How to Treat Stains on Plaster and Drywall | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains the best way to get rid of water stains on ceilings and walls. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse Time: 1-2 hours Cost: $50 Skill Level: Easy Tools: Paint brush Rubber gloves Bowl Sponge Shopping List: Bleach Primer Water-based paint or acrylic paint Steps: 1. Before treating the stain, locate its source, which may be a water leak. 2. To get rid of any potential mold, stir up a 50/50 mix of bleach and water. 3. Wear rubber gloves and a sponge to wash the stain or carefully spary the mix in a spray bottle. It’s possible the bleach/water mix could remove the stain, but unlikely. The goal here is to kill the mold. 4. Once the bleach mix has dried, use an oil or shellac based primer to cover the stain. It can be a spray can primer or a traditional brush or roll on primer. Spray or brush on one coat. 5. Once the primer has dried, use an acrylic or water-based paint and paint brush to cover the stain. It’s likely the entire ceiling or wall will need a fresh coat to make it match. About Ask This Old House TV: Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we re ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook. Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG Tumblr: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTumblr For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseWebsite How to Treat Stains on Plaster and Drywall | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/