Roof leak
Rainy season is here and you just found a leak in your roof. This isn’t something you slap a temporary band-aid on and worry about later. Don’t let a potentially small problem turn into something larger. Get on it.
It’s time to clench your buns, straighten your back and then call a roofer.
Unclench.
I can only imagine the number of notifications a roofing company must get during this time of year. Try and book an appointment ASAP. They’re going to be slammed and schedule you, possibly, months out. Might also be a wise idea to call a handyman if the leak is larger. It’s important to see what’s going on and open the wall up from the inside. From there you can better determine a plan of action. Hopefully the damage isn’t too bad where you need drywall and wood replaced.
Even if that is the case, it’s not the end of the world and it’s something these contractors see all the time.
If it is a small leak with no other real damage, life just got a lot easier. It’s time to throw some primer on that water stain. Not all primers are sealers so it’s important to read the labels. You also don’t need to get oil based primer, there’s plenty of water based primers that are sealers that work just as well.
Before you paint, it’s important to make sure the primer is completely dry. Letting the primer dry ensures that the stain is completely sealed. If the stain is poking through again, it won’t be a bad idea to give the stain another light coat of primer.
Note: If you don’t have the paint color yet and you need to match the paint, cut out a small section of drywall, about a 2 by 2 inch square, and bring it into any paint store. They will be able to tweak the colors enough to get it close and determine the sheen.
Time to paint.
If you have the existing paint then it’s just a matter of giving the ceiling a couple of coats, or as many coats as is needed to cover the primer. If you have the color of the ceiling then you need to get some ceiling paint with the same sheen. 95% of the time, if the stain in the ceiling is in any other place except the bathroom, then the sheen is most likely flat. The only true way to make sure the the repair doesn’t stick out, especially if you don’t have the existing color or exact paint product, is to paint the entire ceiling. If you don’t have any info on the color then you need to get the color matched, as explained before. Make sure to feather out the edges as you paint!
Every situation is different but the way to tackle the problem stays close to the same. Unless you are comfortable being on the roof, then call a roofer as soon as you can! Not a bad idea to get a quote or ask if he could look for any other areas of concern.
Just get it taken care of!
