Draining, drying and cleanup when water from an upstairs leak or attic source soaks a drywall ceiling.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
A wet ceiling means water is trapped above the drywall, and the weight can bring a section down. Shut off the source if you can, stay out from under any bulge, and call Celina Water Damage Restoration. A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available to drain, open and dry the ceiling and the cavity above it.
A brown ring on a ceiling is rarely the whole story. Water travels along joists and across the top of the drywall before it finds a low spot, so the stain you see can sit several feet from the actual leak. By the time paint starts to bubble, the insulation above it is usually holding a good deal more water than the ceiling is.
Many homes in Celina, Prosper and the master-planned neighborhoods around them are two stories, and the plumbing for an upstairs bathroom, laundry room or air handler runs directly over a drywall ceiling. When a supply line, a drain or a drip pan lets go up there, the ceiling below is the first finished surface in its path. That is the call this page covers: water that has already come through, or is about to.
The crew's job is the wet part. It finds the source of moisture with meters and a thermal camera, relieves trapped water safely, removes what cannot dry, and runs air movers and dehumidifiers until the readings come down. Fixing the leaking pipe, drain pan or roof belongs to a plumber, an HVAC technician or a roofer, and getting them booked early keeps the drying from stalling.
Stop the source if you know it, such as the washer, the shower or the water supply to the upstairs bathroom. Keep everyone out from under any bulge, move what you can from below and take photos. Then call (833) 490-5225. Do not stand under a sagging ceiling or puncture it from below.
If the water is coming from upstairs plumbing, turn off the fixture's shut-off valve or the main valve at the house. If it is raining and water is coming through the ceiling, you cannot stop the source from inside, so the priority becomes keeping people and belongings out of the way and catching what drips.
Take photos and a short video of the stain, the sag and anything that is wet before you move it. They help with the claim, and they also give the crew a time-stamped picture of how fast the stain is growing.
Sometimes. A light stain on sound, dry drywall can often be dried and sealed before painting. Drywall that has sagged, softened, crumbled or been wet for days usually has to be cut out. The crew's moisture readings, not the paint color, decide which side of that line your ceiling is on.
Wet drywall loses strength and can pull away from its screws. Insulation packed above it holds water and keeps the back of the board wet long after the surface looks dry. That is why the crew checks the cavity as well as the visible stain.
Texture and paint hide a lot. A ceiling that looks fine after a day with a fan may still read wet in the top plates or the joists above it, and the readings are what tell you to stop or to keep drying.
The EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold. That is a guideline, not a deadline, and mold can start in wet insulation or drywall paper even when everything is later dried. Quick extraction lowers the odds, but it does not rule mold out.
A ceiling that has been wet for a few days, or that sits under an attic with slow leaks, can have growth on the back of the drywall that you cannot see. If you notice a musty smell, dark spotting or a stain that keeps returning after drying, ask for an assessment before anyone paints over it.
Texas licenses mold assessors and mold remediators separately through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The mold inspection and mold remediation pages explain what each step involves, and the Texas mold rules guide covers the 25-square-foot threshold in plain terms.
A licensed plumber repairs a leaking supply or drain line, an HVAC technician clears or repairs a condensate line, and a roofer repairs a storm-damaged roof. The restoration crew dries and cleans what the water reached. Book the repair trade at the same time so the leak does not restart.
Drying cannot finish while a leak is still adding water. In a home still under a builder's written warranty, call the builder as well as your insurer, because the line or fixture that failed may be covered under that warranty. Check your own paperwork for its terms.
Some work, such as water-heater or plumbing repair, may need a permit in your city. Celina Building Services handles permits and inspections in Celina, and other towns have their own offices.
Never stand under a sagging or bulging ceiling, and do not poke it to let the water out. Wet drywall and insulation are heavy and can drop without warning. Stay away from any fixture that is dripping water, and cut power at the panel only if you can reach it while standing on dry ground.
The crew checks whether water is near fixtures or outlets, keeps people out from under any sag and confirms that the source has been stopped or is being stopped. Power to the room is cut only where the panel is dry and reachable.
A bulging ceiling holds water that can drop all at once. Where it is safe, the crew makes a small controlled opening at the low point so the water drains into a container instead of onto the floor, then catches and extracts what runs out.
Moisture meters and a thermal camera show how far the water spread along the drywall, insulation and framing, and into the walls below. The readings are recorded as the starting point for drying.
