Ceiling & Water Damage Repair in Central Florida

A brown ring on the ceiling is water that already came through. Painting over it hides the evidence for about three months, then it bleeds back, because the stain is inside the board and the paper facing has usually lost its bond.

The first job is finding where the water came from, because replacing the drywall before the source is fixed is money thrown away. In this part of Florida the three usual culprits are a roof leak, an AC condensate line that has clogged and backed up into the air handler pan, or a supply line in the attic. A clogged condensate drain is far more common than people expect and shows up as a stain in a hallway or closet ceiling directly under the air handler.

Once the source is dealt with we cut out the compromised board back to dry framing, check the insulation above it - wet blown-in insulation stays wet and will re-stain a brand new ceiling - hang new board, tape it and match the texture.

If the ceiling is sagging or the paper is peeling away when you touch it, stop using the room below it and call. Saturated half-inch board holds a surprising amount of water.