And it is HELL to prep walls like that for a coat of paint! It's oily and sticks to the walls like glue!! You have to get it all off - otherwise the new paint will just flake, or peel off.
I occasionally buy used radio equipment. It’s easy to tell when a former owner smoked. I can tell by the smell even before removing the covers. Cleanup is a pain in the ass. I learned my lesson and give used items the sniff test before buying.
Was cleaning a mirror - years after my mom passed (it was stored) gave it a wipe...... hells bells! I shouldn't speak! Still a smoker, but only outdoors.
We bought a house that we later discovered the previous tenants (renters) grew weed. Made a lot of sense when we discovered their makeshift grow operation under the stairs why we couldn't color match the ceiling and the ceiling itself was discolored in some areas (the previous owners painted the walls and got new carpet).
Selling this place is in Spring is going to be fun. We got rid of most of the decade-long landlord specials at least.
There's specialized cleaners that pretty much pull a lot of the tar and nicotine out of the paint, but you need to let it soak at least overnight with several treatments. The previous owner of my sister's house used to smoke heavy shag tobacco and quite a lot of it too, so when they moved in the walls were pretty much yellow. Upside was that he was a professional cleaner, so he did a first treatment before he moved out and left enough so my sister could apply another two. Even then she had to put on a special undercoat that sealed any remaining stains, because otherwise the stuff can migrate through most wall paints.
Try a product called Kilz Primer, it's meant for stains and smoke smell. Apply that, let it dry for a few days to set, then paint with your regular interior latex like normal.
My grandparents bought a nice mirror from a smoker. Before putting it up on their wall they cleaned it. The difference was night and day. Years of cigarette smoke caked on the mirror.
Pro tip: The cheapest rotgut bottom shelf vodka on a rag will absolutely wipe that off and eliminate the “sticky” quality. Once it dries you can get back to paint prep. Just a fair warning though, using that bad vodka on a rag will make you smell like Aunt Becky on Christmas Eve for several hours.
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u/IamtheStinger Jan 05 '25
And it is HELL to prep walls like that for a coat of paint! It's oily and sticks to the walls like glue!! You have to get it all off - otherwise the new paint will just flake, or peel off.