I’ve had amazing success with bleach in a spray bottle. I used to try to paint but it’s always noticeable and never completely matches. Make a mixture of 1 part water, 1 part bleach in a clean spray bottle. Cover anything nearby so you don’t spray bleach on it (including painted walls). Soak the area, but not so much that it drips. Walk away. After it dries the area should be noticeably whiter. 1-2 applications is all I usually need to get it completely removed.

Just to add, use an oil based primer first. A spray can will work just to prime over the stained portions of the ceiling. If you paint right over it without primer, the stain will bleed through. As other said, flat paint is best. Matching however is going to be a nightmare. You need a flat sample to get a good match with a color sensor. Painting the whole ceiling is the right answer, but go ahead and give matching a shot. You'll have to prime first either way, and maybe you get lucky. If it's too noticeable, you can always just finish painting the rest of the ceiling.

If you can somehow get a physical sample, from a closet or utility room ceiling, you can take that sample to a paint store and they can match the colors. Get flat paint and feather it out the best you can. It will be noticeable, but not as bad.

I just dealt with this problem. Use a shellac based primer to cover the stained area throughly. Don’t buy a spray paint can, get an actual can of paint and apply it with a brush or roller. It is extremely thin. So don’t put too much in your brush or it will splatter everywhere. I used the Zinnser BIN primer, it completely encapsulates the stain. Then follow up with a coat of Kilz stain blocking primer on top of that before painting over with your actual paint color. My co-worker calls this the belt and suspenders approach. If one fails the other will hold up. I can’t see the stains at all.

You will always see when you only paint a small part.

And it's a small ceiling it shouldn't take you that long.

First you use a stainblocker, you can use a spray can or a latex paint designed for it. After you roll the ceiling in your desired color.

It’s going to be noticeable if you don’t paint the whole ceiling. Also, you should use a primer.

You'll need to do the whole thing, unless you want an obvious mismatch.

Use a waterproof coating first or else the stain will come through the paint.

Kilz makes a good water stain coverage primer. Should be easy to find at any home improvement store.

Not much to do besides prime and paint if you want it to look right.

Never had a water stain bleed through after priming with Cover Stain

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First you prime it with a good quality primer. Beat to tint it. Then paint the ceiling

Well this is more technique than a tip, but I've sprayed an area and faded it out over an area. But you'll still have to tape it up and watch for over spray.

Just hang a couple of photos or art pieces over it

Thanks for the advice all!

They make special spray paint you can use to cover it and then paint it. We used it and it worked great.

How long has the leak been there?

If the leak has been fixed for several days already and the ceiling still looks like that then you are going to need to stain seal those particular areas and paint the entire ceiling

If those water marks are still actually wet then let them dry. Once dry, if they arent too bad the easiest solution would be to get more premixed drywall ceiling mud, add water to mix and stir until the drywall mud is more like the consistency of paint, and then apply several layers of the drywall mud/paint to the affected areas.

Zinzere.