 
Yeah, I might be inclined to re-board, though can't you board over what is there?

If I just painted it I know for a fact my wife would bleat on about still being able to smell it 5 years later.
 
Nothing wrong with sugar soaping as much of it as you can and then re-boarding :)

Time!

I'm going to be left to try and get the place liveable while the wife and kiddo are at the mother in laws so it's in my interest to get it done asap!

Basically I want to get it to a big white box that doesn't stink asap...

I'll put up a build thread once we get the keys and I can get it all drawn up with the works we are hoping to carry out
 
It'll still stink if you overboard it. The stench gets everywhere. If you have stipple ceilings or they are in a bad way I'd be tempted to rip them down and start again. Doesn't take long and it'll be nice and fresh.

Walls you'll need to just wash, wash and wash.

It'll be all the cupboards and nooks and crannies that it'll permeate to.
 
It'll be all the cupboards and nooks and crannies that it'll permeate to.

and there's plenty of those to be ripped out too!!

I will be getting a skip so can easily take the ceilings down myself, the loft insulation will be getting replaced too so it's definitely going to get pretty messy before it can start to get better!
 
Yeah, if it has to be done quickly and has to be right first time the only way is to rip it down.

At least if you're already getting a skip getting rid of the mess won't be too bad. If the house is anything at all like ours though, you'll have black dust everywhere.
 
I had this when I moved into my present house, had to wash down the ceiling in the lounge several times until the water coming off wasn't all yellowy brown, took a lot of work, luckily they had wallpaper and when that came down it took most of the give amd smell with it.

When it came to painting the ceiling I had to use a stain blocker which was like trying to spread primula on the ceiling, was hard going but worked really well.

If you're not all trying to live in it and you're gutting the place then definitely I'd rip it down and start again!
 
cool, yeah there's so much work to do - and so little money! but something like this should probably put the effort into

(there's a load of wallpaper that will be coming down too - so hopefully that will take a lot, in fact i think every room is papered! the house was built in 1965 and retains many original features... powder blue bathroom suite anyone?!)
 
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My living room was nearly brown it was that dirty

rip it out and start again. Better off doing it now rather than sitting there in a years time thinking "wish I had ripped it down I can still smell it"

nice clean fresh plaster fresh skirting board and carpet and It will look like It was only just built
 
cool, yeah there's so much work to do - and so little money! but something like this should probably put the effort into

(there's a load of wallpaper that will be coming down too - so hopefully that will take a lot, in fact i think every room is papered! the house was built in 1965 and retains many original features... powder blue bathroom suite anyone?!)

Ours was built in 1908 and the bathroom suite was bright pink :D
 
Id echo the above advice after trying to wash a ceiling down once. My arm was numb and it was no cleaner after 3 attempts so I got the crow bar out and just ripped them down. It was easier than I expected to board the ceilings although to a novice like me it needed 2 people and some balancing the board on your head!
 
Also did this with a heavy smokers house after she died. Had to rip it down months later as the smell lingers.
 
Just bought a property with the same problem. I used a skip, a crowbar and a hammer. No more ceiling or walls, perfect time to run some cable through the house too! :)
 
When I moved into a house in 2002 I spent weeks cleaning the lounge to get rid of the smell but after a couple of months it returned. In the end I had the ceiling pulled down (it was textured and I didn't like the look of it) and the walls reskimmed.
 
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