How to Repair Water Damaged Ceilings

You may have noticed a small discolored spot on your ceiling and soon forgotten about it, as we all tend to do, until a while later when that small spot had turned into a large stain that was obviously caused by water damage to your ceiling.

What Should You Do?

The first thing to do after you notice water damage to your ceiling looks for the source of the leak that caused it.

You may have a problem with your roof, you may have a blocked gutter, or it could even be a problem with your HVAC system. If you can’t get up on the roof or into the attic to check out the source of the leak, get someone in to do the job for you. Finding the source is of the utmost importance because if it is not dealt with you could have another leak at the same spot, from the same source.

Time is crucial and you should get this done the moment you see the first sign because once the damage grows the repair job will be more extensive, which will make it more expensive.

Find The Source Of The Leak

Once you’ve found the source of your leak take measures to stop the leak (fix your roof, have the pipe repaired, etc.) and make sure that this won’t occur again.

If the water damaged ceiling is in your bathroom the cause could be that your bathroom is not properly ventilated and the hot, moist air after using the shower is causing mold or water damage. Make sure to keep the bathroom window open and the room well ventilated to prevent this from reoccurring.

Before you repair the ceiling there are some steps that you have to take.

Make sure that the area has dried out before you continue, leave the house open as much as you can to help and if you want to speed the process up hire a water damage specialist who will have the equipment needed to dry your ceiling and other parts of your house and furniture if necessary.

Check the area for mold. Again, sometimes you can see the mold but it could also be a job for water damage experts who have the know-how to remove all the mold. Remember that when it comes to mold in your home, time is of the essence. Mold can be detrimental to your family’s health.

Repairing The Water Damage

Once you’ve reached this stage you now need to repair the ceiling.

If you are not the DIY type, it might be easier to hire a contractor to do any big repair jobs. If your ceiling only needs a new paint job it is important to wait until it is 100% dry and mold-free before removing the old paint and covering the area with a fresh coat of paint.