When renovating wall surfaces, it is common to encounter various difficult, water-soluble stains, such as nicotine, stains from water spillage, smoke, tannin, wine, juice, coffee, coloured pencils, markers, etc., which cannot be blocked using normal water-based interior wall paint. This is because water absorbs these stains and brings them to the surface during the drying process. And when the paint dries, the stains are still visible.

If smoking occurs indoors for several years, the wall surfaces become heavily impregnanted with nicotine and other tobacco smoke derivatives. The nicotine in the room causes the wall paint to turn very yellow over the years. Stains from water spillage can also appear on wall surfaces, most often caused by damaged plumbing, heating and sewage systems and damaged roofs.

Before painting over such stains, it is important to first identify the cause of the stains and urgently address it. You can use dehumidifiers to dry such stains more quickly. If mould has already occurred on the wall, it must be subjected to proper remedial treatment before painting.

Pictures: Stains from water spillage

 
In the case of restoration of wall surfaces after major fires, we recommend dry ice cleaning before painting. This is a completely dry, water-free procedure, an upgrade on traditional technologies and it replaces blasting, high-pressure washing and steam cleaning. Dry ice cleaning does not leave any damage on the cleaned surfaces and is also suitable for sensitive surfaces. In the case of minor fires, clean the surfaces with a cloth soaked in special cleaning agents, but normal dishwashing detergents can also be used.

Kitchen wall surfaces are also very exposed. Oil, wine, coffee, tomato sauce, etc. can quickly splash on them. If you have children, markers or crayons can also end up on the wall. Depending on the quality of the coating, such stains can be partially surface cleaned with a dishwashing detergent solution before painting, and in some cases we recommend light sanding with fine sandpaper to ensure better adhesion of the new coating.

Blocking water-soluble stains on wall surfaces

You can use SPEKTRA Stain Block Grund for effective blocking of water-soluble stains. It is a semi-transparent water-based primer which perfectly blocks nicotine, water spillage, tannin, wine, juice, coffee stains, etc. and prevents them from appearing after the application of the finishing paint. SPEKTRA Stain Block Grund is ready for application, so it does not need to be thinned before use. It is applied in one coat, with a roller, paintbrush or spraying. It covers up to 30 m2 of surface, depending on the absorbency and roughness of the substrate. Stains blocked in this way remain visible, so a restorative painting should follow. Any dispersion wall paint in the desired quality and shade can be used as a finishing coat. Another advantage of SPEKTRA Stain Block Grund over anti-nicotine paints is in the fact that it is not necessary to coat the entire wall, only the spots where there are stains. SPEKTRA Stain Block Grund is available in 2l and 5l packaging.

Pictures: Smoking room before painting and smoking room after painting with SPEKTRA Stain Block Grund and SPEKTRA Super.

 
For painting wall surfaces with water-soluble stains, SPEKTRA anti-nicotine paint is also the right choice. It is manufactured based on a non-aromatic solvent that does not dissolve water-soluble stains, therefore blocking them perfectly; it is also odourless and user-friendly. As the paint contains a binder with very small particles, it perfectly penetrates the substrate and acts as a self-impregnating agent, so there is no need to apply impregnation before its application. It has excellent adhesion on a variety of surfaces. Due to high coverage, it can also be used as the finishing coat. The paint is ready for application, so it does not need to be thinned before use. Apply two coats of paint using a roller or paintbrush. It is available in 0.75 l, 2.5 l and 20 l packaging.