Drying and cleanup of stained, bulging or sagging ceilings fed by attic equipment, upstairs plumbing or a leaking roof above.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Ceiling water damage means water has collected in the drywall or insulation above a finished room, usually from an attic water heater, an air handler, an upstairs bathroom or a roof leak. Lewisville Water Damage Restoration dries wet ceilings across Lewisville and Denton County. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available.
A brown stain on a ceiling is only the part of the leak you can see. Above it sit insulation, framing and the back of the drywall, and water spreads through all three before the paint changes color. By the time a ring appears, the wet area is usually wider than the ring.
In the two-story subdivisions around Lewisville, Flower Mound and Highland Village, the rooms below an attic or an upstairs bathroom are the ones that take the hit. Water heaters, air handlers and tub drains share that space with the insulation, so one failed part can wet a ceiling on the floor below. Most of these homes sit on a slab, so the leak does not drain away to a basement. It stays in the structure until someone dries it.
This page covers the building side: finding every wet square foot, removing what cannot dry in place and drying the rest. Stopping the source is a different trade. A plumber repairs a supply line or replaces a tank, and an air conditioning technician clears a condensate line. If your ceiling is wet right now, read the safety note at the bottom of this page first, then call.
Never walk on the ceiling of an attic that is over a wet room, and keep out from under a bowed ceiling. Water and electricity do not mix, so stay clear of wet light fixtures and shut off water to the leak source if you can reach the valve without stepping in water.
Close the water heater's cold-water valve or the main valve, and move furniture out from under the stain. Keep everyone out from beneath a bowed ceiling, because wet drywall can drop without warning.
A technician uses moisture meters and a thermal camera to follow the water across the ceiling, into neighboring rooms and up into the attic. The map decides what is opened and what stays.
Sagging or soaked drywall comes down in sections, and wet insulation is bagged out, since compressed insulation holds water and dries slowly. Textured ceilings in older homes may be tested before they are disturbed.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until the joists and the remaining drywall read dry. Framing is checked with a meter instead of by touch, because wood can feel dry on the surface while holding moisture inside.
You receive moisture readings, photographs and a list of the materials taken out, for your own records and your insurer. Drywall, texture and paint are quoted after the ceiling is dry.
A single stained patch costs far less than a ceiling that has soaked through several rooms. The final figure follows how much drywall comes down, how much insulation is wet and how many days the framing needs.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling water damage repair (one section, incl. insulation, texture + paint) | $500–$1,800 | Repair stage, quoted after the ceiling is dry |
| Category 1 (clean water) mitigation, per sq ft | $3–$4 | National cost guides report this band for clean-water jobs |
| Drywall replacement: hang, tape, texture, paint (per sq ft) | $3–$7 | Applies to each section that has to be replaced |
| Air mover (per unit, per day) | $25–$50 | Several run at once on a wet ceiling and the cavity above it |
| After-hours, weekend or holiday emergency fee | $100–$300 | Added when the call comes in outside regular hours |
Treat every figure as a working estimate for Denton County in 2026, not a price list. A technician confirms the number on site, and you approve the emergency stage before any work begins.
Water above a ceiling rarely stays where it landed. It follows the top of the drywall and the sides of joists until it finds a seam, a light fitting or a gap, so the visible stain can sit several feet from the true source and the wet area is usually larger than the stain.
Ceilings in a two-story slab home are built from drywall hung on wood joists with insulation laid on top. Water that lands on the insulation soaks it first, then wicks sideways, and only then reaches the drywall. That delay is why a ceiling can look fine for a day and then stain overnight.
This is also why a technician maps the area with meters instead of cutting out the stain and stopping. Drying only the visible patch leaves wet insulation and damp framing behind it, and that hidden moisture is where mold growth starts.
No. Stay out from under a bowed ceiling and leave it alone until a technician looks at it. Wiring, light fixtures and recessed cans can sit in the wet area, and a ceiling that gives way drops wet insulation and drywall. Move belongings, close the water supply and call.
Relieving water from a bulge is a popular tip online, and it is not a safe default. You cannot see what sits above the bulge, and a hole can let the whole section fall. If the ceiling must be relieved, a crew member decides where and how, with the power situation checked first.
