Mold found during shower demo HELP
5 years ago
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Help! white mold inside the shower wall?
Comments (1)I took pictures of them. Hope it helps to diagnose what it is......See MoreHave any of you found Mold in your home??
Comments (6)I think all old houses have some mold, but not all have problems with it. It sounds like you do, though. You didn't mention where you are; that may make a difference in how big a problem you have. I am a bit confused about your 1914 house with a modern foundation. How did that happen? And why? On the good side, you live in an older house which is most likely no where near as air and vapor-tight as modern construction, so it will dry out much more readily. Now you may have an awful problem, or merely a big PITA that can be handled with just some extra work and costs. It's hard to tell from your description. But if it's the latter, here's what I'd do. Immediately start using dehus in any space that is damp. If it's totally impractical to dehu an area, get fans on it to move air through and out to the outdoors, not just around inside the house- always presuming that you are in an area where outdoor air is less humid than inside the space. Invest in some small temp/hygrometers (they run $20-40 each online). I have about a dozen perched here and there and they help me monitor conditions. What kind of cellar flooring or ground cover do you have? Even if you have concrete, unless its a modern pour, it's likely it has no vapor barrier/retarder underneath it. That will have to corrected to dry the building out. Are all sumps in perfect working order? Have you thoroughly examined the structure and located all sources of additional water penetration: window/siding intersections, roof, guttering, exposed foundation at grade, etc? You need to find where the water or moisture is getting in and block it. Now about the sheet rock with mold behind it. Well, you're going to have to remove it, and probably the adjacent insulation and vapor barrier and stuff behind it. I would also paint any wood in the wall with anti-mold chemicals (either specifc antifungal stuff your can get at janitorial supply houses or just scrub well with a very strong mix of water and Clorox). Then let the cavities get throroughly dried out before you repair the wall and enclose it again. So, here's a possible order of march: Get yourself some mid-grade breathing protector. (Better than just paper masks, but not total rebreathers, either; your challenge here are spores, dust and anti-mold chemicals, like strong solution of Clorox). You'll need lots of plastic or latex gloves and probably a couple of changes of coveralls and a pair of rubber boots if you're really going to be wading in it. Buy Clorox, and cleaning supplies, including lots paper towels and big sturdy trash bags. Buy dehus. Buy hygrometers. (You might think about a wood moisture meter as well, though I have never used them. These help you assess how wet the wood is, so you know when it's dry enough to begin reclosing cavities.) Buy fans. Spray or wipe down any mold you can see with a strongish solution of water and clorox and then remove the wall itself if you feel it has penetrated the sheet rock (and likely it has.) Keep going until you're past (in both depth and width) of any visible contamination. After removing all the moldy stuff from your structure get the dehus and fans cranking. Monitor humidity throughout the day and night, so you can get a feel for when to runs fans and dehus. While the affected areas are drying put your time into finding sources of water or moisture and solve those problems. Roof is a biggie, but you sometimes can put short term patches on if you've lots of things that need attention. Can't work on it during the winter, though. Look at every penetration and see if you need caulking. Examine your rain handling system. Are your gutters and down spouts OK? What happens to the water when it hits the ground, where does it go? You may need some french drains or tiling to get it away from your foundation. You may need to do some bush or tree trimming, after you sort things out. Unless it's something clearly causing a probem, I always wait since you might be sorry if you rush out with the chain saw. (I always am if I don't think carefully, first.) Then think about how you can block rising water vapor from under your house. This will make a big difference in your indoor environment, and reduce the need for constant dehuing. Soil vapor barrier installation is one of those things that can be done through the fall season (unlike roofs) so I'm putting it later on in the list of things to do though it is quite important. OK, I hope I haven't depressed you too much, though you sound quite worried already. You've probably heard about those infamous mold-palaces that wind up in endless litigation or are finally burnt down because of mold problems that can't be cured. Try to cheer yourself up with this thought: I think almost all of those are new houses sealed up to modern standards. Houses of your age are generally no where near as tight, nor are they made of the same materials so I think you're already ahead of the game. (Unless, and this is a big if, your house is in New Orleans and was flooded in Katrina... then my measures detailed above are too puny, and probably too late. But you would have mentioned that, right?) Are you a new homeowner? Did you have a house inspection and were any of these issues mentioned in the report? Don't abandon the dream of owning an older house. Remember that it has stood up to many challenges and will likely be here long after many modern structures have degraded. A general rule for all molds and fungal infestations is that they need a couple of things to flourish: proper temps (though this differs among the various species of molds); still air; high relative humidity or moisture condensation; darkness and their preferred range of foods. Unfortunately sheet-rock paper is one of their favorite foods, so is really saturated wood for some species of molds. Other molds thrive on ordinary dirt, soot and grease that can accumulate inside older buildings;those species can be quelled by removing the dirt. However almost ALL molds can be inhibited or arrested by removing one or more of their needed requirements of life: (moisture, food, still air, lack of light or correct temp range). In many cases you can manipulate the environment enough to stop it in it's tracks. Then you have a shot at reducing or removing (physically, mostly) the spores and growths. You can kill most of the spores and growths, but probably never expect