
By: Paul Krause
Ugly, brown stains are a common feature of mobile home ceilings. They
develop when roof leaks or condensation cause water to drip onto the
ceiling tiles from above.
They persist because because removal is not as simple as painting over
the stain. The stain "bleeds" through paint leaving it as ugly as
before. In addition, many mobile home ceilings are made with a sprayed
on acoustical texture which is VERY fragile. Painting it
with a roller or brushing on a heavy latex paint is a good way to pull
off some of the texture, leaving a bare, un-textured area. Fortunately,
stains are easy to cover if you have the right materials.
There is no point in doing the repair until you are sure the leak is
fixed and your ceiling has dried completely! Then go to your local paint
store or home improvement center paint dept. and look for an aerosol can
labeled "Stain sealing ceiling paint" or something close to that. Two
brands I know of are "Kilz" and "Zinsser". It will be made to spray
straight up and only comes in one color. Hopefully, the color will be a
good match for your ceiling tiles.
While you are shopping you may also want to buy some of the blue masking
tape. It costs more than standard masking tape, but comes off when you
are done, without leaving adhesive behind or pulling anything off when
it peels away.
At home, mask the area you plan to spray and put an old sheet or
something on the floor. Then follow the directions on the can to do the
actual spraying. Two light coats with adequate drying time between them
is better than one heavy coat.
In most cases the color of the new area will be close enough to the old
that no additional topcoat is needed. The fact is, people seldom look
up. With the really obvious stain gone there will be nothing to draw the
eye to what is probably a very subtle difference in color.
The repair described here will cover water stains on ceiling tiles or
wallboard anywhere, not just in mobile homes.
Author Bio
The Mobile Home Doctor has been providing mobile home repair information
since 1999. There are more than 100 pages of advice to help mobile home
owners repair their homes. Directions are written so readers with little
repair and renovation experience can be confident they can do the work
themselves.
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