You can cover nicotine stains on your ceiling with the help of a degreasing agent.
Smoking leaves its mark in many ways. Not only is it hazardous to your health, but smoking can cause unsightly stains on your walls and ceilings. Nicotine leaves a greasy, water soluble stain that is difficult to cover. Because it is water soluble, the stain bleeds into the fresh paint and continues to show through. While nicotine stains present a challenge, it is possible to paint over them with the appropriate paint.
Prepare the Surface
Proper preparation of the surface is essential to a quality paint job. Since the greasy nature of nicotine stains will prevent paint from adhering to the surface, use a degreasing agent to clean the ceiling. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is a powerful degreaser commonly used by professional painters to remove stubborn stains caused by nicotine, mold and mildew. TSP is an extremely strong chemical. Be sure to wear protective clothing and eyewear to prevent skin and eye irritation.
Primer
Because nicotine stains tend to bleed through paint, it is important to prime your ceiling with a stain-blocking primer. Pigmented shellac and oil-based primers provide a good barrier between stains and paint to prevent bleeding. Water-based primers are not effective with water soluble stains and should not be used on nicotine. Many primers have a strong odor, so use only in a well-ventilated area.
Paint
Once your ceiling has been primed, you may choose to finish with latex or oil-based paint. Latex is a frequent choice for do-it-yourselfers due to its easy application and cleanup. Because of its high water content, latex is a more eco-friendly choice than oil-based paint. Oil-based paints are stickier and require more dry time than latex paint. One of the chief advantages of oil-based paint is its ability to adhere to dirtier surfaces than latex. However, since your surface is cleaned and primed, this is not an issue.
Textured Ceilings
Stained textured ceilings present a couple of challenges. Popcorn, or acoustical, ceilings cannot be cleaned with water, and ceilings installed prior to 1980 may contain asbestos. This is generally not a safety hazard as long as the surface is not disturbed. While you cannot use a water-based cleanser on your popcorn ceiling, it is important to remove as much dirt as possible. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove loose dirt and cobwebs that form in the textured nooks and crannies. If you are absolutely sure your ceiling does not contain asbestos, you may use a paint roller with a roller cover designed for textured surfaces to prime and paint the ceiling. If you suspect asbestos, use an airless paint gun to apply the primer and paint.
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