In this article:
• How to repair a large ceiling hole
• How to repair ceiling texture
• How to repair a water-damaged ceiling
How to repair a large ceiling hole
If you have a fairly large hole in a ceiling—the type that might be left behind when moving a ceiling fixture—you’ll need to give it some backing before filling the hole with patching material. Here’s how to do this:
1) Cut a piece of pegboard (hardboard with holes in it) sized to overlap but slip through the hole.
2) Loop a 6-inch-long piece of stiff wire through two of the holes in the pegboard. Twist the ends to form a complete loop.
3) Coat the pegboard with drywall compound, using a putty knife.
4) Slip the coated pegboard piece into the hole, coated side facing down.
5) Pull down on the wire loop, insert a pencil, and twist the pencil to pull the pegboard snugly down against the backside of the ceiling.
6) Let the compound dry, remove the pencil, and snip off the wires flush with the ceiling.
7) Fill the hole with two coats of drywall compound, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second.
8) Let the second coat dry, and then apply a third coat, flush with the ceiling. Let that dry for 24 hours.9) Lightly sand the patch with fine sandpaper to “feather” (blend) it with the surface. Paint the patch to match the ceiling.
How to repair ceiling texture
After repairing a stain or hole in the ceiling, it may be necessary to repair the texture. Here’s how to do this:
1) Using a putty knife, scrape off loose or damaged ceiling texture around the stain or repair.
2) With drywall sanding paper wrapped around a small block, gently sand the edges of the damaged area.
3) Using a broad-bladed putty knife, fill the void with a smooth coat of drywall compound and allow it to dry.
4) Sand smooth again, and then spray stain sealer over the patched area to prevent the patch from bleeding through later. Allow to dry.
5) If you have a cottage-cheese type of texture, buy canned ceiling texture and spray it onto the repaired area. If the ceiling has a splotchy-style texture, you may be able to re-create the look with drywall compound and a special texturing brush. This takes a little practice—just keep scraping the compound off until you achieve the look you want.
6) Touch up with paint to match (if necessary, re-paint the entire ceiling for uniformity).
How to repair a water-damaged ceilingIf rain penetrates your home’s roof (or if a pipe that passes through the attic or an upper floor leaks), the result is often readily apparent somewhere on the ceiling below the problem spot. Water drips or runs downward and eventually lands on the upper surface of the ceiling material, which is typically drywall or plaster. There it pools and spreads until it finds a place to continue its downward journey. With drywall, that place is often a seam between the ceiling’s panels. If the ceiling is plaster, the water usually just builds up until it saturates the surface enough to leak straight through.
The resulting damage can be pretty ugly. For starters, the dampness discolors the ceiling. And the water degrades the integrity of the ceiling material. If the dampness is allowed to remain for a few days, mold can form. So it pays to take care of the problem quickly.
If you have access into an attic above the drip, go into it and find the roof leak. Catch the leak with a bucket and mop up any standing water with rags.
If you cannot get into an attic above the leak and water is dripping down from one point in the ceiling, place a bucket on the floor under the drip. Prevent the water from pooling and spreading by punching a small hole through the ceiling’s surface with a nail or an ice pick and allowing the pooled water to drain into the bucket.
If you can repair the roof to stop the leak, do so immediately (if DIY repairs are beyond your realm, call a roof repair contractor. If you can’t fix the roof at once, tarp the roof to prevent more water from penetrating it and then deal with the problem when the weather clears. If you can't find the leak, see Solving Roof Leaks.
Allow the damp spot in the ceiling to dry. Then use a narrow putty knife to remove any flaking paint or drywall. Next, see How to Fix Peeling Drywall Tape and How to Fix Holes in Drywall (Sheetrock). After the repaired area dries, apply stain sealer to it and then re-paint.
