How To Repair Ceiling After Water Leak

Download Commodity

A guide to removing and replacing ceiling damage

Download Commodity

A leaking ceiling tin can cause serious damage to your house if you don't take care of information technology immediately. Before fixing your ceiling, make sure that you determine the source of the leak and fix information technology. Later you fix the source of the leak, y'all tin can bleed water from your ceiling and take the proper steps to replace the damage.

1. one

   Expect for identifiable signs of moisture. To fix the leak, yous'll accept to locate the area of your ceiling that is leaking water. If you're unsure of where the water is coming from, look for drywall panels that are sagging or crumbling. You lot may also discover areas of the ceiling with coffee-colored stains.^[1]

2. 2

   Lay down driblet cloths or tarps nether the leak. Putting downwards drop cloths or a plastic tarp underneath the bucket volition prevent your floors and furniture from getting wet. Information technology volition also help collect droppings every bit you replace the water damaged portion of your ceiling.^[2]

   Ad

3. iii

   Put a bucket under the leak. A bucket or container will be able to grab the water that's coming from your ceiling. This will prevent water impairment to your floors and will assistance take hold of the h2o from your ceiling once y'all first draining the leak.

4. 4

   Puncture the ceiling with a screwdriver to bleed the leak. Use a screwdriver and push it into the center of the location of the leak. Create the hole away from the ceiling's framing boards. This will crusade the water to bleed from the ceiling and can help relieve boosted water damage. Go along the saucepan under the h2o damaged ceiling then that information technology can catch the water when you puncture it.^[3]

   • If water accumulates over your ceiling the water can weigh down your ceiling and create a large hole or cause it to plummet.
   • If you create a larger hole, you may be able to run across where the leak is coming from more easily.

5. 5

   Repair the source of the leak to prevent future impairment. Before you lot supervene upon the portion of your ceiling that's leaking, it's of import to fix the source of the leak. Mutual sources of ceiling leaks include faulty pipes or cracks in your roof. Once you bleed the leak, it's of import to call a professional roof specialist or handyman who can fix the source of the leak.^[4]

   • If the leak is under an area with a kitchen, a bathroom, or some other type of plumbing, this is likely the source of the trouble.^[v]
   • Other trouble areas might include damaged flashing effectually a roof pipe, a pierced gutter, or a skylight that isn't properly sealed.^[6]
   • Another crusade of leaks is faulty air workout. Your air conditioner's condensate lines could be clogged, leading to overflow that can crusade ceiling leaks.

Advertising

1. 1

   Cut a pocket-size inspection pigsty into the drywall. Plough off your electricity before cut your inspection hole. Before y'all replace your damaged ceiling, you'll demand to know what's on the other side of your ceiling. Cut a minor square hole that's deep enough to cut through the drywall, but non deep plenty to penetrate anything on the other side. If you cutting the hole and run across electric wires, plumbing, gas lines, or HVAC ducts yous may need to hire a professional person to replace your ceiling.

2. 2

   Draw a box around the water damage. Once you make sure that you won't damage anything backside the ceiling you can start to remove the h2o damaged ceiling. Use a framing square to draw a box around the portion of your ceiling that has water harm.

   • A framing square will create a square pigsty that is easier to patch.
   • If the damage is more than 6x6 inches (fifteen.24x15.24 cm) then you lot should seek professional guidance to fix your leaking ceiling.

3. three

   Cut around the h2o damage. Using the lines every bit a guide, cut into the ceiling with a utility saw and beginning to cut away the damaged drywall. Once you lot cut the lines, yous can use a modest prying instrument to remove the damaged drywall from the ceiling.

   • Try not to remove any more of the ceiling than you need to. It'due south a lot easier to fix a 1 ft (0.30 m) square patch than an entire ceiling.^[7]

4. 4

   Measure the cutout slice of drywall. Use a record measure or ruler to get the verbal dimensions of the drywall that you cut out. Measuring the cut-out piece of drywall will give you the needed dimensions for the drywall replacement.^[8]

Advertisement

1. 1

   Cutting two pieces wood. Use a saw to cutting ii pieces of 9x4x1/ii inch (22.86x10.16x1.27 cm) plywood. These pieces of wood will deed every bit a brace for your drywall. If you cut a hole in your ceiling and you take a metal runner or ceiling beam, then yous won't need to create these wooden braces considering yous tin screw straight into the runner or beams instead.

   • Alternatively, you could cut dorsum the drywall to the center of each of the closest framing members, which would allow you to skip this step.

2. 2

   Screw the wooden braces inside of your ceiling hole. Put the wooden braces that you made out of plywood into the hole and lay it flat over your ceiling, so there is a two inch (v.08 cm) overlap over your hole. Then, spiral in two screws through your existing ceiling and into the beam. The screws should exist on the summit and lesser of each piece of wood. Repeat the process on the other side of the hole.

3. 3

   Cut out a piece of drywall that'southward 2 inches (5.08 cm) wider and longer than the hole. Cutting your replacement drywall two inches longer and wider volition leave one inch (two.54 cm) of slack on each side.^[nine]

   • This is called a hot patch and simply recommended to exist washed on smaller ii-inch x 2-inch (v cm x five cm) patches.

