Smoking in the Home
The biggest problem, other than the smell, with having a smoker in the home is cleaning walls and ceilings. If you have paneling or wallpaper, it is almost impossible. In fact it is impossible to remove all the stains without removing either the protective coating of the paneling or the wallpaper itself.
Painted walls and ceilings are a bit easier to clean but over the space of a year you will find that you can not remove all the stains on these surfaces. Semi gloss paints make it a little easier but you will find that over time they too become dull and blotchy from the stains that you are not able to clean deep enough to remove. Here are some tips to making your life a little easier by requiring less toil in your daily or seasonal cleaning duties.
* You will need two different styles of linoleum. A plain style for your ceilings and a patterned style for your walls. You may elect to use a simple, plain style for both, especially if you have a patterned carpet or rug. You will also need to purchase glue for the linoleum and upholstery tacks. At least 2 push brooms.
* For painted or paneled walls you will still need to scrub them down before you do anything. Wallpaper will require removal unless you have trim work around the ceiling and floor that can be removed. You can also add trim at this time if there is none already.
* Once the walls are cleaned and any trim is removed you are ready to recreate your ceiling and wall surfaces. I recommend that you start with the ceiling. Prepare the recommended amount of surface with the glue that you have chosen. Using the upholstery tacks, tack one edge to the ceiling every 12 – 18 inches. You will of course need the help of at least two people other than yourself. These extra hands can hold the linoleum up for you while you tack it using the back of the push brooms.
* While your helpers slowly move across the floor, pressing the linoleum onto the ceiling you can apply the glue and tack the edges. You will not want to use as many tacks after you have tacked the first edge, they may need to be removed if the linoleum shifts during instillation.
* Although you need to be generous with the glue you do not want it placed in a thick layer. Try to cover as much of the ceiling as possible in a thin layer. You may even chose a slower drying gluing agent and cover the entire ceiling before placing the tile. (This is the method I choose.)
* Your broom pushers will need to start in the middle of the room and push the brooms outward to make sure that there are no air pockets and the linoleum remains straight.
* When you have covered the entire area you will want to go back to the center of the room with the brooms and once again press the linoleum into the glue.
* Next you will place the linoleum that you have chosen on the walls. Begin just as you did with the ceiling but do not use as many tacks. You will be securing the linoleum with the trim as soon as you are sure that the linoleum is straight, leaving no gaps in the corners.
* Using the brooms again you will press the material into the gluing starting at the top center of the wall, moving outward.
* Set and secure your trim on the ceiling and replace the baseboards if there are any.
Now you can easily wipe away the stains from the smoke. This application has the added benefit of easily removing other stains like ink and crayon marks.
This may seem like a big expense but in the long run it will save you a lot of money. The new wall creation will last ten times longer than your floor coverings as they are not under the constant wear of being walked on. Imagine the money you might spend painting your ceiling and walls over the space of fifty years.
Linoleum comes in a single color, marble look, hardwood and many other styles. Keeping the style of your linoleum simple will make it easier to decorate the room over the years.
One word of caution however, use stick on methods to hand pictures or other wall decorations whenever possible. Nails can make unsightly scars in your new wall treatment that are hard to cover. In the event that the material becomes scared with scratches from the furniture and/or nail holes, fill them with a matching crayon color using a hair dryer.
Use the hair dryer to heat the linoleum, while still holding the dryer in the direction of the scar, rub the crayon over the area to be repaired until it has been filled. Let it cool and buff it. Larger areas can be filled with colored clay.
