Covering smoke/tar odour - Zinsser Bin?

[WhatwouldJessicaJonesdo]

The previous owner of our house had a wood burner and used to burn all sorts of rubbish, meaning there is a bad tar/smoke smell to the chimney breast. We had the chimney swept and replaced the woodburner with a gas fire, skimmed and painted the room. Initially the smell disappeared however it is now starting to come through again, (particularly when it is very wet or very hot) so assume it is in the fabric of the wall and is therefore coming through the skim layer.

We want to apply a sealant to seal in the odour and I think Zinnser Bin will do the job.

Can anyone advise if this is likely to work?
(I know its likely to be a messy, smelly job.)

Any other suggestions?

Might I get any damp/condensatiom problems as its shellac based? My concern is sealing the wall so that any rain that gets down the chimney can't evaporate away? We have added two airbricks to the outside of the chimney breast to try to help the smell clear (which didn't work) but that should help prevent condensation too shouldn't it?

Any advice appreciated!

Hopeful bump?

I don’t have experience of using Zinsser BIN to cover up smells but have used it for other projects and have found it excellent for covering things that other primers wouldn’t. I painted Lino flooring with it and it was great for that. It’s worth a shot given everything you’ve already tried IMO.

Thanks, glad to hear you have had a good experience with it. Agreed, it is definitely worth a go..

Zinsser Bin is the perfect paint for this job!

B-I-N® permanently blocks every kind of odour (from smoke and fire damage to odours from pets and nicotine). Its dried film is non-toxic and hypo-allergenic, it may be used in areas where incidental contact with food items occur.

Perfect for interior ceilings, walls, doors and related paintable surfaces and spot priming on exterior metal, trims, PVC and wood.

Just to update this we have used the zinnser and the smell seems to have gone! Hooray!