That was quick!

[HeyBub]

Interior painting job.

I had to clean the walls and ceiling in one room formerly occupied by a heavy smoker for 25 years. I attacked the job with a sponge mop and a TSP solution.

After about an hour - and three fresh buckets of cleaning solution - I had done about one-quarter of the ceiling. Bummer. Then a possible solution occurred to me: two words.

Pressure washer.

A modest PW from Harbor Freight (1500psi) got the job done in thirty minutes! I'm not kidding! Ceiling, walls, and floor, plus trim, floorboards, and window!

The wet-dry vac and a mop picked up the water on the tile floor and 24 hours of AC and fans dried out most of the remaining wetness.

Now there are some potential problems necessitating caution. The PW may blow a hole in the sheetrock if held too close. And you need to be aware of getting too vigorous near electrical outlets and overhead lights.

Anyway, the room looks so good (compared), I entertained not painting it at all(!).

Nah, I'm gonna paint it this week-end.

Maybe Home Depot will take back the three boxes of TSP I bought in contemplation of the original plan...

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm glad that worked out for you. I'd be a bit scared to use a pressure washer indoors. Did you have a helper run the shop vac in real time?

Friends of mine have success with pine cleaner for smokers film.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that to his own lungs, and body. Yikk.

If that's real TSP, save it. Put a teaspoon in your laundry every now and again.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

I had to clean the walls and ceiling in one room formerly occupied by a heavy smoker for 25 years. I attacked the job with a sponge mop and a TSP solution.

After about an hour - and three fresh buckets of cleaning solution - I had done about one-quarter of the ceiling. Bummer. Then a possible solution occurred to me: two words.

Pressure washer.

A modest PW from Harbor Freight (1500psi) got the job done in thirty minutes! I'm not kidding! Ceiling, walls, and floor, plus trim, floorboards, and window!

The wet-dry vac and a mop picked up the water on the tile floor and 24 hours of AC and fans dried out most of the remaining wetness.

Now there are some potential problems necessitating caution. The PW may blow a hole in the sheetrock if held too close. And you need to be aware of getting too vigorous near electrical outlets and overhead lights.

Anyway, the room looks so good (compared), I entertained not painting it at all(!).

Nah, I'm gonna paint it this week-end.

Maybe Home Depot will take back the three boxes of TSP I bought in contemplation of the original plan...

[Steve Barker]

if you get some holy cow from a true value store it literally lets the smoke run down the walls when you spray it on.

[Stormin Mormon]

This stuff?

I've had great results with Simple Green for a lot of projects. green means more expensive, and doesn't work.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

if you get some holy cow from a true value store it literally lets the smoke run down the walls when you spray it on.

[bob haller]

the OP removed the SURFACE CONTAMINATION, but the stink odor will still be in the walls floor etc. just like after a home fire.......

prime all the walls with oil based kilz or bin, and seal the floor with outdoor polyurethane.

if you fail to do all this every moist air, like rainey day will have the odor reoccur.

even seal beams and floorboards in basements and unfinished areas

The stink cant be removed from wall interiors etc, like inside wall board.

you MUST seal it in to get rid of it

this is the method used by home fire restoration companies

[John]

Did you mean to post this on April 1st and forgot?

John

[Stormin Mormon]

HebeBub, I think this guy just questioned your integrity and honesty. That sounds like an offense, to me.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Did you mean to post this on April 1st and forgot?

John

[George]

But the actual work required doesn't make as good of a goofy story...

[HeyBub]

I don't understand. Why would I WANT to get rid of the odor (if any)?

Is this some kind of new "green" thing?

[HeyBub]

Uh, no. I didn't get started on the project 'til April 5th.

Right this instant, I'm taking a break from painting the ceiling. My beautiful and loving wife is resting from caulking the baseboards.

We've got some trim left to paint*, then, ta-da, the walls.

-------

• Went to the paint department of HD last night and scoped out the paint department. Not finding what I wanted, I inquired of a clerk: "I want a quart of Glidden's bright-white, high-gloss, interior-exterior, oil-based paint."

He rolled his eyes. He shuffled his feet. He said: "We don't have anything remotely close to that."

"Sure you do," I responded. "I've bought it here twice before." He shook his head. "Neener-neener."

Just then, something caught my eye. I plucked a can of exactly what I described. "I suppose this is a banana?"

"Oh, that's GEL-BASED. I didn't know you wanted that."

"I don't care if it's sugar based or made with real snails - it's oil-based (see, right here, 'oil-based')"

[HeyBub]

Oh.

Every time some granny lady starts whacking me with her umbrella while screeching "You godless communist! You can't smoke here!", I patiently look her in the eye and inform her: "It's all right, madam, I'm French." They usually shrug and go away.

On the other hand, my home is not a democracy.

Except for taxes, building codes, city regulations, animal control and a few other things too numerous to mention, such as water conservation, prohibition of loud music, off-street parking, and rules against keeping a car on blocks in the front yard.

Never mind...

[HeyBub]

In truth, our relationship is somewhat equivocal. For tax reasons, we would be foolish to marry here. For legal reasons, I am reluctant to tell you what we did in Cyprus.

[HeyBub]

Carter's Gun & Outdoor Supplies, Houston.

[HeyBub]

No, I'm not a foreign national. Look at it from an informed viewpoint:

Assume you calculate the tax burden would be substantial if you got married. Further assume that there may come a time when being married would work to an advantage. What would this latter condition be? There are at least a couple of important ones:

a) Inheritence, or b) Legal ability to make medical decisions for the incompetent spouse.

Being able to invoke either of these two catastrophic decisions can be had with a sub rosa marriage without the ongoing tax consequences.

I once read about a couple who took their Christmas vacation in Costa Rica. While there, they got divorced. On their return the first week in January, they remarried. For tax purposes, they were not married the entire year on which they were unmarried December 31st, thereby saving thousands in taxes.

This tax saving paid for their trip.

[Robert Green]

You still ain't gettin' no gift! (-:

-- Bobby G.

[HeyBub]

Would it hurt you to give something imaginary?

[The Daring Dufas]

Even though I'm terribly allergic to tobacco smoke, I support the right of any adult who wishes to subject THEMSELVES to tobacco smoke. Everyone has the right to go to hell on their own terms. Nicotine is a legal drug for you to use in your own home, for now. I believe any adult has the right to do whatever they want to their own body as long as they don't cause harm to anyone else, especially children. The city here just passed an ordinance outlawing smoking except in certain places, places I don't have to visit which is the way I've always reacted because of my allergy to tobacco smoke. I wish everyone who shares my allergies would act the same way and just avoid places frequented by smokers instead of trying to tell them what to do. Nanny States will start with smokers then go after my junk food next because it's bad for me. Darn! I think I remember reading that it's already happened in some places. o_O

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

The sales associate must have been a Canadian? ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Here in Alabamastan we have something called Common Law Marriage. I a "male human" and a "female human" live together as man and wife for any length of time and call each other husband and wife, presenting themselves as married to the community, they're married and would have to go through a divorce if breaking up. o_O

I looked up Texas and what I read shows such a marriage is allowed with the signing of a form provided by the county clerk. The couple also has to cohabit and present themselves as married. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Speaking of taxes, I've heard that a lot more Americans are renouncing their citizenship because of excessive taxes being levied against them when they're working in other countries. o_O

TDD