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Want to paint patio ceiling but there is water saturation - Options?

Want to paint patio ceiling but there is water saturation - Options?


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Old 08-25-11, 07:54 AM
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Want to paint patio ceiling but there is water saturation - Options?

I have an outdoor covered patio, located in Florida. Water does leak from the roof into the ceiling causing a few drops and dark spots from saturation. The ceiling is plywood. The roof is coated (not sure with what, just bought the house, previous owners put some sort of sealant on it).

I know the roof of the patio needs to be replaced which would be expensive.. it's a large patio. It serves its purpose so I have no desire to replace it in the immediate future. I would however like to paint the ceiling. It's currently natural plywood and would like to pain it white. Of course, my thought is, if it's painted with white exterior laytex paint it will act as a membrane for some of this water and cause the paint to bubble and chip.

Is there any type of paint that I can use that will not trap the water and still look relatively good? The brown, unfinished ceiling and posts make it look unfinished and 1970. Not sure if an oil based stain or some other type of paint may provide us with an affordable way to paint the ceiling that will last for a few years until the roof is replaced.
 

Last edited by AlaskaKash; 08-25-11 at 08:13 AM.
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Old 08-25-11, 08:51 AM
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Fix the leaks and then paint
 
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Old 08-25-11, 08:54 AM
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Thanks mitch. To fix the leaks it would require replacing the entire roof side sheathing. I have no interest in trying to chase leaks and patching them. I know that method can be expensive and not effective. I will replace the roof in the next couple years but am not currently trying to fix the leaks. Just curious if there is a product I could use to paint the ceiling (underside) for the meantime.
 
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Old 08-25-11, 10:07 AM
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You could use a white latex stain. If the leaking isn't too severe, the stain probably won't bubble...... but latex stain will not hide any water stains! The only way to cover up a water stain is to coat the stain with either an oil base primer or a pigmented shellac. The use of the primer will make it harder for water to pass thru those areas. Another thing to think about is by painting the wood, it will be harder for the water to pass thru and could shorten the life of the wood.

Would applying a coat of roller grade tar be an option for getting more life out of the roof?
 
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Old 08-25-11, 10:19 AM
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Sorry, I was overly brief: it's like finishing the inside of a garage - I never paint the inside of a garage because there are dings you can ignore on bare sheetrock but which you wouldn't on a painted wall; by painting the ceiling, I think the water issue will become more visible.
 
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Old 08-26-11, 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by marksr
You could use a white latex stain. If the leaking isn't too severe, the stain probably won't bubble...... but latex stain will not hide any water stains! The only way to cover up a water stain is to coat the stain with either an oil base primer or a pigmented shellac. The use of the primer will make it harder for water to pass thru those areas. Another thing to think about is by painting the wood, it will be harder for the water to pass thru and could shorten the life of the wood.

Would applying a coat of roller grade tar be an option for getting more life out of the roof?

Thanks Mitch, I'll take a look at trying roller grade tar. I agree, no need on painting it if water stains are going to become apparent. The stains would make it look worse.

Thanks Again.
 
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Old 08-28-11, 10:14 AM
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Save your money and do it right.

I have a similar situation. I thought a good paint job, with a good mildew-resistant primer would help, but when we started scraping the old paint a lot of the plywood wanted to come with it because the plywood was delaminating. I didn't realize how bad things were because the roof had new shingles, but they nailed the new shingles right over the old ones with the overlaps right on top of each other, which allows the flaps to sag, and since they don't all sag by the same amount, this opens up gaps where water can get in. Then it slowly soaks through the layer of old shingles and into the plywood. When the sun comes out, instead of quickly drying out, the water vapor is trapped under two layers of asphalt shingle. It's like exposing the plywood to a steam bath. As bad as it looks un the underside, it's much worse on top. If I were you I'd replace it before your rafters rot.
 
 

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