Water stains on your walls or ceilings aren’t great to look at. They can also reduce the value of your home. We have three methods to remove those nasty water stains. Before you make a start on fixing them up, make sure you find the source of the leak and get it fixed. If you follow these methods without fixing the cause, you’ll only be doing it again in a few days. Wear gloves, safety glasses and a mask to protect yourself from dust and mold.

If your home’s ceilings or walls have water stains and you’d like to locate the source, contact a friendly member of staff on 0400 386 991 and we’ll come out and take a look for you.

Removing a stain from an old leak

To remove a wall or ceiling stain from an old leak, simply mix together one part bleach, one part water and apply the mixture to the stain. If that doesn’t do the trick, clean, prime and re-paint. Your local hardware store should be able to match up the exact paint colour if you bring them a piece of the wall.

If the damage is extensive you may need to remove part of the wall and replace it. This can easily be done yourself if you have a dry wall:

• Use a keyhole saw to remove the stained wall.
• Clean the area around it with normal household cleaner.
• Cut a piece of dry wall matching the size of the hole (you can use dry wall compound to fill the gaps if need be).
• Once the dry wall and glue compound is dry, use sand paper to sand down the wall making it smooth and even.
• Wipe off the sanding dust and re-paint the wall.

Removing stains on a vermiculite ceiling

Vermiculite, also known as popcorn ceilings, are fairly outdated and are also known for containing asbestos (although not all of them do) If your home has a popcorn ceiling, you may want to ring a specialist to remove it. Do not attempt to remove it yourself! If the ceiling is asbestos free, here’s how to remove the stain yourself:

Start by locating and fixing the leak. Try removing the stain with the same solution (one part water, one part bleach). If that doesn’t work, move onto these steps:

• Use a scraper to remove the ceiling material (this should be fairly easy as should be damp) Remember to wear safety gear before you do!
• If the dry wall beneath the popcorn material is damaged you should be able to seal it up with paint from KILZ. If the dry wall is severely damaged, revert back to method two to remove and replace it.
• Re-spray or paint the textured popcorn material onto your ceiling or wall.

If the stains on your walls are from kid’s drawing on them, try a pencil eraser, Mr Clean Magic Eraser or baking soda 🙂

If you suspect a leak in your home, give us a call. We’ll come out, find the leak and repair if for you. Visit our website to learn more about our services.