Causes of Brown Stain on Ceiling and How to Fix It

Even the most beautiful kitchen, dining room, or living room can be ruined with a brown stain on the ceiling. A ceiling stain is hard to miss – especially if the colored patch is formed on a white area like a blotch of paints on top of a white canvas.

To get rid of these stains, you have to identify the cause first and then build ways to eliminate them.

Cause of Brown Stain on Ceiling

Here are three of the most common possible Cause of Brown Stain on Ceiling:

Water stains

Amongst the listed causes, water is probably the possible reason why your ceiling is ugly stained. You can identify it easily by its specific characteristic: the dark yellowish or almost brown stain on the ceiling, in shape similar to an imperfect halo. The primary cause of water stains on the ceiling is roof leaks.

Mold stains

Speaking technically, mold is more like growth rather than calling it to stain. The black, dark brown, or green colors with various patterns and forms are quite easy to spot.

Several reasons might encourage mold growth on your ceilings, such as high humidity and moisture levels, low ventilation, or roof leaks.

Smoke stains

Smoke-induced stains are mostly present in dry brown stains on the ceiling. They lean to be more uniform and consistent in terms of shape and resemble heavy brownish dust that distributes equally on the ceiling surface.

The stain exists on the walls and makes its way to your ceiling.

How to Get Rid of Brown Water Stains on Ceiling

The only to tackle the issue of spotting brown stains on the ceiling is with rationality. Now that you can determine the cause already, it is time to resolve the issue according to what actually causes it.

Use the guide below to help you perform the task:

Removing stains caused by water

A lot of people think that they can make water stains disappear simply by painting the affected areas. However, the only way to cover up these blotches is by using a high-performance primer first before the paint.

The primer helps to prevent the stains from bleeding over the new layer of paint. Most high-performance are available in white color. Thus chance is, if your ceiling is white, you don’t have to repaint it and use the primer.

Removing stains caused by mold

To eliminate the stains, you need to destroy the mold first. Use a mixed solution comprised of water and laundry bleach, which is effective for most mold types. Apply the solution to the stained area on your ceiling, wait for a bit, then wipe away the remaining stain. Now you have a clean area that is frees from the brown stain on the ceiling.

Removing stains caused by smoke

The most effective technique to get rid of smoke stains is by scrubbing cleaning liquid and sponges. Apply the cleaning liquid over the stains and scrub them with the sponge until they are all visibly gone.

It is recommended that you choose a cleaning product in a spray bottle, but if you make a DIY solution, simply put it inside any clean empty spray bottle.

Brown Stain on Ceiling Below Bathroom

If there is a bathroom above the floor you’re living in. You may notice leakage on the ceiling. Examine for the probability of water damage and any ceiling stain.

Note that due to water’s travel ability, even to a further distance, you might find the stains exist farther away rather than being directly under the bathroom.

A few and far between wet floor conditions won’t generate enough leaks to damage the ceiling underneath it. That’s why if the stain is in dark brown or copper color, it is most likely that there’s a severe water leak in the bathroom above.

If the ceiling is already sagging, then the leakage problem has already affected the area.

A severe enough leak can create a brown stain on the ceiling underneath it. In case of this, it’d be wise to reach the company that provides water damage restoration service. They can help you to locate the leakage source, assess the damage, and bring the plan to repair the situation.

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HomeTips is an experienced author and expert technician. With years of practical experience in the field authored several informative articles on various aspects related to home improvement, including installation, maintenance, and repair.