My roof is not leaking since it is new and we had some electrical work done and the patch keeps turning brown, My contracter thinks its rat pee. What is it?
2007-10-11 19:59:43 · 6 answers · asked by GabbyGal 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
It may be from a low quality wall paint that turns brown from the heat or maybe if you are a smoker, the tar from cigarettes smoke sticks to the ceiling.
2007-10-11 20:23:23 · answer #1 · answered by acatalinus 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'll go with BOOTS. First of all HOW NEW is the roof? Was the staining evident prior to the new roof?
The first thing I'd want to do is check above the ceiling for moisture; but an easier way to check is roll some KILZ OIL based primer over the stain. Let it dry; and wait. The Oil based primer does accept latex after.
Have you TOUCHED the point where the stain is? Does it seems damp? What electrical work was done? Heat from any electrical work would likely have burned your house down before it ever scorched through drywall and paint.
I'd be asking the "contractor" to go back up and check for DROPPI NGS, and any openings. RAT pee is unlikely to be the cause.
Steven Wolf
2007-10-12 09:24:00 · answer #2 · answered by DIY Doc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Recheck the roof. Just because your roof is new doesn't necessarily mean they did a good job.
If the electrical work was done up in a crawl space near this brown spot you have on the ceiling I would take a look. That is of course if you do have a crawl space.
Rat pee? Do you really think a rat would continuously pee in the same spot over and over again. Rat must be l00 yrs. old by now.
2007-10-12 04:38:44 · answer #3 · answered by Eagles Fly 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easily when they patched the roof..the sheetrock it leaked on was completely removed...it will stay stained forever..but you can get a can of spry can KILZ..not KILZ2 but the originall solvent based kilz..spray the brown marks and repaint the ceiling..if it is totally brown all over buy some original kilz..and roll the whole ceiling then..then repaint it..kilz2 does not work as it claims..the stains will show up under it too..get the original kilz...Even if the stain is no longer damp at all the stain will remain..kinda like saying when you spill grape juice on a shirt..let it dry and the stain dissapears..You know that doesn't happen...
2007-10-12 10:30:10 · answer #4 · answered by pcbeachrat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I bet your contractor is right, he is a rat that had to go while in the attic replacing electric. It's his pee and he's blaming the livestock.
No really, Use Kilz Stain blocker primer and then repaint. Drywall patches can sometimes bleed dirty stains through the paint if it wasn't completely clean at the time of patching.
2007-10-12 13:27:39 · answer #5 · answered by Chris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's likely either the insulation in the attic is still wet (and the dampness keeps bleeding through), or cheap paint and no primer on the ceiling.
If the leak occurred recently, wait a few weeks until the insulation is really dry, apply a goo d primer on the ceiling, let the primer dry thoroughly (a day, at least), and then several coats of paint on the ceiling.
That should do it. If it doesn't, consult a painting professional in your area.
2007-10-12 03:23:56 · answer #6 · answered by Pete S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