Saturated insulation and drywall that has sagged, crumbled or been wet a long time are cut out, with your approval, so the joists and the top plates can dry. Painted drywall with only a light stain may be kept and dried in place.
Air movers, dehumidifiers and sometimes small drying ports are set up, and the readings are repeated until they match a dry reference. You can get the photos and readings for your insurer.
Bathroom, laundry and kitchen plumbing sits above many two-story ceilings. Clean supply water is the easier case, and drain or toilet-overflow water is handled more carefully because it is not clean. Water-heater and appliance leaks follow the same path, and the appliance leak page covers that side.
A clogged condensate line sends water into the insulation and down through the ceiling, and a storm-damaged roof does the same. The ceiling is the symptom and the attic is where the drying starts. See AC condensate leaks and hail and roof leaks.
A pinhole in a supply line or a loose drain joint can wet a ceiling for weeks before a stain appears. These jobs usually have more wet insulation, more staining on the framing and a greater chance that mold has started, so the crew checks the cavity closely.
Ceiling jobs vary mainly by how much of the ceiling and the cavity above it got wet, and by whether the water was clean when it came through. The figures below are typical ranges for the wider DFW area and are meant to size the job, not to quote it.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Extraction plus drying, one room, significant water | $1,500–$5,000 | Typical range, confirmed on site |
| Drying and dehumidifying | $700–$2,000 | Depends on days of equipment and number of rooms |
| Air mover, per unit per day | about $25–$40 | A wet ceiling and the wall below may need several |
| Category 2 (gray) water, per sq ft | about $4–$6 | When the water carried drain or appliance contamination |
| Drywall replacement including finishing, per sq ft | $3–$8 | Repair work, quoted after drying |
These are estimates for the Celina and north Collin County area in 2026, drawn from wide regional ranges. Your exact price is explained and approved before work starts, and repairs after drying are quoted separately. Coverage is decided by your insurer.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent ceiling water damage, send the form and we'll call you back.
Much of the housing around Celina is recent two-story construction in communities such as Light Farms, where the upstairs laundry room and the air handler sit over finished ceilings. That is a general building pattern, not a count, but it explains why so many Collin County ceiling calls begin with a supply line, a washer or a drip pan rather than aged plumbing.
Most North Texas homes sit on slab foundations, so the ceiling is often the only place a story-to-story leak shows up. There is no lower level to catch the water, and the first sign is typically a stain in the downstairs room, followed by wet baseboards and floor edges.
In older buildings such as those around the Downtown Celina square, ask before any drywall or plaster is cut. Materials in older construction can need testing first, and the crew can help you plan around that before opening the ceiling.
Drying and cleanup when a clogged AC drain line or overflowing pan soaks attic insulation and a ceiling.
Cleanup and drying after a washer hose, dishwasher or ice-maker line leaks, including upstairs laundry rooms that drip into ceilings.
Air movers, dehumidifiers and daily moisture readings that dry walls, cabinets and floors after the water is removed.
Water removal, monitored drying and cleanup for slab-on-grade homes and businesses in Celina and north Collin County.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
When a spring storm leaves water in the attic or ceiling, stop further water from coming in, keep clear of sagging drywall and wet light fixtures, photograph the damage, and call a restoration crew to extract and dry.
Sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst or failed supply line, is often covered, while long-term leaks and flood usually are not. Your insurer decides under your policy. The crew can provide photos and moisture readings to attach to a claim.
No. Wait until the drywall and the cavity above it read dry, because paint over damp board traps moisture and can bring the stain back. Repainting and texture repair are quoted separately after drying.
A ceiling that has stopped dripping may still hold water above it, and wet insulation can keep drywall damp for days. Calling early lets the crew check readings while the damage is still small.
The leak may be inside a wall, behind the tub, in the attic or from an air handler's drain. Water also travels along framing, so the stain can be far from the source. A meter and thermal camera trace the path.
Not yourself. A bulging ceiling can drop its weight in wet drywall and insulation when it is opened from below. The crew drains it in a controlled way from the lowest point and keeps people out from beneath.
No. The crew handles water removal, drying and cleanup. Pipe repair needs a licensed plumber, a condensate line is an HVAC job and roof repair is a roofer's. The crew can tarp or cover an opening to limit more water getting in.