4. 4

   Measure out and mark 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the edge of each side of the drywall slice. Turn over the drywall square and use a ruler to measure 1 inch (2.54 cm) in from each edge of the drywall. Then, utilize a straight border to draw vertical and horizontal lines so that information technology looks like a one inch wide (2.54 cm) frame around the drywall slice. This slack will let you blend your replacement drywall in with your ceiling and so that it lies flush.

5. v

   Cut through the dorsum layer of the drywall, leaving the front layer of paper. With a utility pocketknife, cut through the back layer of paper and the drywall gypsum until you achieve the forepart layer of the drywall. Use the marks that you made on the back of the drywall as a guide while y'all cut. Then, use a putty knife to carefully pare back the back layer of paper and drywall gypsum, so that the front side facing paper forms a 1 inch (2.54 cm) frame around your drywall patch.^[10]

   • Make sure not to cut too deeply, or yous volition cutting into the front layer of the drywall.
   • Y'all will use the front end layer of newspaper to help alloy in your repairs.

6. 6

   Apply a sparse layer of joint compound around the hole. Your drywall patch tin be held in place with lightweight or all-purpose drywall compound. Y'all tin buy this compound online or at a hardware store.^[11] Utilise the joint compound with a trowel to the edges of the hole. And then, with the trowel, carefully spread it effectually so that information technology'due south evenly distributed.

7. seven

   Button your replacement drywall into the hole. On an angle, push button your replacement piece of drywall into the hole. Then, adapt the drywall so that information technology lies flush with your ceiling. The beams that you screwed in before will act similar a backboard for your new drywall.^[12]

8. 8

   Screw the drywall into your wooden braces. Use a power drill to attach the new drywall patch to the wooden braces that y'all created earlier. Put screws into each corner of the drywall patch to secure it fully.

   • For small patches up to 2-inch x 2-inch (5 cm x 5 cm), yous don't take to utilise screws. Instead, y'all can utilize drywall paper to fasten your patch.

9. nine

   Piece of work the chemical compound over the surface of your new drywall. Use the trowel to spread the drywall compound over the surface of your drywall replacement piece. Work the edges of the front facing paper into the ceiling with the compound until at that place are no visible screws and you can't see the edges of the patch.^[13]

   • This will require a few coats of chemical compound.

10. 10

    Allow the drywall compound to dry overnight. You can cheque if information technology'southward dry out past touching the surface of the drywall chemical compound with your manus. You must allow it fully dry out before you can sand and paint it.

11. 11

    Sand the ceiling and remove excess joint compound. Use a fine-grit sandpaper to sand down the surface of the new drywall. Continue to utilize a hand sander so that the new drywall lays flush with your ceiling and you lot can't see the edges of the patch.^[14]

    • You lot can also utilize a drywall sanding sponge that's made specifically for drywall.

12. 12

    Paint over your new drywall patch. Paint over the new drywall pigment using the same paint that was used for your ceiling. If yous don't have the original color, you lot may need to re-paint your entire ceiling so that the new drywall isn't visible.

    • Be sure to prime the area before you paint it.

Advertisement

Add New Question

• Question

  What might exist causing my ceiling to leak?

  

  Nick Yahoodain is a General Contractor and the CEO of Advanced Builders & Contractors in Los Angeles, California. With over 16 years of feel, Nick specializes in large residential projects such as new structure, developments, major renovations, additions, and hillside construction. Advanced Builders & Contractors is a fellow member of the BBB, is licensed by the Contractors State License Lath, and is fully bonded and insured. Advanced Builders & Contractors has been featured on NBC News, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, and Voyage LA.

  

  Full general Contractor

  Practiced Answer

  

  Support wikiHow past unlocking this expert answer.

  If you alive in a multi-story building and the ceiling is below a kitchen, bath, or other type of plumbing, in that location's probably a water line or bleed line that's leaking. If not, cheque out the roof—the flashing around a particular pipage might be bad, one of the gutters might be pierced, or a skylight might be bad.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Ad

VideoRead Video Transcript

Things Y'all'll Need

• Drop cloths or tarps
• Ladder
• Bucket
• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Saw
• Power drill
• Trowel
• Screws
• Drywall
• Drywall paper (optional)
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Lightweight or all-purpose drywall chemical compound

• If you lot demand to supplant plumbing, pipes, or your roof, yous should contact a professional.

• Call up to wear a facemask and goggles when working with drywall.

• Keep the drib cloths on your flooring and furniture until you're finished with the project.

Advertisement

Nigh This Article

Article Summary X

To fix a leaking ceiling, start identify where the h2o is coming from by looking for parts of the ceiling that are sagging or stained. Lay downwards drop cloths or a tarp and a saucepan under the leak to gather water and prevent further harm. So, push a screwdriver into the center of the leaking area to drain the water. Before y'all replace the affected part of your ceiling, repair the cause of the leak, which might be a fissure in your roof or faulty pipework. When you're ready to remove the damaged ceiling, cut a square around the affected part and dispose of the drywall. Subsequently that, cut 2 braces out of nine by ane inch plywood and screw them into the pigsty with a slight overlap on each side. Finally, insert a new piece of drywall that's cutting to size. For tips from our Contractor co-writer on how to gear up a new piece of drywall for installation, keep reading!

Did this summary aid y'all?

Thank you to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 175,502 times.

Did this article aid yous?

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Leaking-Ceiling

Share this post