Water damaged ceiling and how to handle the repair.

Re: Water damage?
Asked by Izzy

Question:

About a couple of months ago, I had trouble with the pipe breaking on my utility sink (in the second floor). There was water everywhere. It took me a little bit of time to notice it, so there was a lot of water - it was dripping all over the first floor like a faucet. 

We got the water taken care off, got the water out, aired out all the room, etc. After a week, there was a musty smell, and my hubby and I were afraid that we may have a mold problem. But it went away after the 2nd week or so. It's been 2 months now and there's no problem and I am just making sure that it stays that way.

Do you think there would be any more problems down the road? About mold? about anything else? The hubby would have to paint the ceiling on the first floor to cover the water stain, but is that it?

My Advice:

Would be to watch the area and see what happens.

That isn't much help I know but my suspicion is you took care of the problem.  Mold is not something that grows quickly it is something that grows over time and needs favorable conditions to prosper.  From what I am reading you had an isolated more than prolonged incident and therefore I think you caught it in time but it is hard to say for sure.

If you have taken care of the source of the moisture I think you will be okay. 

As far as repair of the area I would ensure that the water did not get into a sheetrock seam.  I am assuming that you have sheetrock on the ceilings.  If you have plaster you should be okay unless the plaster starts to give way.  If the water did spread and get into a sheetrock seam you will notice that there may be a strip about 2 1/2 inches wide coming down from the ceiling (unless they taped with mesh tape).  You will have to peel any tape away and repair the area with a new taping and then if you have textured ceilings you will have to retexture the ceiling, prime and paint.  With all of that said I hope that your water did not seek out a seam as it often does.  If the water did find a seam it may be worth the money to bring in a professional and have them trim back the sheetrock in the affected area and evaluate the situation.  This will let you know EXACTLY what is going on on the topside of the ceiling and give you piece of mind. 

I know that there is a lot of information here and it seems like I should be able to give you a straighforward answer but it is hard to do when it comes to water and water damage as the stakes can be high with the possibility of mold regarding the health of you and your family.

If you are truly concerned about the situation and the possibility of mold I would have someone come in that you know has experience in taping & texturing and have them investigate the topside of the ceiling.  They may be able to analyze the situation right from the ground by doing a moisture test or by seeing how soft the sheetrock is and may not need to do anything else.

This is such a tough thing to say positivly that the water spot is all that is going on however I suspect that your situation has cured itself but I know I wouldn't give it a 100% guarentee.

I wish you good luck!

Sincerely,

James D. Van Raden

Owner ~ Paragon Renovations

Moorhead, MN

www.paragonrenovations.net

www.paragonbathrooms.com