“I painted over my stinky wall / floor / ceiling and now the odor has returned. Does Nokout work through paint?”
We get calls now and then asking the above question. Often it is pet odor – cat urine in the basement floor or tobacco smoke from the previous tenant who wasn’t supposed to be smoking in the rental property but did anyway. Or odor from a fire. Regardless of the odor source, if you are having an odor issue that is pervasive, you may think that the right way to stop this odor is to paint over it. There are paints available at home improvement shops that claim that you can just seal away the odor issue under a layer of their paint and go on to live happily ever after. Unhappily for home owners, nothing could be further from the truth. While you may look at a sample paint and see that it looks be a good sealant, in fact, at microscopic dimensions, no paint in the world is an effective barrier against odors. Eventually – and that might not take long at all – the paint fails to hold back the stinky odor molecules, and whatever the odor issue is, begins to return. Don’t paint over odors. In the long run, it just won’t work!
So What is the Answer?
The answer to that question is – it can, but it’s a lot harder now that it has been painted over. The reason is that Nokout and Sniper perform their deodorizing work when they come into direct contact with the odor source. That paint will act as a barrier that can make it difficult to remove smelly odors from walls and flooring. So the question becomes – Should I paint over my smelly walls with an odor sealing paint? The answer to this question is, yes – but only after you have dealt with the odor issue first. Whether it is pet urine, tobacco smoke, fire smoke, mold or some other stinky issue, the best bet is to solve the odor issue first, then paint. Don’t paint over odors because the odor will return and then it’ll be more difficult to permanently deal with the issue.
Here’s The Issue
Paint develops pores that form when the liquid medium of the paint evaporates away as the paint dries. These pores are relatively large compared to odor molecules. Eventually, the odor molecules will start to seep through the paint, only now, the paint acts as a barrier between you and the odor source. Any genuine deodorizer must have direct contact with the odor source. This paint barrier makes it difficult to really deal with the underlying problem because you can no longer get to it anymore. There’s a better way. Instead of hiding an odor behind a supposedly impermeable barrier, attack the odor source first with Nok-Out or Sniper. Then paint. This works permanently.
What You Will Need
1) a 5 gallon bucket or two
2) a sprayer of some sort. A power sprayer such as the Fogmaster Jr is great because it is efficient and can produce a cone-shaped spray that will reach even high ceilings. You can also use a pump-up garden style sprayer.
3) rags – some dry and some damp
Here’s How To Permanently Get Rid of Odors in Walls
Nok-Out or Sniper remove odors at the source permanently, on contact. Keep that in mind! In general, you need to spray Nokout or Sniper evenly on all surfaces without missing any patches. Spray enough that the wall is wet, but not so much that it starts running down the wall. Allow it so sit for up to 10 minutes. Then, use a damp rag to wipe and clean the surfaces. Clean the rag frequently in the bucket of water. Especially if the issue is smoke odor, whether from fire, tobaccco, or other, you need to wipe away that sticky residue. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then get someone who isn’t “nose blind” to give it the “nose test”. If needed, spray and wipe a second time. Before painting, use a dry towel to carefully wipe away any residue that may be left behind so that the new coat of paint can adhere to a clean dry surface.
What About The Ceiling?
If your ceiling is only lightly textured, you can treat it the same way as the walls. If your ceiling has a highly textured “popcorn” finish, it presents a bigger challenge, because that highly textured surface is difficult to wipe down effectively. For the Popcorn finish, you can still spray with Nokout or Sniper, but rather than wiping it down, you can wait until it has thoroughly dried and then use an old style broom to carefully, gently sweep the ceiling to remove any dust, dander, particulates or other residues. It’s tricky to sweep without knocking off all the little bits that form that popcorn surface, but you do need to remove as much of the small particulates as possible so that your new coat of paint will adhere.
My Issue is Cat Urine on a Concrete Floor. What Can I Do?
Concrete is highly porous and is much like a big hard sponge. The pores are large and fill up with stinky stuff. You really, really want to eliminate that odor before applying paint. Because after applying paint, it will be very difficult to get a deodorizer to come in contact with the odor source. We have a “How-to” for concrete here: https://nokout.com/remove-odors-from-concrete-tile-or-brick/ that will provide detailed instructions for dealing with odors in concrete.
The Bottom Line
Be smart. Don’t paint over odors. The smart thing to do is always going to be deal with the odor first – then paint. Yes, it’s more work and yes, it’s a pain, but in the long run, it is less painful than dealing with an odor that has returned after you have painted over it. Nokout or Sniper will successfully remove your odor issue without causing any harm to your existing paint or other surface. And then, it may not need repainting after all.
Try Some Today!
Imagine having one cleaner and one deodorizer for all your cleaning needs that is safe, green, and powerful. Now you can!
Get ready to throw out all your toxic products.
