Painting a Ceiling to Cover Up Water Stains With Shellac

A busted pipe or leaky roof can leave unpleasant water stains on your ceilings. These water stains appear as a brown discoloration that draws the eye right to the eyesore. In addition, the water stains will cause the entire ceiling to appear dull and dingy, and they can even affect the look of the entire room. Cleaners will not budge the stains, which last for the life of the ceilings unless you cover them up. Simply painting the ceiling will not get rid of the discolorations, since the stains will bleed through the paint. To completely cover up the water stains, you must first use a shellac stain blocker.

Old clothing
Drop cloths
Painter's tape
Upholstery brush attachment
Vacuum cleaner
Extension handle
Paint roller handle
Paint rollers
Plastic paint tray
Ceiling paint

Instructions

- 1
  Wear old clothing that is OK to get paint splatters on. Remove all items from the room and protect the floor with drop cloths. Cover molding and trim with painter’s tape.
- 2
  Secure the upholstery brush to your vacuum cleaner hose. Turn the vacuum on and gently run the brush over the ceiling to remove cobwebs and surface debris.
- 3
  Screw an extension handle into a clean paint roller. Pour a shellac stain blocker in a plastic paint tray.
- 4
  Roll the paint roller in the shellac stain blocker and roll it on the ceiling. Continue in this manner until you have applied a thin layer on the ceiling. Let the ceiling dry for several hours before continuing with the remaining steps.
- 5
  Pour ceiling paint in a clean plastic paint tray. Most paint centers can tint the ceiling paint any color you choose. Roll a clean paint roller in the paint and apply it to the ceiling in the same manner as you did the shellac. Let the ceiling dry for several hours.
- 6
  Repeat Step 5 if the ceiling requires a second coat to achieve the desired results.

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