Ceiling Water Damage Repair: $325 to $1,100 + Who to Call

What a water stain on the ceiling means

A brown or yellow ring on the ceiling means water has reached the drywall or plaster and dried at least once. It does not tell you how much water is above it. The EPA lists "roof materials above ceiling tiles" and the back of drywall among the places mold hides after water damage, and says to suspect hidden mold if a room smells moldy but you cannot see the source.

• Top floor, worse after rain: almost always the roof, flashing, a vent boot or a skylight.
• Under a bathroom or kitchen: usually plumbing, and it can leak whether or not it rains.
• A musty smell: the water has been there a while, and mold may have started behind the surface.

Is a leaking ceiling an emergency?

Yes, when it sags, drips or is near wiring: Angi lists larger brown ceiling spots and water inside the home as emergencies, and calls a leak near electrical wiring a safety hazard. Even a slow leak needs drying within 24 to 48 hours, the window in which the EPA says wet materials usually will not grow mold.

• Now: a bulging or dripping ceiling, or water near a light fixture, fan or outlet.
• Today: a stain that is spreading or soft to the touch, or one that grows every time it rains.
• Can be booked: an old, dry stain with firm drywall and no musty smell. The leak above still needs finding.

Sagging ceiling from water: what to do right now

A ceiling that bulges, sags or drips is holding water and can come down. Angi lists larger brown ceiling spots and water inside the home as emergencies, and calls a leak near electrical wiring a safety hazard: turn off power to the area and call a roofer and an electrician.

1. Keep people and pets out of the room. Do not stand under the bulge or try to push it back up.
2. If water is near a light fixture, ceiling fan or outlet, turn off that circuit at the breaker, but only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot. If you cannot, stay out of the room and call an emergency electrician.
3. Move furniture and electronics out, and put down buckets and plastic.
4. Take photos of the ceiling, the stain and anything damaged before you clean up, as FEMA advises, and call your insurer if you plan to claim it.
5. Call for help. HomeAdvisor lists a sagging ceiling at about $75 an hour of repair time within its $450 to $1,600 ceiling range.

Ceiling leak repair: find and fix the source first

Patching drywall under an active leak wastes the money. The source has to be fixed and the cavity dried before the new ceiling goes up. Do not climb onto the roof to look: CDC's NIOSH says more than 500,000 people are treated and about 300 die each year from ladder-related injuries. A roofer can find a roof leak from the attic and the roof; a plumber or a leak detection company can find a pipe leak with pressure tests and acoustic and thermal tools.

• Roof leaks. Fixr puts roof leak repair at $800 on average, $350 to $1,500 typically, and as little as $100 for a minor fix; see roof leak repair and flashing and vent boot repair.
• Leaks under solar panels. Mounts and wire penetrations can leak, and the panels may need to come off for the roof repair; see roof leaks under solar panels.
• Skylights. A stain around a skylight well points to its flashing or seal; see skylight leak repair.
• Plumbing. A burst pipe repair averages $500 per HomeAdvisor, with a typical range of $200 to $3,000.

Ceiling repair near me: what it costs

Ceiling figures are from each guide's water damage page. They cover replacing the ceiling drywall and repainting, not the leak repair above it.

Across the three guides, ceiling water damage repair runs from $325 (Fixr's low end) to $1,600 (HomeAdvisor's high end). Price climbs with the size of the opening, textured or plaster ceilings, insulation that has to come out of the cavity above, and whether the ceiling must be dried before it can be closed. A larger job that includes drying the attic or the floor above is priced like any water damage restoration job, by square foot and water category.

Water damage from a roof leak: drying and mold timing

Speed decides whether the ceiling can be dried or has to be replaced. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and that in most cases mold will not grow if wet materials are dried in that window. HomeAdvisor says a home can take about five days to dry, with extraction alone taking at least three days, so a soaked ceiling usually means equipment for several days, not a box fan overnight.

Insulation above the ceiling holds water. If it stays wet, mold can grow on the back of the drywall and in the attic where you cannot see it. If you already see growth, read mold remediation and attic mold removal before the ceiling is closed up.

Who to call for a water leak in the ceiling

Call a roofer when the stain is on a top-floor ceiling and grows after rain, a plumber or leak detection company when it is under a bathroom, kitchen or laundry room, and a water damage company to dry and rebuild the ceiling; most ceiling jobs need two of the three.

Most ceiling jobs need two trades: one to stop the leak, one to dry and rebuild.

The roof line handles roof repairs you pay for yourself; the water damage line handles drying, mold and the ceiling. The who to call page lists every line.

Does insurance cover a ceiling leak

It depends on how the water got there. The Texas Department of Insurance says most homeowner policies cover sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst pipe or a toilet overflow, but not damage from gradual leaks or seepage, including mold. A slow roof leak that stained the ceiling over months can fall in the second group. Call your insurer before repairs if you plan to claim it, photograph the damage first, and do not sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to the contractor.