Hi,

A bedroom ceiling of mine was leaking slightly during rains. We got the roof fixed last year and the leaking stopped. It's time to fix the slightly cracked and damaged ceiling. I was hoping to get rid of the slight bumps and put up a new drywall ceiling on top (well on the bottom). My wife thinks their could be mold up there and the ceiling should be all removed first. There is no sign of mold on the visible part of the ceiling. It's a hundred year old house, so I'd rather not go through the pain of opening up 100 years of dust, plaster and lathe etc. My gut says that if there is no water source any more - and if the potential mold above the ceiling is sealed (which it is) - then we don't need to take down the ceiling. But I am not sure. Thoughts?

 

Mold requires moisture, heat and a food source to grow so if it stays dry it should be ok but I wouldn't knowingly leave mold. Can you look at it from the attic side to see what it looks like?

 

The attic is finished so it would be a hassle but I could cut a hole (I supposed... argh!) in the ceiling at the worst spots and maybe stick my head up....