How to Paint Over Water Stains

Brief 

Painting over water stains will help rid your walls and ceilings of unsightly marks. Learn how to paint over water stains with these quick and simple solutions.

Insight

Painting over water stains is tempting from the moment they first appear. Water stains are ugly and spoil the aesthetic of a crisp, clean ceiling or wall. But before you think about adding a new coat of paint to cover them, you need to ask yourself how they got there to begin with.

The most common cause is a water leak, especially in ceilings. A slow leak in your pipework, or a leaking radiator, could be feeding the stain and causing it to turn that horrible brown, typically caused by rust somewhere in your water system.

Alternatively, it could be a one-off water spill or rising damp that is leaving an unattractive and unwanted mark. Before painting a wall or ceiling, you should take care to ensure there are no leaks or spills still occurring. If there are, any future work will be compromised before it’s even started.

In this guide, we’ll show you how best to go about painting over water stains, so your walls and ceilings look fresh and appealing once again — and to prevent stains reappearing.

Can You Simply Paint Over Water Stains on a Wall or Ceiling?

Whatever the reason is behind your water stains, it needs to be identified and dealt with before you even think about doing any painting.If it was a one-off water spill, you simply need to let it dry. But if it’s a leaking pipe or rising damp, you need to get the issue fixed before attempting anything else.

Once the root cause has been eliminated, leave your wall or ceiling completely to dry out. Don’t start painting a ceiling while it is still damp, otherwise you’ll risk damaging the existing paintwork, and possibly the ceiling itself, further.