Repairing water damaged drywall on ceiling
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Repairing water damaged drywall on ceiling
How can I repair an area of a drywall ceiling that has some old water damage? The cause of the water damage has been fixed. The paper on the drywall is cracked, curled, and in some areas, missing. The damage occurred where two sheets meet. The length is about 12 inches and the width is about 4inches. There is blown-in insulation above the damaged area in the attic. The small intention in the drywall is where I touched it to see if it was soft. It was.
#2
Forum Topic Moderator
Welcome to the forums!
Was the drywall still wet when you made the dent? Is it still soft?
If the drywall is salvageable you just need to scrape off the loose paint/mud and refinish/tape the drywall otherwise you'd need to cut out the bad and insert a new piece of drywall. There are several different ways to attach the patch piece - a lot depends on what's directly behind that section of drywall and/or how big the patch piece needs to be.
Was the drywall still wet when you made the dent? Is it still soft?
If the drywall is salvageable you just need to scrape off the loose paint/mud and refinish/tape the drywall otherwise you'd need to cut out the bad and insert a new piece of drywall. There are several different ways to attach the patch piece - a lot depends on what's directly behind that section of drywall and/or how big the patch piece needs to be.
#3
One of the easiest ways is to cut out bad section, then cut a new piece to fit.
To secure new piece, place 1 x 4's around the edges of hole, leaving enough overhang to have a backing for screws around all edges. Patch with tape and mud.
If you can, go up in attic and push blown in insulation away from cutting area, because it will all come falling out and it's quite a mess.
To secure new piece, place 1 x 4's around the edges of hole, leaving enough overhang to have a backing for screws around all edges. Patch with tape and mud.
If you can, go up in attic and push blown in insulation away from cutting area, because it will all come falling out and it's quite a mess.
#6
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
As you can see from the photo, the damage is where two sides butt together. The substance peeling off was painted joint compound ("mud"). The drywall is ok. I cleaned up a little patch of black mold with bleach and water. I cleaned up the area and re-taped it. After it dried, one side of the tape was coming loose so I took it off and was going to do it again. Now, my problem is the drywall paper was loose so I took all of the loose paper from the drywall. The picture shows you what I'm left with. Can I tape and mud it as usual or do I now have to cut it out? I think there is a rafter above the seam. I can go in the attic and see to be sure.
I used painter's tape and a cheap plastic drop cloth to box in the area so I don't get material all over the kitchen. I put the loose material in a little waste can and I have a drop cloth on the floor.
Why is Marissa banned? Just wondering.
I used painter's tape and a cheap plastic drop cloth to box in the area so I don't get material all over the kitchen. I put the loose material in a little waste can and I have a drop cloth on the floor.
Why is Marissa banned? Just wondering.
Last edited by Billy JoeBob; 01-27-15 at 10:18 AM.
#7
Forum Topic Moderator
Marrisa was most likely banned for being a spammer.
I don't see your pics but if it's the drywall's face paper that has peeled - you need to coat those areas with either an oil base primer or Zinnser's Gardz first. The will prevent the moisture in j/c or latex primer from making the peeling worse or dissolving the gypsum.
I don't see your pics but if it's the drywall's face paper that has peeled - you need to coat those areas with either an oil base primer or Zinnser's Gardz first. The will prevent the moisture in j/c or latex primer from making the peeling worse or dissolving the gypsum.
#8
Mark,
I saw the pics before they were deleted. You have experience and you know how you can "see" wetness without being there (or tell-tale signs of wetness at some point). That's what it looked like to me. I recommend cutting out a good sized section and finishing.
As far as Marrisa, when I viewed your pictures, my browser went on a spree and I had to end task and restart. Probably some clever way of redirect. I hate that and the powers that be here probably caught on quick to the scheme. That's above me and why someone would want to do that.
I saw the pics before they were deleted. You have experience and you know how you can "see" wetness without being there (or tell-tale signs of wetness at some point). That's what it looked like to me. I recommend cutting out a good sized section and finishing.
As far as Marrisa, when I viewed your pictures, my browser went on a spree and I had to end task and restart. Probably some clever way of redirect. I hate that and the powers that be here probably caught on quick to the scheme. That's above me and why someone would want to do that.
#12
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Since my last post I've been out of town for a few days but I wanted to post a picture of my repaired ceiling. From the "before" photo, the curled edges turned out to be paint and the soft stuff was joint compound. The drywall wasn't damaged at all. One piece of advice that was helpful was to sand the edges after I removed the loose stuff. So I taped it and used drywall compound as usual. In the photo, the j/c is whiter than the ceiling but it is solid and smooth. I'll prime the j/c and paint it soon. It'll look good as new. Thanks to all for your advise and encouragement. I hope the "after" photo shows up.
Here is a "before" picture.
Since the picture in the first post isn't visible now, I'll re-post what the ceiling looked like before any repairs began. It was needing repaired for several months. The "dent" is where I touched the ceiling but not realizing it was just j/c.
Here is a "before" picture.
Since the picture in the first post isn't visible now, I'll re-post what the ceiling looked like before any repairs began. It was needing repaired for several months. The "dent" is where I touched the ceiling but not realizing it was just j/c.
Last edited by Billy JoeBob; 02-05-15 at 12:02 PM.