I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosting

HOW TO BUST THOSE GHOSTLY STAINS ON WALLS AND CEILINGS

Without warning, odd dark streaks called “ghosting” begin to appear on your walls or ceilings.  Soon, the blemishes grow darker, forming along wall studs or ceiling rafters.  Before long, a creepy outline of the building’s framing starts to appear on the sheetrock.

Who you gonna call?

interior walls of a light-gauge steel building show outline of studs called ghostingWhat Causes Ghosting?

Ghosting is the slow buildup of air-borne dust, dirt, and soot particles on walls or ceilings.  Also known as “ghost stains,” “bridging,” or “thermal tracking,” ghosting creates strange patterns along exterior walls and ceilings.

Three things generally cause ghosting to form:

Air passing through the building envelope

High indoor humidity

Electrostatic attraction

Inadequate insulation, gaps in the insulation or exteriors, or the absence of a thermal break allows cold winter air to penetrate inside the wall.  Condensation forms, attracting interior air particles to framing and sheetrock fasteners.

What causes the attraction?

When indoor air moves— especially through interior ventilation systems— it picks up an electrical charge.  The positive and negative charges force the tiny air particles to clump together.

Condensation in the walls or ceilings attracts these particles to cold spots on studs and rafters in wood framing.  Light-gauge steel studs and steel drywall fasteners have a high level of electrostatic conductivity, so they too attract air particulates.

Over time, these microscopic bits of dirt and soot gather, making visible stains on walls and ceilings.

Sources of Dirt Particles

Many things contribute to poor indoor air quality:

Burning candles (especially scented ones) or incense

Cooking oils which smoke over high heat

Crusty welcome mats allowing dirt to be tracked inside

Drafts around windows, doors, and vents

Infrequent vacuuming or dirty vacuum filters

Pet dander

Poorly maintained furnaces with dirty filters

Propane logs

Smoking

Soot from woodstoves, fireplaces, and firewood

Unvented appliances like space heaters and clothes dryers

Unvented cook stoves

Ghost Busting Remedies

Your first response may be to simply paint over the ghosting.  Don’t do it!  Unless you eliminate the problem, the ghosting will return.

Finding the channels of cold air and correcting the problem can be tricky— and expensive if condensation in the walls turns out to be the culprit.

Here are a few tips on how to remedy unsightly ghosting:

Be sure gas or wood stoves are properly adjusted and vented.

Keep the indoor relative humidity below 55% in the winter. (An inexpensive humidity gauge monitors the humidity level.)

Replace furnace filters often.

Seal around doors and windows to eliminate cold air drafts.

Stop burning candles, incense, and wood-burning fireplaces

Use bath fans to remove moist warm air outdoors.

Use kitchen exhaust fans when cooking.

Vent clothes dryers outdoors.

If all else fails, add insulation in the walls or ceilings where ghosting stains appear.  If the building is light-gauge steel framing, try adding thermal break insulation, too.

When the problem has been resolved, clean the stained sheetrock thoroughly.  Cover the ghosting marks with a stain-killing paint, and then repaint the area.

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