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Is this mold???

2K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Joe516 
#1 ·
Hello all! im a newbie to the forum, & have a very important question!
Me and my fiance our remodeling our home that we've had for almost a year now. the plan was to drywall it. we expected to run into some problems because it always felt damp in this room. first we tore the carpet up, and on the bottom of it was large water stains(about half the size of the whole carpet) but the floor underneath it looks to be in good condition, no water marks. then we tore down the panneling and insulation. what we found was some parts of the walls the sheath was wet and there was dark stains all around the room. all the windows were rotting out, and so far we replaced one.. after letting it "dry out" for about a month, my fiance thought it would be a good idea to "spritz" the area with bleach, let it air out, then hang insulation over it, but im just not convinced. i feel like its mold and although i dont know how severe it is,i felt like i should take some pictures of it and get someones opinion before he hangs the rest of the insulation. hes already covered the places that were wet, except for a few small areas so i cant show you them, but heres what i do got. also, on the ceiling, there is black areas on it and when we took down the paneling we discovered that there was places that just paneling was covers(you'll see what i mean-the pic at the power box). so does anyone think we have a mold problem, and what steps should we take to correct it if we do? should we just go ahead and isulate/drywall it....i know winters just around the corner, so im definatly on a race against time lol!all answers are greatly apprectiated! Thanks!

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#2 ·
Looks like a minor mold problem. First thing is to figure out what caused the moisture problem and solve it. Roof leak? Window leak? Bad insulation/vapor barrier combination? You have to get it dry and keep it dry or it will continue or more likely get worse. Then scrub the mold off wherever it is visible. Use detergent or whatever means necessary. Let it dry, then treat it with a fungicide. 10% bleach will work. Let that dry and then seal it. Kilz, Zinsser, Bin all will work. Then proceed with the rest of the remodel work. Just spritzing it with bleach is not going to cut it. That will kill what is obvious, but will not remove all of the nasty stuff.
 
#3 ·
I agree with the previous post the problem here isnt the mold, the problem here is the water intrusion. What's more important is what's on the outside of the walls that you have pictures of! Simple household cleaners and plenty of ventilation is all you need to clean that mold. If you do not fix the leak outside you will get the mold again, even if you clean.
It would be a new thread, But if you do not have a water leak sometimes you can collect condensation due to inadequate ventilation or insulation, especially around A.C. ducting.
 
#6 ·
I'lll chime in with the others, as the house I just sold had a mold problem. Basically when they built it, they crushed the proper vents with insulation that was too thick. So for years, the attic would sweat and condense, and voila, mold shows up. Fix it before you sell, believe me! I know you're probably not planning on selling right away, but buyers will put you through the grinder when mold turns up.

All that being said, I learned way too much about mold remediation through that whole mess. Yes, it's definitely a matter of fix the water problem, because if you don't, it will come right back. Definitely looks very minor for mold.
 
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