to completely sterilize the area. Since these are house-infesting molds which, while unhealthy to be around at high concentrations, do not grow on us. Therefore reducing the total fungal-load in the building environment, and then keeping it under control is enough to make things OK again. In other words your task is to get rid of the excess overgrowth and change the environment enough to discourage another build-up. That's what makes it a do-able propostion. Complete removal would be nearly impossible and it would recontaminated as soon as the first breeze blew by, anyway. If the mold is confined to only one or more rooms, I would try to seal them up to separate them from the rest of house, particularly if you are living there. You do need ventilation in the mold rooms, but keep adjacent windows to unmoldy rooms sealed up if you're running exhaust fans outward during demo work. You could also tape shut doors between the "clean-er" rooms and the moldy areas when you're cleaning up - and no doubt letting a whole lot of spores take wing. I would also shower and wash my hair every day during the worst of it. No point in moving the little beasties around, or sleeping in a pile of them, either. Doing the major clean-up and removal of contaminated materials shouldn't take more than a few days. It's basically just grunt work, delicacy is not needed, just stamina! After the moldy stuff is out, you won't have keep the rooms separated. Finally, one other thing I should point out is that if you have any health or breathing problems, you shouldn't undertake this yourself without considering it very carefully. I hope this isn't an overload, but useful to you. Good luck! Molly~ PS: I find if you put a subject in the title of your post, I think you're more likely to attract answers. I have only a limited time to reply to topics, and pretty much stick to subjects where I have info to offer. A thread that just says, "please help", will not get opened opened as frequently. Sorry you didn't get a quicker response, though....See MoreHELP!! problems found during walkthroughs / remedy
Comments (28)sparklegirl - the wet marks on the ceilings were not there during the viewing of the home or the HI and they have been painted over? Sounds to me that the seller is attempting to cover it up, especially since it's been painted. Was this in the disclosure? You definitely need a lawyer pronto. DO NOT CLOSE on this house until this situation is rectified and there is a significant money held in escrow. Do not rely upon your realtor to advise you on this. Listen to logic. Get the lawyer to write a letter asking for a disclosure about the water on the ceilings. I also agree that the tree is a non-issue. Unless it is dangerous or could fall onto the house, I wouldn't bother with it. You could ask that money be set aside for its removal if you feel that it could pose a danger to the house. Since it was winter when you viewed the home, it is impossible to tell if the tree was dead at the time, so I think you should have the right to at least mention it. But it's a pick your battle kind of thing.... the water marks are most important. Logic - get yer mind outta the gutter! ;) terrig - thanks for the offer. We just found out that we're going to the Twin Cities now. *sigh* The joys of the federal govt!! lol...See MoreAaaaack!! Demo. What was your reaction to your demo? How did you cope?
Comments (32)UPDATE: We are moving along, but ever so slowly it seems! I think that is the way it might feel for some time : ) Working on other areas of the house, inside and out, has taken us temporarily away from the kitchen, but we are getting back to it now! I've been in the process of setting up our temporary-temporary kitchen in the breakfast nook, which is in the current kitchen. DH informed me it'd have to be moved soon so he and I could begin demo of the kitchen... I am clearly too tired to think straight - he's right! He suggested we move it to the dining room-to-be TV room for now... but first we had to remove his widescreen TV, which he seemed unable to live without (sports fan that he is). This was a sacrifice for DH. Bless his heart! Yesterday we began to set up the temp-temp kitchen (2 temps) because eventually it will be taken down to remove and rebuild a wall between the future tv room and kitchen... My prep space, and only a few of many storage units... The water source is all the way across the house... I'll be keeping a jug nearby! The only problem? We removed the only light in that room... this is the scene from early this morning... making DH's lunch using an emergency light! Felt a bit like camping days from the past! We'll be adding a cheap light pronto! coffee stations are all the rage now... and we have one! Living the life! I have double ovens! (ancient toaster oven sitting on top of old microwave). I'll sure miss that "feature" as our new kitchen will only have a slide in range. ; ) The microwave came from DH's bachelor pad, and to my dismay still had 'gunk' in it, after it'd been sitting for 2 years! I used a flame torch to sterilize it. We put an old rug on the plywood subfloor for now... it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to our formal dining area, don't you think? Things I've learned thus far: 1) When vacuuming plywood sub-flooring, always vacuum with the grain. That way you'll get up half the dirt as opposed to none. 2) Those plastic drawer storage containers won't open if you put anything heavier than 15 paper napkins and a single plastic fork. 3) Keep a plastic drop cloth over everything when not in use... demo dust can find it's way into anything! 4) Maintain a sense of humor, maintain some semblance of order amidst the chaos, and always, always, have a hot pad ready for hot casserole dishes! Best wishes to those going through the process - or preparing to!...See MoreRelated Professionals
Seattle Architects & Building Designers · Commerce City Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Salmon Creek Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Canandaigua General Contractors · Panama City General Contractors · Rowland Heights General Contractors · Brownsville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Saratoga Springs Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Wesley Chapel Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · 20781 Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Galena Park Glass & Shower Door Dealers · Kendall Glass & Shower Door Dealers · Memphis Furniture & Accessories · Tampa Furniture & Accessories · Nixa Furniture & Accessories- 5 years ago
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