Getting rid of Mold

papageek

We had a small flood in our finished basement about 3 years ago, Dried it out and never noticed a problem until last week when I had to remove a piece of baseboard for another project. Everything was totally black behind the baseboard.

We want to use the basement more for living and are ready to tear out the drywall and re-do everything.

Any advice on the mold would be greatly appreciated.

The walls are drywall over metal studs. Do I have to remove the metal studs also? Or can I clean / treat them in place to completely kill any mold that might be inside the joints and under the bottom stud track?

Should I put some sort of vapor barrier behind the studs?

Plan A: My initial though is to build some sort of "easily replaceable base, about 6 or 8 inches high, then put the drywall on top of that. In case of another water problem, we just tear out the base.

Plan B: The original owner put in 4 x 8 sheets of normal drywall run vertically. I plan to do everything in green board and run a 2 foot section at the bottom, 4 foot on top of that, and finish off with a second 2 foot run as needed. That way we can just tear out and replace the bottom 2 foot pieces if needed in the future.


Any input on this subject would be appreciated.

Ron6519

I used 1/2" plywood behind the baseboard as a nailing surface. I screwed it into the metal studs and kept it 3/4" off the floor. The baseboard covers the ply/drywall joint, so if I need to access the bottom part of the wall, I just take off the baseboard and unscrew the plywood.
I see no reason to expect any water issuue to effect the drywall 6" above the floor. Interior water is controlled by the Water Cop. A device that shuts off the main is there's a water leak in the anticipated areas of the house. Baths, kitchen, water heater, laundry room, etc..
Ron

papageek

Our problem was caused by previous owner not understanding rain water! They put an addition on the home and butted it up against a zero clearance fireplace chimney . They did not install a cricket on the roof line and only used a bear of caulk to stop the water running down the roof when it got to the chimney. When we had a heavy rain we discovered the flooding when the power went out and the sump died.

Have since fixed the issue, but now it is time for the mold cleanup.

I like the idea of using ply behind the baseboards. I'm thinking 1 inch gap from PT ply to floor and another 1/4 inch gap from ply to drywall. The height of all depends on what I can find/build as baseboard fro max height.


This still leaves me with how to get rid of existing mold but thanks for the idea on how to keep things above any future water line!

Ron6519

It will be hard to confirm the mold cleanup under the bottom plate. Option would be to saturate the area with a mold killer and put fans and a dehumidifier in the area, but you'll have moisture trapped under the plate that will take forever to dry out.
You could cut the plate between the studs to allow for cleanup and evaporation and then put new pieces back attaching them to the edges of the left in place plate. Pieces of wall studs would act as backing for the screws.
Ron

brokenhammer

For what it's worth, I have heard that using a strong peroxide solution will kill and take care of mold. I have done many things to remedy it over the years and this will be the next method I try. Microban is said to be used as a great deterrent to it coming back, but not to treat areas with mold.

You might try hiring an industrial hygenist to treat it as well...

Let us know how it goes.