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Q&As since 1989


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Covering burnt or charred wood

Has anyone ever heard of a coating that is silver for covering up burnt or charred wood? We recently had a house fire and trying to cover the charred wood instead of replacing it? Any info. would be greatly appreciated!

Melanie Bowman
- Crawford, TN
2000

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2000

I haven't tried to cover burnt or charred wood, but I have tried to paint over water stained ceilings. 5 coats of primer or flat ceiling paint, and the stain came right back the next day. One quick coat of "aluminum paint" and the stain never came back.

Just go to your hardware store and ask for "aluminum paint"; I guess it has tiny flakes of aluminum suspended in the solvent and binder; it's something that really works.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

When tearing out paneling and sheetrock in our newly purchased 1890's house, we came across damage from a fire from approx. 1945. We have come across timbers with fire damage that we are unable to replace for the foreseeable future. Is there any way to reduce or eliminate the smell of charred wood, aside from removing or covering with plaster or drywall? We will be leaving large portions of the house open to the framing (which is where the fire has done it's damage), and wondered if there was any known effective treatment for the smell. We've sponged and vacuumed to no avail. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thank you//////

Mary Beth Brown
- Newton, New Hampshire
2001