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View Full Version : Drywall Mold, who to call



Jim Young
01-17-2006, 11:10 AM
This past summer we had a leak in one of our upstairs bathrooms. Now the is a mark on the Downstairs ceiling. This week end I decided to clean and paint the mark. Low and behold, as I sanded the area a little my hand busted a hole in the drywall. The drywall was black on the inside and also very thin. I am wondering who I can have check the drywall for mold, the dangerous stuff. I've seen TV shows where the house had mold between the siding and the wall, where they had to remove the whole siding due to the mold. Hopefully this won't be my case. TIA

Travis Porter
01-17-2006, 11:46 AM
Had a similar issue in my MIL house, but doesn't sound as severe. We had a environmental company come in to test it. Found it through the HUD website. The tests were a joke really. Came in and waved some strips around in 4 rooms and compared that to outside for $450. My MIL's turned out to be ok as the moisture was controlled. It sounds like yours wasn't since the mold has grown. Might have a moisture problem some where. On, the company that you use should provide or be able to provide a remediation plan on how to clean up and correct the issue. Probably for an additional fee.

Kevin Gerstenecker
01-17-2006, 12:00 PM
Jim, I have some experience dealing with Mold issues. Mold feeds on Cellulose for the most part, and it is using the paper backing on the drywall for it's food source. I would enlarge the hole, and remove any drywall that appears to be unsound from the moisture damage. Any other areas that appear to have some mold growth can be sprayed with a 15% to 20% bleach/water solution in a spray bottle. The chlorine bleach will kill the mold, and it won't regrow without a source of moisture. I have heard this suggested from some folks in the Mold Abatemant business, and it does work. One thing to remember, there are MANY types of mold, so just because it appears to be black, that will not necessarily mean it is Stachybotrysmold, the one you hear so much about being hazardous. Removal is the best remediation though, and with the abscence of moisture, it won't be back. (I would spray the surrounding areas with the bleach solution for a preventative measure, to wipe out any stray spores.)

Stuart Johnson
01-17-2006, 12:00 PM
There were a lot of reports here in Texas about the danger of black mold being way overstated. I don't know if that is true or not but now that the insurance rates have doubled and policies do not cover it we seem to have less of a problem.

In any event. It sounds like you are going to need to open up the wall and replace the drywall. Here is what I would do if it was my problem. Spray the area good with regular Clorox bleach. It probably wouldn't hurt to use full strength but that might be an overkill. Let it dry very well and replace the dry wall.

Joe Pelonio
01-17-2006, 12:31 PM
I too had a similar problem with a roof leak, dripped from the den ceiling. There's no reason the think the mold is anywhere other than what got wet. I removed a full 4'x8' area of drywall arounf the leak and that go all of it that was visible. Then I sprayed the wood joist areas that had been wet with clorox and waited a day before putting a new piece of drywall in.

Robert Mickley
01-17-2006, 1:57 PM
I guess I've been lucky, but one word of advice Don't use cheap bleach if your going to dilute it. The cheaper the bleach the more water in it. Wife uses nothing but clorox bleach since she use's less of it.

Matt Meiser
01-17-2006, 2:05 PM
The advise given here is pretty much what they did in our office after a late night break in a hot water line. They removed the drywall, thourougly dried everything, sprayed with bleach and allowed that to dry, then reinstalled drywall. You could call a home inspection service and see if they can recommend someone to do mold testing.

Rob Russell
01-18-2006, 7:42 AM
You might call your homeowners insurance company. Mold is typically covered up to $5K or so and they will know how to get in touch with mold specialists.