Sharpie on the ceiling, need primer

June 7, 2009 6:55 PM

Need recommendations for a primer that covers Sharpies on a white ceiling - experienced users only...

I used a Sharpie to mark a template for an in-ceiling speaker instead of a pencil, since it was available and I was too tired to go upstairs. Inevitably my cutout was over a joist and I had to move it three inches so now I have about a 100 degree arc of dark purple adjacent to the speaker. 2 coats of a latex Kilz I found in the garage isn't doing it.

Anyone go through this that can tell me what to spend my money on for two minutes of painting?

posted by docpops to home & garden (27 comments total)

What about using sandpaper to remove the marker, feathering if necessary, and painting over that?
posted by K5 at 7:07 PM on June 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

Did you try your regular latex paint over the Kilz?
posted by hydrophonic at 7:12 PM on June 7

The only thing I ever found to cover sharpie was... nothing. I ended up sanding the marker off. You don't have to evenly sand the entire ceiling, just the markered spot.
I know it's not the answer you wanted to hear, but it's what I finally ended up doing after wasting a lot of primer and paint.
posted by 8dot3 at 7:17 PM on June 7

In my experience, the oil Kilz works great. The latex Kilz doesn't work at all. I used the oil Kilz on the bottom three feet of wall of an entire house (!) to cover up crayon, magic marker, and lipstick (?). It's amazing stuff. I am not SURE any of the marks were Sharpie, but it seems likely, considering.
posted by fritley at 7:23 PM on June 7

Zisser Bin should work. Nasty stuff but I never found anything that it wouldn't seal in.
posted by octothorpe at 7:25 PM on June 7

I'm pretty sure shellac will do this.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:43 PM on June 7

You will have to then paint over the shellac, of course.
But shellac acts as a sealant.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:44 PM on June 7

The other thing that might work is to wash the Sharpie marks with methanol (methyl hydrate).
It may produce a larger, lighter stain, but one that can be painted over.
You should try either/both these techniques on a white scrap of board first.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:47 PM on June 7

Have you tried a Mr. Clean magic eraser? I'm not sure if it would work on something as porous as your ceiling, but I know for a fact that it gets sharpie off of most everything else.
posted by self at 7:50 PM on June 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've covered up Sharpie on the walls with the oil based Kilz. We had a crew come in and paint our house, and even after they had sanded and primed and painted the places with Sharpie marks still showed through. So I got more Killz, and over the course of the next week primed those sections again, and then painted them again after the primer dried. This did the trick, but it took about 4 coats of Killz and paint before the marks were totally covered over. If you know where to look, you can tell that some parts of the wall appear "thicker" than others, but at least the Sharpie marks aren't showing through anymore.
posted by ralan at 7:50 PM on June 7

Aren't sharpies oil-based? That would be your problem -- latex no stickie to oil. Either sand it off and then paint back over it, or use an oil-based primer or paint.
posted by SpecialK at 7:51 PM on June 7

OK. Oil based Kilz and then will sand or gently, surgically excise the offending tissue. Thanks.
posted by docpops at 7:53 PM on June 7

On Wetcanvas.com, there's a painter that does the initial outline of his paintings in Sharpie, and then gradually covers up the Sharpie with layers of acrylic paint. Doesn't show at all in the final painting. So maybe a tube of titanium white from your local art store would work? Get the good stuff, not the student-grade acrylic.

And self, for the record the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers don't remove sharpie marks from leather couches. I found this out after my 4-year-old was briefly left unattended. :(
posted by Ostara at 7:54 PM on June 7

Sharpie is a petroleum based product. You need a petroleum based product to cover that crap up. That's why it is bleeding through the latex based paint. Get some oil based killz, apply a few coats, let dry and then repaint the section in the original color.

You don't need to sand down the surface or any other abrasive activity. :) Just carry your darn pencil form now on.
posted by Gravitus at 8:11 PM on June 7

I second using a Mr. Clean Eraser to clean the marker off, then repaint.
posted by Argyle at 8:22 PM on June 7

Brake fluid on a rag will rub off the Sharpie like magic. You might also consider extending your drawing like this guy
posted by Lame_username at 8:25 PM on June 7

The problem with using oil-based Kilz will be that you won't be able to put a latex-based cover paint over it.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:29 PM on June 7

You can cover oil based Kilz with any paint.
posted by octothorpe at 8:43 PM on June 7

OK. Oil based Kilz and then will sand or gently, surgically excise the offending tissue.

Um, I think you've got that backwards. The suggestion is to FIRST use a solvent such as methanol or brake fluid to dissolve the Sharpie. Or sand it down. THEN apply whatever primer and/or paint.
posted by exphysicist345 at 8:47 PM on June 7

Methanol isn't necessary. Most sharpies will dissolve with rubbing alcohol.

If that doesn't remove it entirely, sand as above, then (optionally fill with spackling, feather, and) cover with an oil-based primer.
posted by IAmBroom at 11:16 PM on June 7

Don't use brake fluid. It's not volatile like alcohol and will make a big stain.
posted by ryanrs at 11:45 PM on June 7

White out, liquid paper, correction fluid, what have you- should cover it. A couple thin coats (I usually use the bottom of the little bottle to spread it really thin so it's not gloppy) and then paint over it with normal paint to match the colour. That's pretty much gonna be a $2 solution to this problem, so maybe worth a try?
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:07 AM on June 8

Professional painters I know use Zinsser.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 4:06 AM on June 8

Sharpies are soluble in: ethanol, isopropanol (rubbing alcohol), methanol, acetone, and a few other things. I'd get a bit of nail polish remover and use that to get the bulk of the mark off.

Put the solvent on a paper towel and try to be careful not to smudge it as you remove the marks from the ceiling.

At work here we have "industrial" sharpies which are not as soluble in ethanol - acetone works like a charm.
posted by sciencegeek at 6:35 AM on June 8

Zinsser Bin is a vile, evil, deadly substance, but in my experience it will cover anything. I would be surprised if it didn't make your sharpies go away. There IS a difference between Zinsser and Kilz.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 12:27 PM on June 8

Also: you can use latex over an oil-based primer, but not a oil-based paint.
posted by Decimask at 7:58 PM on June 8

Bin is definitely the top of the heap in terms of stain-blocking.
posted by billypilgrim at 8:54 PM on August 30