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Updated almost 6 years ago on . Most recent reply

How to get rid of 20 years of smoke
I am in the process of purchasing a rehab that has been smoked in for the past 20 years. What are some of the most effective ways of removing the smell to achieve showroom quality short of tearing out every piece of drywall.
I should note that we are planning to remove all the carpets and flooring and replace them. We are also planning to paint every room.
Most Popular Reply

We did a house that was very heavily smoked in. You could see where anything was hanging on the walls, etc. Washed it twice with TSP. This is important no matter what you're going to paint it with as you need to remove the tar residue so the paint can adhere.
The we painted it with the oil based Kilz (not the latex Kilz 2) Then we painted it with our usual top coat paints.
Every piece of flooring was replaced. All the lighting fixtures were either thoroughly cleaned or replaced.
All cabinets were washed inside and out with TSP and the exteriors painted.
Shelving was removed, cleaned, painted and reinstalled.
The HVAC system was replaced (because it didn't work), we did not replace the ducting and it seemed ok.
Overall, it came out well and the smoke smell went away.
This house took a lot of elbow grease but it cash flows well.