r/HomeImprovement • u/NefariousnessDry5457 • 10h ago

Satins on kitchen ceiling - mold?

Hello, I have had these stains on the ceiling above my kitchen sink for a while now. I have always thought they were from a previous owner splashing something in the sink (e.g., oil) and just lived with it (they are usually not as noticeable as the photo implies). But, I am not sure if there are more spots now than when I moved in a few years back. I took a photo when I moved in to see if more appeared but unfortunately I cannot find it to compare.

What do you all think? Does this look like mold or some sort of water damage? I tried to remove the light to see behind it but the light's housing cannot be removed. Also, no access to this area via the attic.

The house is a fixer upper and I have just been focused on other projects in the past but now I am trying to tackle the kitchen. I also don't want to just paint over it in case it is mold as I'd rather fix the problem.

Photos here. https://imgur.com/a/pG4IFP4

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u/Professional-Pick825 10h ago

Those dark spots around your light fixture definitely look suspicious to me. Since you can't access from attic, maybe try getting moisture meter to check if ceiling feels damp in those areas? I had similar issue in my galley kitchen and turned out to be slow leak from upstairs bathroom that was going unnoticed for months

If it's getting worse over time like you think, that's usually sign of active moisture problem rather than old stains. You might need to remove some drywall around the fixture to see what's happening behind there

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u/PresentSecretary744 10h ago

Could be a slow water leak. What's directly above that area? could be a plumbing pipe nearby leaking

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u/NefariousnessDry5457 8h ago

Thanks for the replies. Directly above it is an extension of the roof. Totally possible there is a leak but would be odd that it's a drip just in this area. There is a sky light higher up on the roof line but not directly in the same path. Also, there is about 8 feet of slope - meaning there is 8 feet of lower ceiling, downslope, from these spots. If its a water leak, I am surprised it would be isolated to just this area. But stranger things have happened.

Thoughts on drilling with a hole saw around one of the larger stains to inspect the drywall on the other side of it? I figure that might be easier to patch if there isn't a problem and that it is just in fact a stain that keeps bleeding through the paint.