Water is a substance that can get through anything. This can threaten your family’s comfort because some rain or a leak can affect the quality of your home. If you are not careful about preventing ceiling water damage, you may end up with a lot of expensive repair bills.
The best way to keep your eye on ceiling water damage is by checking to see if there is an odd discoloration on the ceiling. The worst scenario would be if you noticed your ceiling sag a little as well.
This would mean that there is a lot of water leaking into your home, and you need to take immediate action and protect your property from further damage. Here is how you can fix ceiling water damage and prevent it from happening again.
What Causes Ceiling Water Damage?
One of the most common reasons you may be struggling with ceiling water damage is because of plumbing issues. You should always pay close attention to where the discoloration appears on your ceiling.
This will let you know whether the leak is coming from under a kitchen or bathroom. For instance, you may have a faulty element in your shower that is causing all the water to drain down.
Your sink or toilet may also have issues because the plumbing system is old, and there could be a corroded pipe that is worsening the flow of water.
Another reason is that your roof may be weak and compromised. This happens if you live in areas with severe weather conditions like heavy rainfall.
Your home’s roofing system could be clogged if the water is already dripping down from your ceiling. If you see that the dirty water is brown instead of clear, you will know that there is a leak in your ceiling that needs immediate attention.
How to Fix a Leaking Ceiling?
When your ceiling starts dripping water, it is natural to panic. This is because it is difficult to know where the water is coming from and how to stop it. Therefore, you need to buy yourself some time.
The first step is to drywall or plaster the leaking ceiling before it becomes a serious matter. This should give you a few moments to clear the area and call a professional service like 1-800 Water Damage.
Move Belongings
After covering the leak, you should proceed to remove all your belongings. This is when you need to move all your furniture away from the wet areas. When these areas are clear, you should place some buckets and towels to absorb as much of the liquid as possible.
If you do not do this, you will damage your floors. It is best to strategically lay some buckets around where water is dripping and some towels. You can also use other containers that are best for collecting water when it drips.
The goal is to prevent this excess water from sitting on your floor too long in case it seeps through and continues dripping down.
Assess Damage
When you have taken care of these steps, you should assess the damage by thoroughly inspected the affected areas. This should give you some time to analyze the situation and locate where all the water is coming from. If you have drywall ceilings, they can hold a lot of water.
You may not see any liquid dripping through unless there is significant damage. However, this is not the case with plaster.
Plaster has a tendency to detain all the water until it is soaked up. Then all the water gets released when no more can be contained.
If the latter situation happens, it is best to poke a tiny hole in the ceiling that is sagging. This will help release all the collected water. Always ensure that you have an empty bucket ready to protect your floor before poking any holes in the ceiling.
This is because all the water will gush out, so it is better to be prepared instead of risking floor damage.
Prepare for Water Damage Repair
By this step, you should have the situation under control as best as possible, and the source of the problem is taken care of. Now comes the repair. This involves cleaning out the area. You will need to get rid of all the excess moisture and water to avoid mold growing all over the place. The best thing to do is cover all your floors with plastic sheets or newspapers for protection. Then ventilate the area effectively by leaving the windows open.
Alternatively, you may wish to call in the alexandria water damage professionals, or water damage professionals in your area. Experts like these will be able to read moisture levels, assess the type of water that’s responsible for any damage, dehumidify, extract excess water, and thoroughly dry out your home for you.
Water Damage Repair Tips
If you decide to repair the water damage yourself, you will need a few household tools. These are a ladder, protective glasses, mud pan, sanding block, clean cloth, brushes, paint, knife, primer, and joint compound.
The first step is to take apart all the water-damaged pieces from your ceiling. Always check to ensure that the ceiling is dry before you start the repair process.
Then you should grab your knife and begin chipping away at the cracked plaster and paint that has been damaged by all the water. Remember that the surface should be entirely smooth before you can start patching it.
Covering Holes and Cracks
When you have finished cleaning the area, you will notice a few holes or cracks. This is where you need to combine the joint compound in your mud pan and fill all the cracks and holes. Leave these to try before moving to the next step.
Once your cracks and holes are taken care of, you need to add a coat of primer to cover up the surface. Then grab your knife again to apply the joint compound.
This should take a few minutes to harden before another coat should be applied. Ensure that the layers are thin, or else this will take too long to dry.
Sanding and Retouching
The next step is to sand the area when your compound is thoroughly dry. It is best to put on some safety goggles for this process because you need to use the sanding block to get rid of any imperfections you see on the ceiling. Then you should grab a damp cloth to wipe away all the dust.
After this, you should add another layer of primer to cover the entire area. Finally, do the final retouches with waterproof paint once your primer is dry. Start painting until the repaired area no longer stands out compared to the rest of your ceiling.
Water Damage Restoration Cost Factors
Many homeowners jump to find out how much restoration services will cost. This project depends on a lot of variables that will determine how much you should spend on repairing your ceiling.
For instance, the first thing a professional service will analyze is the amount of damage. This is because smaller leaks can be fixed within a few hours and will not need that much labor.
However, other projects where drywall sheets need to be replaced may be more expensive because of the complex process.
The highest cost will be the time it takes professionals you hire to fix your ceiling. This is because most handymen charge by the hour.
The best way to get a final price estimation is by determining how many hours it will take to get the job done and how much your handyman charges.
Then you need to think about the materials that are needed for the job. You can either provide these yourself to save money or add them to the cost of the service. The professional service you hire should be available to supply all the materials needed to fix the problem.
Repairing a water-damaged ceiling is no easy task. Many things can influence the overall pricing, especially if a lot of expertise is required to assess the situation and choose the best way to fix your ceiling without causing more damage.
Why Hire Professionals?
If you have a severe case of water damage, you may need an inspection from a specialist before finding out how much the job will cost, even though minor tasks can be quoted over the phone or by email. Of course, if needed, specialists can also quote for other ceiling jobs you may have, for instance, you may be looking at Joliet popcorn ceiling removal, or popcorn ceiling removal wherever you may be. Specialists will be able to remove your old ceilings and re-texture them with a fresh, up-to-date style.
Your professional handyman will then inspect the area and come up with the most suitable plan of action. It is best to let a professional take care of fixing all the small or large damaged areas of your ceiling because they have the skills to erase signs of all the damage entirely.
Then you can get back to hosting parties and entertaining friends and family members without anyone ever knowing that your ceiling was in rough shape.
Fix Water Damage Today
Ceiling water damage can be costly if you do not tend to the problem immediately. It is best not to neglect water damage to ensure that your ceiling does not crack and release all that liquid over your belongings. It is always best to hire a professional service to save time and money.
This is because they have the right expertise and tools to take care of your ceiling without worsening the water damage. If you enjoyed reading this guide, check out some of our other posts for more information.