ᐅ Temporarily Repairing a Drywall Ceiling – Use Plastic Sheeting? Alternatives?

Hello everyone,

We have a problem in our temporary home where the bathroom ceiling is currently flaking.
We want to spend as little money as possible, but the current situation is quite annoying.
The issue started because there was a water damage before we moved in, where water from the upstairs bathroom seeped into the ceiling below. The water supply to the bathroom above has since been turned off, and it’s no longer wet. We treated some mild mold in the corners with an appropriate product, which seems to be dead and/or gone now.

However, the problem is that after every shower, the old white paint layer on the ceiling flakes off in small pieces or flakes. I assume this is due to the old water damage having dried out, plus the paint is probably very old and was not of good quality.
I don’t want to install new panels or invest much money since we will only be here for a few more months.

Can anyone give us a tip on how to prevent the bathroom ceiling paint from crumbling into my contact lens case? 😀
Is there some kind of large sheet or film I could just stick over it to cover the area for the next six months? Any alternative ideas?
I’m thinking pretty much “after me, the flood,” since I strongly assume whoever buys the house will need to renovate all the bathrooms anyway.

Good luck,
kati1337

I would sand it down lightly with sandpaper and retouch it using an inexpensive wall paint.

Alternatively, you could screw drywall panels over it.

lastdrop schrieb:

I would sand it down with some sandpaper and then touch it up with inexpensive wall paint.

Alternatively, screw drywall panels over it.

I still have a bit of wall paint left here. Do you think that would hold?

Before sanding, I would have preferred to keep my distance because I’m worried about the mess. Also, I’m not sure if there might still be mold spores hidden somewhere, and I’m currently pregnant. I’d rather “seal” it up there than spread it into the air below. But maybe that’s a misconception.

lastdrop schrieb:

I would start by sanding it down and touching up with inexpensive wall paint.

Alternatively, screw drywall panels over it.

Thoroughly tape off the bathroom first, sand off the old paint, paint the edges, and then “roller, go for it.”
Show us the ceiling, the spots…

lastdrop schrieb:

Alternatively, screw drywall panels over it.

I just had a look – the idea of using panels isn’t that bad, they really don’t cost much. It doesn’t have to look good either. I would only want to do this in the two crumbly corners above the shower and above the toilet. Where there was no water damage before, there is no crumbling either. So you would only need two.
However, I am concerned about screwing into the ceiling. There are pipes running there, and I have no idea where exactly.

driver55 schrieb:

Completely tape off the bathroom first, sand off the old paint, paint the edges, and then “roller, go for it.”
Show me the ceiling and the spots...

That already sounds like more work than I want to put on my husband. Right now, I can hardly help him physically, and he’s not much of a handyman. I’m really looking for a quick patch-up solution that can be done in about two hours on a Sunday.
We’re only going to be here for a few more months, and I assume the next tenants will redo everything anyway; there’s nothing to save in the bathrooms.
I’ll take a photo soon, but it’s really not much to look at. 😀