How to Repair Smoke Damage to Drywall

The aftermath of a fire to drywall is often a charred, soot-covered mess, which is why this is a job that is often left to professional fire restoration companies. This is not to say that you cannot repair your drywall yourself, because you can. As long as your drywall has not been extensively damaged it can be repaired, otherwise it will have to be replaced. There are several steps in the process of restoring your drywall from smoke damage, which include cleaning, scraping, sanding, priming and painting.

Things You'll Need

• Trisodium phosphate
• Rags
• Sponges
• Two 5-gallon buckets
• Rubber gloves
• Goggles
• Dropcloths
• Putty knife
• Spackle
• 100-grit drywall sandpaper
• Drywall compound
• Mud tray
• 12-inch drywall knife
• Paint tools

Instructions

1. Add 1 gallon of warm water to your bucket and then add 1 tbsp. of trisodium phosphate. Gently stir with a paint stick.

2. Put on protective clothing, rubber gloves that are chemical-resistant and your goggles. Goggles will keep any splatters from getting into your eyes better than safety glasses. Open windows and doors for ventilation.

3. Place dropcloths on the floor in all areas where you will be working. Dip your rag or sponge into cleaning solution and squeeze out the excess solution. Wash a 3-foot by 3-foot section and then rinse with clean water. Continue this process until you are no longer getting soot off the wall.

4. Use your putty knife to scrape off paint that has blistered or bubbled from the heat of the fire. Sand the scraped areas and use spackling to fill areas that will not sand smooth or appear pitted. Allow the spackling to dry and then sand smooth. Use drywall compound and a drywall knife to fill large pitted areas to speed up your wall repairs. Allow the compound to dry and then sand it.

5. Prime your walls with an oil-based primer to seal soot stains and smoke odors. This step is particularly important if your walls were painted with flat paint and you cannot get the walls clean. Allow the primer to dry and paint your walls. When using oil-based primer be sure that you have adequate ventilation and wear a respirator.

Tips & Warnings

• If your walls were painted with a semigloss or satin paint, the cleaning process will go much smoother than if your walls were painted with flat paint.

• You can use an ozone generator to help remove smoke odors from your walls and your home, but make sure that you, your family and your pets are not in the home when it is running.

• Wear long-sleeve shirt and pants when using trisodium phosphate. This chemical can cause severe skin irritation.

References

• How to Clean Stuff
• Wise Geek