# Tub overflow stained ceiling, need to tear off drywall (check for mold)?



## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

there is a chance that there is mold on the other side of the drywall. cut the damaged drywall past the damaged area. to the next joist. install new drywall. prefill, tape, skim, sand, prime, paint. happy wife!!


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## paparocks (Jun 29, 2011)

your ceiling needs repair anyways.
your stain will not go away unless you seal it with a stain killer, and from what I see in the picture your ceiling is popcorn. If you dont replace it or spray paint your entire ceiling, you will always have an eye sore. be it a small one.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

One overflow incident probably did not hurt. It's safe to apply some Kilz (tm) stain blocker and then repaint.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

I agree with AllanJ, but you know "IF MOMMA AIN'T HAPPY, NOBODY"S HAPPY". It's your call....


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

Wow that is a tough call. True you will have stains that need kilz or something of that effect and the paint may not ever perfectly match.. You will never know if there is mold unless you tear out the old drywall. Next problem is if you do have popcorn ceilings, you will have to get that fixed as well and that can be a real pain, even if you hire our for it. There is no longer a guarantee that you can get the same popcorn. and even that will look a bit discolored as opposed to the old stuff. good luck with the mrs....


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

AllanJ said:


> One overflow incident probably did not hurt. It's safe to apply some Kilz (tm) stain blocker and then repaint.


If your ceiling is unpainted popcorn to do this will open a whole can of worms. Use the Search for painting popcorn ceilings.


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## Greg pa (Oct 9, 2011)

Greg pa said:


> A tub overflow caused the kitchen ceiling to be stained and a little paint chipping and blisters. My wife wants the drywall torn off because of mold. Do I really need to tear off the drywall now after 6 months has past?


No it isn't a popcorn ceiling, that is a little part of the joint compound from the seam tape that is coming off. The stains and damage isn't that bad, I am more worried about the possibility of mold behind the drywall.

Do I need to tear out the drywall just because of the possibility of mold?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

For something that small I would not tear it out. There is a guy on here that really good on mold Maint6 maybe he'll be by. But my understanding is if you have stopped the leak then after it dried if there is mold it will go dormant and will not hurt anything. and will not become active unless there is more moisture. So fix the loose tape prime with BIN and paint. Again this is just my opinion.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

For something that small I would not tear it out. There is a guy on here that really good on mold Maint6 maybe he'll be by. But my understanding is if you have stopped the leak then after it dried if there is mold it will go dormant and will not hurt anything. and will not become active unless there is more moisture. So fix the loose tape prime with BIN and paint. Again this is just my opinion.


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## Seattle2k (Mar 26, 2012)

Even if there was mold, if you don't disturb it, it won't be a problem. As long as it dries out and stays dry, you're good to prime and paint. You can get popcorn ceiling patch in an aerosol can at lowes/hd.

I recently opened up a ceiling, after discovering a water leak in an upstairs bathroom. Some numbskull had driven a drywall screw through the steel protector plate, into my copper hot water line. The kicker - it had been like this for 20 years and never leaked enough to show any indication of moisture on the ceiling below or in the bathroom itself. Right around this time, I also discovered my 2nd shower was leaking through that same ceiling. To my surprise, neither leak caused ANY mold in my ceiling! Looking back, I think the shower had been leaking for at least 1 year, as some of the drywall tape was a bit loose, when we bought the place. I guess both leaks were so slow and infrequent.


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## Seattle2k (Mar 26, 2012)

mispost


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