Getting Primed Up
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
When I say the word primer, what is your first thought? Most people think of primers as just a way to block out dark stains of an underlying paint or dark stains in wood. And you would be correct. There are primers just for that, like Seal All, Prime All, and the old standby Kilz, which Chip Gaines says he uses on his jobs. But there are many more primers that do so much more than just block stains.
When I bought my house, the previous owner was a smoker. He was the original owner, so there were 40 years of accumulated smoke in the home. When I removed the flooring, I used Bio Zapp to neutralize the smoke in the concrete. I cleaned, primed, and painted all the walls to cover up the smell and nicotine stains. And finally, we removed all the popcorn on the ceiling and repainted. All of those projects I thought would be enough to counteract years of smoke and odor. Well, it seemed like it did until I would go away for a week, and the house would be closed up for a few days. And then I would walk in from the garage and into the kitchen, and this faint odor of cigarette smoke would be lingering in the air. It was so frustrating because I couldn't figure out where the odor was coming from until one night, when I was putting up some pots and pans. When I knelt to put in the pots, I noticed the odor was coming from the cabinets.
When I renovated the house, I didn’t do the kitchen. I didn’t know what I wanted to do yet, so I just didn’t do anything. The kitchen had never been updated, so the cabinets were the original 40-year-old ones built with the house. And the smoke odor had penetrated the wood, and though it was faint, it was there. And that’s when I found Zinsser Odor Blocking Primer. Odor Blocking Primer is a latex, low odor primer that goes on white but dries crystal clear. It leaves a soft sheen and permanently seals in odors. When the mystery of “where” the odor was coming from was finally solved, it turned out to be a simple solution. I painted all the insides of the cabinets. I made a quick decision to go with a creamy white for the exterior. Now, when I walk in after a few days away, there is no odor of smoke. Now, if I forgot to take out the trash, that’s a whole other set of problems.
Odor Killing Primer can be used on subfloors, walls, and cabinets. It can be used on smoke, animal, fire, and tobacco odors. It dries in 45 minutes and comes in a convenient quart.
Now to the email….
Question: Trudy, we have this one sprinkler that hits the side of our house. Every couple of months, I have to clean off this green cast that looks like mildew. Should I just spray bleach on the house wall as I spray in my shower stall? Or is there something better that I should use?
Answer: The best option for outdoor stains is 30 Seconds Outdoor Cleaner. Using straight bleach on a painted surface is too stressful on the paint. 30 Seconds comes in a hose end, a quart, and an economical gallon. Spray it on the stain, let it work, and then rinse it off. It will not damage foliage because you rinse it with water. You can safely use it on wood, siding, stone, brick, and concrete.
Question: We had some windows painted, and while they look great, unfortunately, some paint got on the brick. How can we remove the paint from the brick?
Answer: I would use Soy Gel. Paint it on the brick and cover it with plastic so it doesn’t dry out while it’s working to remove the paint. After about an hour, lift the plastic and scrub with a plastic bristle brush. Then use a high-pressure water nozzle (not a power washer) to rinse off the paint.
Question: I have a rack in the stucco in my house. I want to try to repair it myself. What do you suggest that I use?
Answer: Mor-Flexx is a caulk that repairs crumbly mortar and cracked stucco. Using a caulking gun, just squeeze it into the crack. It’s simple and easy and cleans up with soap and water. And the nice part is that it’s paintable, so that your repair will be seamless. Since it is a textured mortar, it blends in well with stucco.