If you were a single woman with no man around, how would you fix a hole in the ceiling from water damage? And the roof? On a budget. Is this possible for a small woman to do this job by herself? Can someone give me step by step instructions? Photo of the damage attatched.
First you need to diagnose the problem of why the water came in to begin with, and resolve it if you can. Without doing that, your ceiling repair is just going to have to be done over again. The other ceiling repair suggestions are good - but they don't speak to the cause of the leak. You don't say what the roof above it looks like, or where you live. Is it flat? Is it sloped? Is it shingled or metal? Can you get access to it. without killing yourself? You do NOT want to be getting out on the roof by yourself; you at least need to have someone holding the ladder, and if it's very steeply pitched, this is really not something you should contemplate doing by yourself. It may simply be due to weather conditions: the snow on the roofs can create ice dams, where the melting water re-freezes and gets shoved underneath the roof shingles. If there is no waterproof underlayment underneath the roof shingles, then the water can seep in under the roof shingles. If this is what's happening, the only thing you can try doing now is to keep your roof as clear as you can. A roof rake (special tool, not an actual rake) can be used to clear the snow away from as far up as can be reached, and it can help prevent ice dams. But frankly, this weather is so bad, that's still not a fail safe. You don't say if you own or rent. If you are renting, this should be up to the landlord to fix, and should not be your problem.
First take a ruler and pencil, make a square out line. try and find the studs and ONLY cut to the middle of the studs with a Razor Knife, You will need something to screw the new peace of sheet rock on to, so don't go over the stud. Once you get old peace down, you will more than likely have to do some repair to your plumbing or ceiling, as this is leaking somewhere. Look up Youtube for further instructions. Other person above has a good idea on joint compound.
I would repair it. It is not terribly difficult or costly - but your circumstance is complicated by the texture on the ceiling. You would need to purchase some lightweight joint compound, some fiberglass reinforcing mesh or tape, a couple of inexpensive plastic spackling knives (and you will need either a step-ladder or some other stable platform to work from. You will clean out the damaged area and remove all loose materials. Then use a knife to spread some joint compound in the hole, not too much but enough to cover everything with a thin coat. Spread the reinforcing material over this and add a small amount more compound. Smooth this as best you can with a knife. Allow to cure overnight. Repeat with thin coats of compound only until smooth. Sand lightly to remove tool marks. Now you have as smooth area in a textured area. There are texture-sprays-in-a-can that you can try, or you can just leave it smooth, Paint. Done. It takes some time, and you will learn as you go - so don't expect perfection right away. Good luck with it.
