Smoke Odor - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

VBuilt · 03-22-2009, 02:10 PM

Just the way things go; I have never had the opportunity to deal with a fire job.

That being said, I am looking for some "real word" info on the issue.

I have a previous client (I built the original home) that had a fire.
2838 colonial w/1620 family room ad 2-car attached.
The fire destroyed the family room. There was considerable heat; the vinyl window blinds in the second floor master on the opposite side of the house are partially melted.

The client is looking to do a full gut of the home down to the studs as well as, of course, re-building the family room. The insurance company brought in a company to look at clean-up and was told there was too much smoke/heat damage to simply clean/re-paint.

I have done some research regarding the issue of smoke odor remediation: fogging, ozone and "encapsulating".

I have searched the site and found a few opinions.

I am interested in any experienced thought regarding the issue of left over smell that might be an issue in the actual frame of the house and how it might be addressed while fully gutted.

mdshunk · 03-22-2009, 02:14 PM

All the restoration contractors around here paint everything with Kilz that has been sooted up or burned that will remain. Does a fine job at sealing in the stink. They spray it.

Things that will remain that are sooted up that rightly shouldn't be painted, like pipes, basement floor, etc get soda blasted. That works fantastic too.

mickeyco · 03-22-2009, 02:17 PM

Get a cat to piss all over everything, that will eliminate the smoke odor.

.

VBuilt · 03-22-2009, 02:20 PM

Would I have to buy the cats or is there some place I could rent them- It would take way too long to wait for just one cat to do the job.

mickeyco · 03-22-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VBuilt

Would I have to buy the cats or is there some place I could rent them- It would take way too long to wait for just one cat to do the job.

Out here you can find them loose wandering all over the place, in an hour I could probably snag 5 cats, you won't need that many, cats can do a lot of damage real quick.

.

GBAR · 03-23-2009, 09:12 PM

Post it in paint--- my money's on Zinsser! Be safe, GBAR

dakzaag · 03-23-2009, 09:32 PM

Have cats, will deliver.

joelv1967 · 04-15-2009, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdshunk

All the restoration contractors around here paint everything with Kilz that has been sooted up or burned that will remain. Does a fine job at sealing in the stink. They spray it.

Things that will remain that are sooted up that rightly shouldn't be painted, like pipes, basement floor, etc get soda blasted. That works fantastic too.

I second this....I have done many fire damaged SFRs, and all of my painters (4 companies I use on a regular basis) cover it with KILZ. Never had a problem. Works on grease stains, after mold remediation, you name it....it covers it.

Darwin · 04-16-2009, 07:47 AM

The KILZ to use would be the oil-based type.

KennMacMoragh · 05-02-2009, 07:33 PM

I've done several fire jobs too. We use spray cans of KILZ during the framing stage of rebuilding the house. Then whenever you have to nail a piece of wood over an existing burnt part of the building, you spray it with KILZ to seal in the smoke before nailing anything on top of it. When the framing is all done and signed off we sub out two guys that come in and spray off the whole thing. I'm not sure what they use to spray it, I think just a paint sprayer.

It's real easy to forget spraying the burnt pieces when you're nailing something over it too. I often forget to do that and just leave it, but try not to.

**framerman** · 05-02-2009, 08:08 PM

I've worked on two homes that have had serious fire and smoke damage, one this last winter.

Both used different methods.

The Kilz/Zinser method did not do it.

The air scrubber method did.

mdshunk · 05-02-2009, 08:14 PM

I've probably worked in 50-75 homes with fire damage, and the Kilz/Zinsser method is almost univerally employed. What remains is normally soda blaseted clean. Everyone runs air scrubbers (normally ozone generators) anyhow, for a period of time.

Wolfgang · 05-02-2009, 08:43 PM

Just did a fire job last week. Sprayed everything with SW Pro-Block oil. I then usually go over all the wood sub-floors with a diluted mixture of UnSmoke with a garden sprayer. Other times I will soak a paper towel in UnSmoke and hang it with paper clips from the AC/Heat vents. Have done over 250 fire jobs using this method and never a complaint. Brick/Stone walls and fire places get soda blasted which I usually farm out.