- 1). Examine the walls to see how bad the smoke damage is and to ensure that you do not have underlying problems from the fire damage.
- 2). Dissolve a tablespoon of TSP in one gallon of warm water. Wear rubber gloves and goggles during this step, because the TSP can irritate the skin and eyes.
- 3). Use a large sponge to clean the area of smoke damage. Clean the area in sections to ensure you will cover all of it. Do not get too much water on the walls. If you have drywall this could damage it and excess water could encourage the growth of mold. If your walls are covered in wallpaper, you will need to remove it. Porous surfaces such as stucco may also need to be removed.
- 4). Prime the walls with an oil-based stain-blocking primer .The primer will seal the smell of the smoke and provide a clean base to apply fresh paint.
- 5). Examine the walls to see if smoke shows through the primer. If so, apply a second coat of primer.
- 6). Allow four hours for the last coat of primer to dry. Then apply paint to a small area to test for bleeding. If the smoke damage bleeds through, apply another coat of primer and allow it to dry overnight before trying again to apply a topcoat of paint. Paint two or three thin layers of paint so they will dry easily and give a professional-looking finish.
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