When you have a stained wall, you may consider painting it over. But, stains can prevent paints from adhering and complicate the process. If you’re planning on repainting a stained wall, you’ll want to prepare properly. Here are some common types of stains and what you can do to prep walls before repainting:

  • Nicotine stains. You’ll need to thoroughly clean the walls first. Trisodium phosphate and ammonia are effective cleaning agents to cut through nicotine. Primers can create a barrier that prevents bleed through.
  • Water stains. Before painting over water stains, you’ll want to ensure there isn’t a mold problem. If it’s just a water stain, you’ll need specialty paint to prevent the dark discoloration from getting through.
  • Stained wood. Paint often doesn’t adhere to any form of stained wood. To get past this, you’ll want to sand the surface lightly with fine grit sandpaper and clean the area off before painting.

The key to success with painting stained walls is to do the appropriate prep work to ensure that the paint sticks!