Should You Paint Over Your Damaged Plasterboard Ceiling?

9 September 2016
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


Peeling paint on a damaged plasterboard ceiling can be an eyesore in the home. You may be tempted to undertake a repainting job without determining the cause of the damage. Usually, repainting may hide the flaws for a short period, but after some time, the problems will come knocking. Surface defects may prevent the paint from adhering properly, and this can cause the paint to chip, peel, or crack within no time. For this reason, it is unwise to repaint the ceiling without determining the underlying problem. Here are some of the steps that you should follow before repainting your damaged plasterboard ceiling.

Identify the cause of the damage

Various factors can be responsible for damaged plasterboard. The most common signs of damage are cracks and unusual shadows on the surface of the ceiling. If you are keen enough to take some measurements, you may notice that the height of the ceiling from one corner is shorter than that in the middle of the room. This is usually an indication of sagging plasterboard. Some common causes of plasterboard damage include the following:

  • Water damage from leaking plumbing pipes.
  • Structural defects.
  • Poor quality plasterboard that begins to crack with time.
  • Aged plasterboard.

Fix the underlying problem

The next step should be to fix the cause of damage to the plasterboard. For water damaged plasterboard, you should ensure that all the plumbing leaks in your home are fixed to avoid the same incidence in the future. Other problems related to structural issues, and age and quality of the plasterboard, can be corrected by undertaking repairs.

Unless you are dealing with minor repairs, it may not be suitable to do them yourself. Seek the services of a plasterboard ceiling repair expert. Depending on the extent of the damage, they can repair the cracks, holes, and other surface defects, or recommend replacing the plasterboard if repairs aren't a viable solution.

Repaint the ceiling

Once all the underlying problems have been addressed, you can repaint your ceiling to restore its aesthetics. Again, avoid DIY repainting if you are not good at it. The process of choosing quality paint, preparing the plasterboard surface, and applying the paint can be quite engaging. If you don't have the expertise and tools, ensure that you hire a professional to for a quality and durable painting job.

Repainting a damaged plasterboard ceiling is a quick fix that will cost you more money in the future. Ensure that you identify and resolve the cause of the damage before attempting any repainting work. Also, seek the services of a contractor to make sure that you don't spend more money redoing your ceiling for a second time.


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