Sealing Stains

Stop smoking. :-)

You sure its not distemper?

I don't smoke. One or more of the previous occupants, who were renting, smoked and really messed the place up. It's not distemper either.

The correct stuff is, for instance, Crown Stain Block Primer (Google for these 4 words), however any oil based paint will do quite well.

I've used the stain block stuff in the past but thought it was overrated and would cost an arm and a leg for the area I want to cover. I used to believe any oil based paint would do but I recently used a Wickes wood primer and undercoat on a stain and it came back through within seconds.

Have you tried the Johnsons trade matt?

This place I'm in now was heavily laden with smoke stain on ceilings and I used the above paint with good results,its now 12 months thereabouts and still looking good.

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I had to deal with this a few years ago in a room that looked like someone had been smoking mackerel in it. Rather than cover it up I used a wallpaper steamer to wash it off. Plenty of detergent first time, sugar soap the second. Came up clean enough to paint over in just two coats of cheap white emulsion. Never bled through anywhere in the five years or so the grand PsiL lived there.

Any "oil based undercoat". Usually the cheapest thing on the shelves at Focus etc. Anything that tells you to wash brushes in white spirit will do. Manufacturers seem loath to give basic information on the tin, preferring things like "quick drying" instead of "water based".

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Yes, probably would, though I've used it an it worked well.

It *is* oil based isn't it? I know silly question, but a lot of these primer/undercoats nowadays are waterbased acrylic

I presumed so because the brushes needed cleaning in brush cleaner. I'll have another look.