# soot on walls and ceiling -  advise on cleaning and repainting



## Stevebass4 (Apr 27, 2010)

not too sure why  BUT this year seems much worse then other years with the dirt and soot from the stove although i think i burned much more this year than previous years 

anyway the game plan is to re-paint the ceiling and walls as it's been three years since i last painted  and the  light colors i used before tend to show more dirt / soot then other colors 

any advise on cleaning the soot off the walls before i repaint 

i just hit some areas with simple green and it cleaned up ok (not great) 

would cleaning with tsp first help?  or should i just stainkill everything first before i paint  - also i used flat paint - should i use a semi gloss

Thxs


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## benjamin (Apr 28, 2010)

Yes, semi gloss is much easier to clean and more durable than flat.  And yes if you can find real TSP-trisodium phosphate then that's a great cleaner.  The "TSP substitute" is usually sodium silicate etc. and is good enough for degreasing concrete but it pretty harsh on other sufaces, be especially careful not to get it on aluminum.  If you're going with a darker color, or even an antique white, I wouldn't bother to prime it with a stainkiller, assuming it's in good shape and just a little sooty.  I've painted plenty of walls that had nicotine so thick it would bleed through a couple of layers of stainblock even after being washed a few times.  But once you paint it with a beige white, you'll never notice the difference.


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## begreen (Apr 28, 2010)

TSP is good if you can find it. Wear gloves. For ease of cleaning, I prefer to use a high quality and eggshell or satin paint. Semi-gloss is just too shiny for walls. It belongs on trim IMO. Benjamin Moore paints seem to stand up well for us. 

But the real question is the source of the soot? We are lucky (or not) if we paint every 10 years, but have no soot build up on off-white walls. Can the cause of the soot be addressed first before repainting?


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## woodsman23 (Apr 28, 2010)

Where is the soot coming from #1 item is to find out why and remedy. Repaint with a satin paint for the walls never a gloss...


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## Stevebass4 (Apr 28, 2010)

great question as i really don't know  nothing has changed in my set up 

low ceilings, i smoke  and i clean out the insert everyday for a new fire  and i feed the insert a lot (it's a small QF)

used the home depot beah paint last time


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## John the Painter (Apr 28, 2010)

Give a wash with soap and water and allow to dry.Priming isn't a must but if you do you top coat will dry more even.The best way to paint a ceiling IMO is to do it on a wet day or boil a pot of water.By bringing up the moisture in the house the paint will dry slower and more even so you won't have lap marks.I would suggest a flat paint as it will hide imperfections where as semi gloss would tend to show more.Also be generous with the paint.Don't skimp.This advice is for a latex paint.If you're using oil based just paint it.No prep work like cleaning.
Good Luck


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## wantstoburnwood (Apr 30, 2010)

Great advice John


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## Uper (Apr 30, 2010)

I bought a home once with some sooting on the walls and ceiling.  I used TSP to clean it, then applied the Kilz sealant and then painted over that.  It worked out great.  I would definitely find out what is causing the sooting, but highly recommend the Kilz to seal the old soot from coming back through the paint.


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## daveswoodhauler (Apr 30, 2010)

Steve, I think the issue is the smoking. My old roomate and I rented an apartment once, and after he moved out (about 1 year later) and my fiance moved in, she would not move in until I cleaned the place....after washing down the walls and ceiling, the walls/celing turned from an eggshell yellow to white. (I just handn't noticed the discoloring was due to all the smoking as I was living there at the time)
The other posts are good about the right paints to use, but unless you are getting a lot of backpuffing from your stove, I think the soot is coming from something else.
Nice to see another person with a small insert...I was between the one you have and my Lopi Answer.
Good luck


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