Mold And Other Wonderful Stuff

[Traveshamockery]

I'm just feeling sorry for myself.   

We've been working hard on this house and the bathroom renovation is taking a lot longer than I thought and the tile guy basically said our bathroom floor looked like shit (we did the tile ourselves - I must admit I agree with him  ) so he's coming back next weekend to retile the bathroom floor. 

So my husband took yesterday off to put the hardwood floor down in the entire downstairs.  When he starts something, he hates to stop.  Well, he should have stopped because from all the kneeling he apparently damaged his left knee to the point where I had to take him to the ER today because he couldn't walk, his knee was swollen and looked out of place, was red and hot.  He has bursitis.  So our floor is 3/4 of the way done and who knows when he can finish it?  Knowing him, he will try. 

Oh, and when he pulled off the baseboards at the front of the living room, there was mold behind the baseboards on the drywall.  The blackish-green mold.  I'm disgusted.  I'm going to attempt to cut that part of the drywall out myself with a utility knife (while wearing a Haz-Mat suit) and then replace it.  I know exactly how it got there.  A few years ago we got a very heavy rainstorm and water leaked in underneath the floor.  We sucked it up immediately but I didn't even think it would be behind the baseboards.  Ick, ick, ick. 

Will this be enough to get rid of the mold?  It's nowhere else and hasn't gone up the walls.  And, it's dry. 

[BEG]

Poor Em, what a mess.

I'd think with the limited amount of mold that you describe it should be ok.

[LC EFA]

Try clove oil for mould.

Kinda expensive but very effective.

[debk]

You can try cleaning it off with bleach then putting Killz on it, then repaint.

[Traveshamockery]

You mean I really don't have to take that part of the drywall out and I can just clean it and put Kilz over it?   Oh, that would be such welcome news because I can certainly do that easier than removing and replacing that part of the drywall. 

[debk]

You mean I really don't have to take that part of the drywall out and I can just clean it and put Kilz over it?   Oh, that would be such welcome news because I can certainly do that easier than removing and replacing that part of the drywall.  

I would try it. I had an issue in my old house, and that's what the guy who repaired it did. Must have worked because I didn't have a problem renting it, with the renters I had, believe me they would have complained!!!!

Mine was on interior walls though in the basement. It was because the floor was carpeted, the dehumidifier exit pump in the interior unit died and water seeped under the carpet. I didn't know it for some period of time, because I didn't go down to the basement. By the time I found it, there were mold mushrooms growing in the carpet.    It was the 3rd time it had happened. I got smart the 3rd time though...I tiled the floor. 

Point is, I knew the source, and how high up the walls there was a problem.

If your's is exterior, make sure the problem was a one time thing and is resolved. Is your house stucco? IF so, is it on concrete block or styrofoam? It it's EIFS (faek stucco) you could have more problems.    It's a big issue around here.

[LC EFA]

You mean I really don't have to take that part of the drywall out and I can just clean it and put Kilz over it?   Oh, that would be such welcome news because I can certainly do that easier than removing and replacing that part of the drywall. 

Where I live mould grows prolifically in the hotter and wetter part of the year. Scrubbing every wall and the ceiling was a part of the yearly routine until last year when I repainted and added a mould treatment to the paint. This will give me at most 5 years where I'll be able to just wipe everything down once a year, but after that it's back to scrubbing with bleach and clove oil. Until the paint wears thin and has to be redone in circa 10 years.