Water Stained Ceiling

[Prudie]

Can one ever make a badly water stained white ceiliing (actual brown edges) ever look good again without reskimming/plastering? Does even that work?

[Hopkirk]

There are special paints available to seal against stains reappearing 

[Hopkirk]

Something like this

 

https://www.polycell.co.uk/product/polycell-one-coat-stain-stop/

[Atheist]

Prudie. Why is it stained? Maybe best to find and overcome the source of the problem before spending money on covering it up?

[newmodarmy]

We had same- leak in loft hot water tank (now fixed) causing an unsightly large pale brown/yellow stain over the previously  ceilings of two rooms. Decorator says it will probably need 3 coats

[Vagus]

Oil based undercoat painted over the stain before painting it with emulsion or whatever the ceiling is painted with, really works.

We've had three different episodes of water stained ceilings and have used this method each time, you really wouldn't know there had ever been a problem. Has to be oil based undercoat though.

[Prudie]

The leak is now found and fixed. You've never seen such a mess of a ceiling. Required a 40 cm square of the plasterboard removed to fix the pipe above. Now filled with a new piece of board and very roughly filled with grey filler. Needs sanding down but the water stain extends around it and I don't know how it can be made to look good.

We have used those special paints on a much smaller stain, they are OK but not if the light catches it.

[Hymie]

Try this trick, spaying diluted bleach on the affected areas.

 

[nicebloke1]

Go onto any DIY store site and enter "Stain Blocker" this will do the job, put 2 coats on, then re emulsion on top. 

[theshedman]

Hi Prudie,  one of the best stain blockers is Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Paint White.  A smallish tin would do for the amount you need, give a couple of coats and cover an area a bit larger than the stain.  After it dries just give couple of coats of whatever you were going to repaint it with.  Failing that in the past I have used oil based undercoat and gloss mixed together 50-50 and painted that on and left it to dry did the job just as well.  Must be oil based though as anything water based will just bleed back through.  Good luck.

[The Builder]

For what it's worth, Prudie, I'm with 'shedman'. I'm always going on about 'Zinsser'.

However...........  if it were me, I would simply remove the 40cm plasterboard patch, and cut out the stained bit completely.

If you're going to patch, then it makes sense to extend the repair to take in the whole stain. Very quick and simple job, then skim (plaster) over the new board and 'feather' the edges in to the existing surround.