# Forum Home Renovation Plastering  how to repair water damage to ceiling and cornice

## charlie01

Our rental property had a roof leak recently after roof restoration. The roof restoration company is going to fix the leakage. However there are some big water marks on the ceiling and cornices (see photos). I wonder what's the best way to fix that. I don't think painting over is the solution because the plaster becomes soft and disintegrated once it's wet. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

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## Terrian

if the plaster feel solid still, BIN paint then ceiling white it.

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## GeoffW1

Hi, 
Agree with Terrian, that damage does not look too bad, I think a bit of priming and painting with ultra-flat will be enough. 
Cheers

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## gpkennedy

ZINSSER make a really handy spray can for ceiling stains.  The product is called COVERS UP and comes in a vertical spray can.  It is a stain ceiling paint and the product sprays Vertically out of the can.  I got one at Bunnings, in a yellow and white 369g can.  It is easy to use, shake it well and follow directions on can.
It is the bees' knees.  You must wait until the stain is dry of course after you have repaired the cause of the water egress.  Worth checking and replacing any damp insulation material in ceiling cavity.
George.

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## Rod Dyson

Plasterboard will go back to its original state once dry. It will disintergrate if it gets wet often, while drying out in between.  The biggest problem is that it will sag and when it dries it will dry in the sagged position, it is hard to straighten it out again if it is over a small area.  If it hasn't sagged yet and is dry painting it over the stains will be OK. 
Cheers Rod

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## charlie01

Thanks for the posts. 
Brisbane had heavy rain tody so I went onto the ceiling today to check all the leaks and took some photos. The ceiling near the front door (first 2 photos above) is still solid but when I was in the ceiling I could tell the ceiling has sagged. I post a new photo here. You can see a small white area below the tie beam. This is actually the spot where nail went through. However due to the water damage, the nail has detached from the plaster, that is, the ceiling is no longer held to the place by the nail. 
So what should I do next? Painting over is still good option or need a plaster guy to repair it ?

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## Terrian

> ZINSSER make a really handy spray can for ceiling stains. .

  yep, BIN is another one of their brands.

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## charlie01

I saw BIN spray can at Bunnings today, around $12.

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## Rod Dyson

I would prop it up from below with 2 props and a board to spread the load and flatten the sheet. Let it dry out in that position, then re-screw the sheet at 200mm centers along the truss. Do this as soon as you can (like Monday) 
Remove the props and patch up the screw holes. 
Don't rely on a plasterer to prop it up properly!!! Do it yourself. You may need to float over the entire area, I have ahd to do this sometimes if the sheet does not flatten out properly. 
Also when you have that many screws in a line it is not a bad idea to run a tape over them and trowel it off like a butt join, this will help prevent any popped nails in the future. 
Cheers Rod.

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## gpkennedy

This minor problem in the plaster ceiling should be left until *AFTER* you have repaired the roof leak.  
The pics indicate recent water leaking into your roof.  This may indicate a broken or shifted roof tile. Water can seep a very long way from the original source of the broken tile.  The water seeps and flows down and eventually drips onto your ceiling.  The source of the problem needs to be found. It will not be necessarily  be directly above the plaster damage , it will be "uphill" but not necessarily in the same spot.

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## charlie01

thanks,
I used silicon to seal the holes while in the ceiling yesterday (after taking photos). The rain was really heavy at the time. A guy from thr roof restoration had a look at the ceiling today, and found the wet areas had dried up over night. I'm going to get 2 props to support the ceiling till completely dry (It may take days).

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