What to Do if Your Ceiling Has Water Damage

Once in a while, you may notice your ceiling looks funny. Water damage is a silent killer, especially if it’s happening in harder-to-notice places like behind your ceiling. Left unattended, mold can grow, or your ceiling can collapse. Thankfully, there are ways to identify water damage in the ceiling during its early stages. Before bringing in a professional, there are things you can do if your ceiling has water damage that might fix the issue and save you big bucks. 

How to Repair Water Damage on the Ceiling

The actual process to repair and replace water damaged ceiling is quite simple. Many hardware stores also sell ceiling repair kits for drywalls and plasters. However, make sure you evaluate the damage and situation before moving forward. If the affected area is too large, such as a whole room, it would be better to leave the job to a professional.

In other cases, you may need to address a broken pipe or leaking roof first before you can repair the ceiling. As always, turn off the power and unplug all appliances in the affected area before any water damage restoration project.

1. Remove Ceilings With Water Damage

Start by cleaning off any peeling paint or failing surfaces. Then, use a putty knife and prybar to remove all affected materials, including the drywall and insulation behind that also felt moist. Be sure to wear protective eyewear and a mask to avoid breathing in any dust, mold, or mildew. Once that’s done, use a soft brush to clean up the edges and remove any visible debris.

2. Inspect the Damage

Look behind the ceiling and feel the pipes to identify any leakage. You will want to repair the broken pipes before repairing the ceilings because otherwise, water damage will continue. Also, look for signs of mold growth. Any noticeable mold will require a professional to remove and restore.

3. Repair the Damaged Ceilings

Wait until everything is completely dry before doing anything else. Otherwise, you are only sealing moisture behind new ceilings. Wet surfaces can also cause your joint compound to fail, rendering your fix unusable.

For drywall ceilings, cut out a piece of drywall and fit it into the damaged area. If you are replacing a large area, attach two-to-four-inch boards along the joints as a surface for drywall screws. Attach a new piece of drywall onto the existing ceiling with a drill and drywall screws. Prime and paint the new ceiling.

To repair water damaged ceiling plasters, replace the damaged plasterboard and prime it with an oil-based primer, then replaster over it. Wait until the new plaster layer is completely dry before applying top paint.

Why Is There Water Damage on My Ceiling?

Water damage on ceilings can happen for various reasons. For top-floor ceilings, you may have storm damage on your roof or expiring shingles. Leaking pipes behind the ceiling is another major cause of water damage. High humidity in and outside of the house can also damage your ceiling. For example, bathroom ceilings are more likely to get water damage than ceilings in a dryer room. The same goes with rooms direclty beneath bathrooms and kitchen sinks.

Other reasons why you may have water damage on your ceiling include humid weather, sprinkler systems, clogged gutters, poor insulation, or your AC units.

How Much Does it Cost to Fix Water Damage on the Ceiling?

On average, repairing water damaged ceiling costs about $45 to $55 per square foot, depending on your original ceiling’s material and finishing. However, if additional plumbing is required to fix the root cause of the water damage, there can be an additional $175 to $3,000.

If you are doing the work yourself, materials used to repair drywall or plaster ceilings cost about $2 to $5 per square foot. Since plaster is more vulnerable to water, you may want to use the repair as an opportunity to upgrade to drywall ceilings.

Signs Your Ceiling Is Damaged by Water

If you notice paint peeling off your ceilings, especially around the corners, you may have water damage happening. Another very obvious sign of water damage is brown spots on the ceiling. The color may vary from a yellowish brown to dark brown. Sometimes you may also notice a ripple-like edge on larger stains.

If you smell a musty stench or see yellow or green spots, you may already have mold growing due to high moisture being trapped behind the ceiling. Meanwhile, obvious bowing and cracking on the ceiling indicate severe structural damage and requires immediate inspection by a professional.

How to Prevent Future Water Damages on the Ceiling

Identifying the real cause of water damage and addressing the sources is the only way to truly prevent future water damage to the ceiling. Otherwise, you will repeat temporary repairs until one day, the cumulated structural damage becomes too severe.

Waterproofing your attic and basements is also highly effective to protect your ceilings against highly humid climates. Proper insulation will also reduce water collected during hot and cold days due to the interior-exterior temperature difference created by your HVAC units.

Will Homeowners Insurance Cover the Water Damage?

Whether water damage is covered by homeowners insurance depends on your actual policies. Most policies with average coverages will cover water damage caused by an unexpected source within your home, such as a busted pipe. However, most policies don’t cover “seepage” damage or slow damage. For example, damage caused by a leaking pipe that developed over time is typically not covered. Therefore, it’s best to take photos immediately after you notice water damage inside your home and contact your insurance company. Speak with someone in the claims department to determine the proper next steps.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Ceiling repair can be technically challenging since you are elevated off of the ground. And like all other water damage repair projects, there is always a risk of mold exposure. Therefore, while DIY fixing water damaged ceilings isn’t the most difficult home project ever, we recommend anyone unfamiliar with ceiling and water damage repair to hire a professional water restoration company.

Questions to Ask a Water Damage Restoration Pro

Whenever you are looking for a contractor, always shop around and contact multiple companies before making a final decision. Different quotes will give you a better understanding of the final scope and what affects the pricing. You may also use these quotes to negotiate if the company you’d like to hire is a bit out of your budget.

When looking for a contractor, ask the following questions as pre-screening:

• When is your earliest availability?

• Do you charge a fee to come inspect the site?

• Are you insured?

• Can you handle plumbing and other work needed to address the cause of the water damage as well?

• What is your standard hourly rate?

Once the contractor is on-site, you can ask more questions to get a better idea of what is happening. For example:

• How long do you think this will take?

• How do you plan to address the problems?

• Can you give me a ballpark estimate?

• Can you work around my schedule?

• Is there anything you’d recommend me to do to prevent future damages?

• Do you take credit cards or direct deposit as payment?

• Can you provide testimonials or examples of similar projects you’ve done in the past?

The questions above can help you find the most suitable pro who is within your budget but also has the desirable quality of work. On average, water restoration costs from $1,349 to $6,222, depending on the category and extent of water damage.