# fire damage



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

This may be hard to answer without knowing the extent of damage, but what is the best way to clean smoked wood from a fire in a small auditorium. Suffered damage to the round wooden ceiling ( tounqe and groove ) and the wooden pews. Actually, it is the church part of the local Salvation Army.

I have been in a house that had some fire damage that had been Kilzed once. Must have the wrong kind. It still had the burnt smell. Now that I think about it, not sure all of it had been treated.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Original Kilz (oil-based) may work on some amount/type of damage
Zinsser's BIN, or other pigmented shellacs, work on more (worse) damaged areas than oil-based sealers can seal

It still could be bad enough that BIN won't work
But in that case, you are really in the market for replacing

For the other house
It may have been the wrong type of Kilz (the others- not the "Original Kilz"- really don't work well)
Or the damage may have been to severe for oil to work well enough
...or the area wasn't fully treated


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## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

> ...or the area wasn't fully treated


Yeah Slick, I remember now why I didn't buy that house many years ago. I noticed the smell and saw some burned wood in the attic. Not just charred but some burned at least a quarter of the way through. 

How would you go about cleaning what is salvageable to get it ready to cover with anything?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Serious fire damage I call a specialist
As I contract for painting and remod services, I can't really do something that "might" work
I have to _know_ it'll work

Small stuff I'll use whatever to clean it
It doesn't matter to much, it just has to clean as much as possible and not leave a residue, or the residue must be rinsed properly
Simple Green is good, it just needs to be rinsed


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## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

> Simple Green is good, it just needs to be rinsed


If anything like mMean Green, it has to be rinsed very well. I used to use Mean Green to clean appliances, it leaves a residue if not thoroughly rinsed. I always thought simple green was propably pre-diluted mean Green.


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## SgtBaldy (Jul 18, 2006)

I forget the name of the sponges that I used when i worked for a fire restoration co but they are made to wipe down excess smoke damage then seal and paint. BIN is the best for heavy smoke damage. If there is any charring then you need to replace. If you still have the smell after sealing and painting then you need to clean all other surfaces. Seal attic rafters and treat ac ducts and replace all insulation. Really you need a pro out to do all this stuff cus you can't buy most of this stuff at diy retail.


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## AAPaint (Mar 4, 2006)

Smoke damage is a tough one for sure. As a painting contractor, I sometimes handle projects like this...but it only includes walls and ceilings. All the other items will have to be handled by someone else. 

Typically we will wash down all areas with smoke damage with a straight TSP and water solution. This process takes a LOT of water to clean the soot off the surface. Then we use Zinsser's BIN primer to seal in the smoke stains and smell, usually applied by spray. After that, we topcoat with two coats of latex in whatever flavor the customer wants. I prefer chocolate! :laughing:

Kilz, IMHO, won't come close to handling a project like that. I tend to look at it as a knock-off of BIN, and it honestly does not perform nearly as well. 

Like Sgt. Baldy said, if any of it is charred, you'll have to replace it. The attic, ducts, etc. would be a whole other ball game, and could harbor the smell for years to come.

Here's a recent project I did. 
http://www.contractortalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2756&stc=1&d=1157141962
http://www.contractortalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2875&stc=1&d=1157949676

This forum won't let me post pics?? That's dirty.


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