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mold
46270
Member Posts: 12,627
my daughters bathroom, the tile had gaps in the grout, when she took showers the water was seeping in the wall, the green board got wet, the wife was in cleaning, and she had her hand against the wall, it caved in, from what I saw there was mold, I used some plastic and metal tape and sealed off the wall, hoping it would dry out so I can get in and tear out the bad greenboard, the question I have, is I have heard about mold infecting the whole house if left too it. if I seal off the bathroom, ac vent, close the door and tape the bottom, while I do the work on the wall, do you think I can keep the mold from spreading into the house?
Comments
Mold could only exist where there is moister, and since your vents are 1 way I would say your mold is going to be limited to the bathroom.
like I said.
I am no expert.
Man has been living with molds, as long as there has been man. Sure there is a chance you'll get into some SDBS (super dooper bad stuff). But gypsum is used as growing medium for some edible molds that actually cost big bucks.
I've found spraying down the area with a solution of bleach and water kills the vast majority of molds. When the water evaporates it leaves a coating of Chlorine salts, which inhibits their return. There are also some specific anti mold products available.
I believe there are tests kits you can buy at your local home improvement store and I believe it can tell you what kind of mold you have (dangerous mold, harmless mold, etc.) If in the unlikely event you have the dangerous mold, best to have a good, professional company that specializes in mold removal come in and do the job.
But if you have to do it, just get rid of all the mold, and moldy building materials and use a good strong solution of water and bleach to kill as much of the mold as you can. Probably all of us have mold in every room in our house but because most rooms don't have a good, steady supply of moisture, the mold never grows and becomes a problem or becomes obvious to us. I believe mold in found almost everywhere you would care to look with a microscope. The trick is to keep moisture away from it and it usually cannot become (or return) a problem. Let us know how it goes.
Probably should do an internet search for more and better advice.
I would remove the green board as neatly as you can and then replace with Wonderboard, Dururok, Hardibacker or some other concrete backer board before replacing your tile. Green board is no more that green sheetrock.
As far as the walls behind the tile I would not use bleach to kill the mold. Bleach is only a temporary fix and the mold will grow back if there is any moisture present. Use a chemical called MicroBan. You can get it at any industrial carpet cleaning supplier. It is very expensive but well worth the cost. Saturate all wooden surfaces behind the tile and let stand til dry. After the Microban has dried paint the entire area with a pigmented primer such as Kiltz or one of the many primers on the market.
After you have completed this procedure then go in and hang your backer board and install tile. Before you use the shower make certain you seal the grout with a good silicone grout sealer.
Have fun. The type of mold that you will encounter in the bathroom is not toxic but will cause irritation to someone with respiratory problems until it is all removed. Probably looks like black velvet right?[:D]
ONE tile pushed in, and I continued the wrecking out. New backer, tile, etc.
The wife liked the new look, so...
She got a new floor, cabinets, toilet, sink and fresh paint.
Did it all myself and still spent $1,500 on the whole project.
I wouldn't fret about it too much, as it won't spread to the rest of your home without moisture.
This very thing has happened to a number of people I know.
Use Durock for sure if you are going back with tile.
I used 'cultured' marble myself to get away from all the grout joints. That is what causes the problem with time.
Also like another poster said,.....all mold is not something horrible. I have been around the stuff for 28 years on occasion in my trade, and I am still here![;)]