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Drywall Mold

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Sick Building Group, LLC

Drywall may harbor mold
Remove infected areas to check structure damage



Q: We are a retired couple, and we spend the winters in Celebration, Fla.
When we returned to Florida at Thanksgiving, we found our bathroom ceiling had watermarks from one end to the other. Since we have a condo, we informed the association, which sent a man to determine what happened. He informed us the neighbor above us had remodeled his bathroom, creating the leak. He said that it was not management's responsibility and that we must contact the owner of the upstairs condo.
We did this, and the neighbor's friend came with two men who looked at the ceiling and said they would repair it. A day or two later, the two men who had been working upstairs came to us and said they wanted to look to make sure the work they had done upstairs had not made more water leaks.
Then they said they would spray the ceiling with mold-resistant material before repainting it.
We are very concerned, because we think enough drywall should be removed to ensure it is not moldy and soft over the tub.
We have no idea whom to contact for a proper inspection, or whether there is anyone we could contact for information on our rights. - C.M. Davis, Florida.
A: I'm always ready to learn something new, but I have not as yet found a product that will remove mold from drywall by simply spraying on a magic chemical.
Common drywall has a paper (cellulose) covering on all six sides of an inner gypsum core. It is the paper that is the main subject of a mold attack, even though the mold appears on the painted surfaces of the drywall.
The backside of the ceilings is covered with an untreated paper, which is exposed to the dark and damp crevices of the neighbor's floors. If you see mold growing on the finished side of the ceiling, it's a good bet that additional mold spores are growing on the untreated side.
I would recommend that you have the mold tested before you do any repairs. Next, the infected areas of the drywall should be removed so you can see if there is any structural damage to the floor system.
The damaged drywall ceiling can then be replaced, taped, sanded and painted.

Posted by Mold-Be-Gone at 7:09 PM 0 comments

Comments (2)

Gary Bolen
McCall Realty - South Lake Tahoe, CA
CRS - Lake Tahoe Real Estate Information

Thanks for the discussion here Tony. We found out we've got a leak in a high end listing we showed yesterday. Owner, who's a bit of an accident waiting to happen, never saw either the water on the kitchen floor, or the leak from it in the bedroom below. Normally, though, we rarely see much mold up here.

best holiday wishes 

Dec 30, 2007 02:16 PM
Anthony Denatala
Sick Building Group, LLC - Chattanooga, TN
Thanks for the greetings, best wishes for the New Year!
Dec 30, 2007 02:20 PM