I have a question for how best to repair interior water damage to ceiling drywall along a wide, thin section where the ceiling meets the wall.

We recently experienced slight water damage to our ceiling drywall due to water that entered through gaps that in the exterior roof flashing. Now that the roof flashing has been re-sealed by a professional, I would like to address the drywall water damage in my condo.

The water damage is limited to a 10 ft. x 4 in. section of the ceiling where the ceiling meets a wall in the bedroom - very long and skinny. I am thinking about two options:

1) Scrape off damaged sections and then spackle, sand, prime, and paint


2) Cut out the damaged section (perhaps 10 ft by 6 in) and then look to replace with new drywall. Given the section is a) long and skinny and b) adjoining a wall, I am curious if there are any other considerations that I should be thinking about.

As you can (barely) see in the photo, a small crack has developed due to the water damage, so I'm not sure whether option 1 is realistic.enter image description here

Thank you for the help

  • 3
    I would remove the section completely and install new drywall. Reason being is to be safe from potential mold. You may not see the areas internally that have moisture. – Eric F Mar 14 '19 at 19:08

The crack you see is the drywall tape delaminating from the corner. You can peel this off and put a new piece on. If the drywall is not deformed you can re texture when it is dried out. As long as there is no more water intrusion there will be no mold growth issues. Use mold spray and prime with stain blocking or sealing primer or spray shellac based primer and paint.

  • I looked closer and is appears it is stained further than the bead strip goes. – Jeff Cates Mar 15 '19 at 0:32

You'll want to remove a section for repair and inspection. Keep in mind, the hard part of wall finishing is the plastering. Also the worst part of the water damage is going to be in the least visible area, in behind the wall. Cut out a section of the damaged wall large enough to inspect behind. Mold is a concern but once it's dry it tends to die. Anti mold spray is available for exactly this purpose.

Mold sprayenter image description herewww.homedepot.com

  • You can also get spray can texture to do small patch texture repairs. Do this after you replace the section, joint compound and feather the new patch. Then texture and paint. – Jeff Cates Mar 15 '19 at 0:34

Your Answer

