What Should I Do?

XXL Hardscaper

I am a Mason/Hardscaper by trade but I am well versed in most aspects of construction. This weekend while working on my honey do list I decided I was going to get some painting done. Well to my suprise I noticed that the corner of the room where I was going to start, that the drywall wasnt dry at all. It was soft and damp. I did a little wall excavation and found I mst have had a roof leak for some time now. I found what I belive is mold or mildew behind the sheet rock. What should I do? I know i need to get the roof fixed 1st.

Peladu

Welcome to the forum…

Get rid of all the drywall and insulation that is wet and moldy.

Wait for things to dry out.

Replace, what you tore out.

You thought I was going to say to fix the roof first? Nope, looks like you already know that.

Glasshousebltr

Some bleach water will help keep the mold from creeping back.

Bob

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Bob

JustaFramer

Lysol would be better. Lysol is used to kill contaiments in laboratories. Will kill mold on contact.

jmic

XXL, And by all means, don't forget to fix the roof first.

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Joe

XXL Hardscaper

Thanks for the replys. I was wondering about the mold, this doesnt concern you guys that much?just lysol or bleach water and run my dehumidifer? The mold has my wife all nervous.

Blackhawk

after it drys then put some kilz on it..after u scrub it with bleach ..and dry

Glasshousebltr

I just went thru this on interior paint project. Normally it wouldn't really bother me to paint over, but this time it was a child's room so I did some research and took some samples to the local college lab. I found out black stach mold was the worst on the lungs however the big scare some years ago was mostly hype, your exposed to this mold every time ya walk out the door. It's really only harmful if you already have a respiratory condition. I ended up using an additive called M-1 in my paint that one of the fellas here recommended.

Bob

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Bob

XXL Hardscaper

Thanks guys, I got a roofing guy coming this weekend to fix my leak. I guess Ill be ripin out sheet rock and wet insulation. Wish me luck!

jmic

Good-Luck!

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___"Remember You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression"______________________
Joe

747

Well at our dollar store they have this one stuff called tilex mold and mildew . Its killer i sprayed my shower down with it and had to open the window it so strong. I mean CLEAR THE SINUS STRONG. It was 2.00 for spray bottle. Its in the cleaning the bathroom section.

wbsbadboy

REMEDIAL MOLD REMEDIATION


Renee Peck



We've visited, and revisited, mold remediation techniques for the thousands of local residents faced with acres of Sheetrock splashed with orange fumeria or black stachybotrus. But with "new" mold treatments cropping up and old ones being questioned, we thought it time for a little remedial class on mold remediation. We turned for advice to Howard Wolf, who writes the mold remediation standards guide for the Institute for Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a nonprofit certifying body for the disaster restoration industry (www.iicrc.org).

Don't hit the gas

Like most of the professional mold remediators we've talked to, Wolf does not recommend the newly popular practice of tenting a house to spray it with chlorine dioxide gas, which also is used to kill highly infectious anthrax.

"Everyone is trying to find a chemical that's a magic bullet for mold," Wolf said. "In a laboratory environment, chlorine dioxide is very effective in killing mold. But killing mold is only half the story."

Dead mold spores, Wolf explained, can be an even greater health risk than live ones. Dead spores can cause severe reactions in people sensitive to them.

"And the dead spores are still there. This gas is a derivative of bleach, and like bleach, it takes the color out of the spores. But it doesn't make them disappear."

Ozone a no zone

Wolf also advises against using an "ozone treatment" to combat mold.

"Ozone treatment is meant for deodorizing," he said. "It removes oxygen from the air and transforms it into ozone. It does a great job of removing smoke odor, but it has not been proven to kill mold. In fact, some states actually don't allow the use of 'air purifiers' that put out ozone."

The old-fashioned way

When it comes to mold, nothing beats good old-fashioned cleaning methods, Wolf said. "And we've forgotten how to do that."

Use a general detergent to clean mold from plaster walls, furniture or studs, then properly rinse and allow to dry. You may have to repeat the procedure a couple of times. Bleach should be used only after general cleaning.

"When we clean our laundry, we don't clean it with bleach -- we use detergent. It's a simple concept," Wolf said. "After all surfaces have been washed, you can treat hard-to-reach cracks and crevices with a biocide" such as bleach.

Vacuum first and last

Any mold cleaning, he added, should begin and end with HEPA vacuuming.

"Dry soil removal is the first step of any cleaning. Professional carpet cleaners vacuum first, and we scrape our plates before washing them."

Once mold-infested Sheetrock has been removed, vacuum the exposed studs and wall crevices. Professional remediators use commercial vacuums with HEPA filtration systems, meaning mold spores are caught in the filter and retained in a sealed system. Residential vacuums with HEPA filters may filter out the spores but can return them to the environment through the exhaust.

"If you vacuum yourself, get an extra length of hose, attach it to the exhaust and run it outside," he advised.

Other tips from Wolf:

-- Rebuild with mold-resistant materials. Paperless drywall or concrete board don't provide food for mold, and the cost of such materials is stable. "It's almost as cheap to plaster a wall as Sheetrock it these days," Wolf said.

-- Don't wait to remediate. "The longer you go without addressing problems, the less chance there will be of structural components being salvageable. It's a mistake to wait on an adjuster or contractor."

-- Consider investing in a certified mold remediator, licensed in Louisiana. "We don't place value on things that prevent us from getting sick, yet once we are sick we spend thousands of dollars," said Wolf, who fears a rise in mold-related illnesses such as headaches or cold-like symptoms if remediation is done improperly.

"Hurricane Andrew put everything in perspective," said the expert, who lived in Florida when that storm hit 13 years ago. "People were getting sick a year or two years later."

-- RENEE PECK

Teetorbilt

Mold, schmold. We have been dealing with it since before we knew what it was. It has been around a lot longer than we (homo sapiens) have.

I have lived in the Bahamas and S FL for 53 yrs. The average temp is about 80 and so is the humidity, perfect if you want a mold farm. Maybe I'm inocculated by contact.

If I remember correctly, this whole mold issue was started by the death of a woman in KY. I'd like to know the additional factors.

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Paulsan

The

KingOfDrywall

Remove a good area of that and dont skimp (remove more than enough). Put a dehumidifier in that area for a day or 2 and getthat roof fixed. Good luck