"arjay" wrote in message
om...
We had a small leak in our upstairs bathroom that penetrated the
ceiling in the lower bathroom. There is now a waterstain about 30"
long and 4" wide with a very small crack in the center of the stain.

The ceiling is wallboard with some kind of sponge looking texture.

I don't see how I can fill in the small crack and match the texture.
Would a skim coat be the thing to do? Should I try to sand off the
old textured paint?
You may be able to chlorine bleach spray, or use a rust/stain removing spray
to whiten the area.
Then rinse and let dry.
If it is truly a very small crack, you can use spackle carefully mashed into
the crack with your finger, perhaps without affecting the texture.
Make sure the sheetrock is thoroughly dry before you do anything to it, or
the crack will grow over time, after you repair it.
Once spackle is dry, undercoat with zinzzer or bullseye stain-killing prime
coat, then finish coat.