How to Get Rid of Wall Stains

When there are obvious stains on your wall from things like water, ink, or smoke, usually regular primers won’t be durable enough to block the stain with one coat. Tough stains typically have to be treated with three or more coats of regular primer and paint before the stains are hidden.

An alternative solution to using regular primer is to use blocker primer, which works much more efficiently on dark stains. Zinsser blocker primer works as a white shellac to seal off stains so they won’t show through. You can either spot prime or paint a whole wall with blocker primer depending on the size of the stain.

Follow our simple 4-step method to cure your stained wall:

1. Properly prepare the surface (read our blog post on surface preparation and follow steps 1-3).
2. Spot prime or fully prime the wall with Zinsser blocker primer.
3. Paint the wall with 1 coat of tinted primer. (If you used the blocker primer to just spot-prime, it’s important to prime the rest of the walls so the paint will adhere correctly. Since primer is less expensive than regular paint, it is more cost effective to paint a coat of primer before painting your final coat, but is not necessary if you used blocker primer for the whole wall.)
4. Finally, apply 1 to 2 coats of final paint.

In the case of water stains, make sure there is no moisture or dampness in the wall before you begin painting. It is important to fix the underlying cause of the problem before painting over the surface, to prevent mildew and mold growth. Our team of professionals is trained to repair damaged drywall as well paint it, so give us a call if you have this problem.

Chism Brothers Painting has been providing quality service to San Diego since 1982. Call us for a free estimate at 858-454-3850.