Ceiling water stains

[Seacoast Sharon]

What's the best way to be rid of them? Kilz then paint? Don't have many but I eventually want to paint alot the main room ceilings. They need a fresh coat of White paint. Some areas are yellowish and look like crap.

[Brenda (OH)]

Sharon,

i like to get oil based spray primer in cans, kilz is a good one, for spot priming water stains on a ceiling. has to be oil based to keep the stains from bleeding through. you can use latex on top of the oil based primer, especially the kilz brand, but as always, read the labels first before you buy it in case my memory is faulty!

if the whole ceiling is yellow, that may be cigarette smoke residue, and you may need oil based primer for the whole thing. if so, you may want to use only one set of painting equipment, stick pan brushes and rollers in the fridge between painting sessions, and toss everything out at the end of the job. you may be able to use a paint tray liner, and have the solid paint tray to reuse. I just would rather put the used equipment outside to dry then in the trash when it is oil based paint rather than mess with turpentine or any other paint remover.

maybe other folks have a better answer for the yellowed paint that involves water based primer.

[Brenda (OH)]

forgot the part about wrap the brushes and roller in aluminum foil, and put the paint tray in a plastic bag before putting it in the fridge between painting sessions.... semi important detail! lol