Posted by Jim - Aurora on October 26, 2002 at 17:59:21:
Another primer might be better than KILZ™. I have had KILZ get brittle and flake after over-curing. You usually should paint/cover w/in 1-6 hrs (immediately after drying) or the stuff really hardens up. Also, I would, as others have suggested, initially use a STRONG bleach solution, followed by a mildicide, double rinse, dry thoroughly, then seal and cover. There are a couple of primers on the market that contain a polymer (I think it is PVA -polyvinyl acrylate, but not sure) that keeps the primer from becoming too brittle during the cure. You can also have the paint store add a mildicide to the primer. Perhaps this is overkill, but it should work.
I have a property that is a frame house built off the ground on concrete blocks about 6 feet off the ground. The vinyl flooring got mold around the door (think the problem is fixed) and has spread about half way across the floor. What can i do to prevent any mold from getting on the new vinyl? Haven’t put it down yet. Would any mold be in the actual wood subfloor? Any advice??? Thanks.
Posted by Jennifer(NE) on October 25, 2002 at 16:10:43:
What are you planning to do with the property? If you are going to sell it, why couldn’t you use KILZ paint to seal the sub floor and put new vinyl on top of that? This way you would seal the current mold and smell associated. After you sell this it isn’t your problem and may not be discovered for years. I am not an expert on KILZ but, you may be able to talk to someone at a home improvement store to see if this could work.
Posted by Rob (IN) on October 25, 2002 at 12:45:26:
Shelly,
Anne’s point should be well taken.
All fungii required a nutrient source (food) and moisture. All fungii/mold can be killed with concentrated bleach, but you must be certain to have the moisture problem resolved, and to kill all the fungal/mold spores. Even one spore surviving will cause repeat contamination.
Posted by Anne_ND on October 25, 2002 at 10:09:02:
Shelly,
I’m not an expert on mold, but have some practical experience. Black mold needs wood or paper to grow on, it is unlikely to grow on vinyl. You can sample the wooden subfloor and send it off to determine whether it has mold, in which case it would be better to replace the subfloor than cover it up and have another problem a few months down the road.
There may be other molds that can grow on vinyl or vinyl backing (or the glue), but the black mold needs both moisture and wood or paper.
If it were my house, and I was certain I had solved the water source problem, I would save the $100 cost of the test and just replace the subfloor.
Good luck,
Anne
BTW, I have seen vinyl that had a dark discoloration that might have been due to mold, certainly was due to a water problem (around leaky toilets for example), but was actually due to the water discoloring the glue. But better to be safe than sorry when it comes to mold, and the perceptions of tenants with respect to what mold means ($).