If a light fixture is wet or dripping, leave the switch off and keep your hands away. Turn off the breaker for that circuit only if the panel is dry and easy to reach.
Drywall that has sagged, softened or crumbled is replaced, while drywall that is merely damp and still firm can often be dried in place. Wet insulation is usually removed. A moisture meter, not appearance, decides which parts of the ceiling can stay.
Gypsum drywall loses strength once it is soaked, and it does not regain it. A section that has bowed away from the joists will not sit flat again after drying. Firm, lightly wet sections near the edge of the leak are often good candidates for drying with air movers.
Insulation depends on type. Blown-in fiberglass and cellulose pack down when wet and dry slowly, so wet areas are typically taken out and replaced after the framing is dry. Water that has stood on the insulation for days is another reason to remove it.
A licensed plumber or air conditioning technician fixes whatever is leaking above the ceiling, and a roofer repairs a roof leak. The restoration crew removes wet materials, dries the structure and documents the readings. The two jobs overlap, so the plumber's visit and the drying are usually scheduled around each other.
Lewisville Water Damage Restoration does not replace water heaters, repair supply lines or service air conditioners. If the leak has not been stopped, the crew can only dry a ceiling that will wet again.
Once the source is repaired and the cavity reads dry, drywall, texture and paint are quoted as a separate repair stage. See structural drying for how readings are tracked from the first day until the framing passes.
Water heaters, air handlers and their drain pans sit above finished ceilings in many newer two-story homes. A cracked pan or a clogged drain line can soak insulation for days, and the stain below may sit well away from the equipment because water runs along ceiling joists.
Tub and shower drains, toilet supply lines and washing machine boxes sit over the ceiling below. This water is usually clean when it starts, but it picks up dirt from insulation and framing as it travels, so the category is judged on site.
Hail-bruised composition shingles, a lifted flashing or a worn pipe boot can let rain into the attic, and the first sign inside is often a ceiling stain after the next storm. The roofer repairs the roof, and the crew handles what got wet beneath it.
Newer subdivisions in Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Frisco and Little Elm are mostly two-story homes on slabs, with the water heater or air handler in the attic of many of them. That puts the equipment above bedrooms, hallways and living areas, and a failed part there wets a finished ceiling.
Lewisville sits in Denton County, where summer heat keeps air conditioners running for months and spring storms test composition-shingle roofs. A ceiling stain that appears after a storm can be a roof problem, while one that appears in July is just as likely to be a condensate overflow. The roof leak page covers the first case.
Older 1970s and 1980s tracts in and around Lewisville are a different case. Their textured ceilings can contain asbestos, so a wet ceiling there is tested before anyone scrapes or sands it. Ask the crew about this when you call.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Water removal and drying after a tank fails or a pan overflows, including attic heaters that soak insulation and the ceiling below.
Drying and cleanup after a clogged condensate line or failed secondary pan overflows into an attic, closet or ceiling.
Attic and ceiling drying, tarping and records after a hail-bruised or wind-lifted roof leaks in Lewisville.
A leaking attic water heater soaks insulation, then the ceiling below.
Hail rarely makes a roof leak the same night.
It depends on how much insulation and drywall are wet and how well the attic can be dried. Technicians measure the framing and drywall with a meter and keep drying until the readings meet dry targets, rather than working to a fixed number of days.
Paint hides the stain but not the moisture behind it. Stain-blocking primer over wet drywall can trap water, and the stain often returns. Have the area checked with a moisture meter before painting.
Dry drywall and framing do not re-stain on their own. A stain that returns means water is still arriving from above, so the source has not been fixed. A plumber, roofer or HVAC technician needs to check the equipment or roof.
Usually, in other rooms, but stay out of the room below the leak while the ceiling is bowed. Keep power off to any wet fixtures and do not use the attic. If the ceiling holds a lot of water, leave the area until it is checked.
Take photos of the stain, any visible source and the room before you move things. The crew adds moisture readings, more photographs and a list of removed materials. Your insurer decides coverage under your own policy, so read it or ask your agent.
Repairs are quoted after the ceiling is dry, as a separate stage from the emergency drying. You approve the drying price before work starts, and the repair estimate comes once the readings show the structure is dry.