My husband and I are in the process of renovating a house that has seen a lot of cigarette smoke over the years. We're going to remove the carpets, clean all the walls, ceilings, and fixtures, and then repaint. We're torn between using Kilz or Zinsser B-I-N for primer. A coworker mentioned they had issues with paint adhering to the Zinsser primer, which led us to lean towards Kilz. Now we're stuck deciding between Kilz Restoration and Kilz Original. We've heard that oil-based is the way to go, which would suggest the Original, but the Restoration seems specifically designed to deal with stains and odors like cigarette smoke. What do you recommend? Should we stick with Kilz, or would Zinsser B-I-N be better?
3 Answers
I’d recommend Kilz Max for a situation like yours. It handled the smells from my smoky house and even worked wonders after dealing with a cat that had litter box issues. Just a heads up, it is a bit thick, but it really does the job!
Definitely go for the red Kilz, the oil-based primer. We had a house that was smoked in for 30 years, and one coat of that on every wall and ceiling followed by two coats of paint made it smell good as new.
I've dealt with a similar situation when my son bought a house that had been smoked in for decades. Here’s how we handled it: we started with Kilz Original (the shellac-based kind) for a kitchen touch-up because it tackles both grease and smoke. Cleaning it up was tedious, and it took quite a while to dry, so for the rest of the house, we switched to Kilz Restoration since it's easier to clean up and has lower VOCs. Just make sure you take these steps: remove all carpets and drapes, clean ceilings and walls thoroughly using TSP and Simple Green until the rinse water runs clear, then prime everything. Both Kilz Original and Restoration are effective, but avoid Kilz 2 or 3 as they don’t do a great job against smoke damage. You’ve got this!
I’ve used Kilz Original Oil-based in a similar scenario, and it worked really well too. Just don’t forget to treat the HVAC system with ozone before laying down any new flooring!