I removed a hanging cabinet from my kitchen wall. There is a dark area about 3" long by 1/2" high. I scraped it, it came back. I patched it, it leached through. I painted over it, it's back. The process takes only a few minutes from the time I try to cover or remove it until the dark area comes through again. I even tried straight bleach on it. I may resort to cutting this chunk of dry wall out and patching it. It is not wet, but I don't know WHAT it is. Stef

-- stef (sbrogers@csonline.net), January 28, 2002

Answers

It is the collective group of fungi called mildew and/or the pigments they leave behind as stain...more than likely. Could also be soot or some other carboniferous stain from days past. Either way, you might try a commercial product called KILLZ to seal it before painting over it. There are many other possibilities for the source of the stain, but I think Killz will work. It has always worked for me.

Good Luck.

Oscar

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), January 28, 2002.

I second the opinion above. It is a sealer which I have used when we moved into a place with water stains on the ceiling. They came right through paint, but after sealing, then painting, that was the end of it.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), January 28, 2002.

Oscar has the right idea..Kilz..but abfore you paint it with Kilz use a mixture of half clorox + water and wipe it clean; this should remove the dark stain (mildew). Once dry you can paint it but be sure you use the Kilz material...it will cover it while normal paint will bleed through. Good Luck...there are other stain covering materials...inquire at your local HomeDepot...

-- milam gerick (milamgerick@juno.com), January 28, 2002.

You might want to investigate _why_ it's there. Roof leak? Could be from an old leak before a new roof was put on, but this could also be a sign of something you might want to check out.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 28, 2002.

I am with Paul on this one. Find out what it is before you do anything. Even if you cover it up with Kilz, do you want mold growing in your home, if that is what it is?

-- clove (clovis97@Yahoo.com), January 29, 2002.

If you use Kilz, be aware that one coat might not do it. We had several spots to cover up (looked like a science experiment gone terribly wrong!) and it took 3 coats of Kilz and 4 coats of paint!

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), January 29, 2002.

Thanks so much for your answers. I washed the area again with a bleach and water solution. The product I bought is called ZAP. (It has a MIGHTY peculiar odor-phew!). After the first coat dried, very little of the stain showed through. I've just put on a second coat. I'll check it again in the morning. Thanks all. g'night. Stef.

-- stef (sbrogers@erie.net), January 31, 2002.