Remodeling a basement full of mold- floor questions?
Krme asked:
I am buying a home and the basement has mold on bottom half of walls and all over the floor. I will take out carpet and put up new drywall- scrub all down with bleach. But what do I put on cement floor carpet again? Peel and stick? I want something that will do well in a place they might have moisture and in possible flood.
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I am buying a home and the basement has mold on bottom half of walls and all over the floor. I will take out carpet and put up new drywall- scrub all down with bleach. But what do I put on cement floor carpet again? Peel and stick? I want something that will do well in a place they might have moisture and in possible flood.
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March 31st, 2010 at 3:22 am
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Listen, when it comes down to it! Do you really want an answer from someone on this site? Your lucky because one of my trades is a home inspector. It sounds like you bought this place in hopes of renting, only because you use the word they in your Q. This little bit of advise might save your life! So open your ears and pay attention. Mould from water damage is the evil(black mould) This shat is stable until you make it airborne,for the love of god please wear a mask if your crazy enough to tackle this on your own! Bro, these airborne spores when released are the cancer intro to your lungs! Im not talking about today or 2yrs from now,Im telling you that if you breath this crap in,,,,,from ripping up your carpet,or your drywall,Dude just use your head and hire a professional? Be smart please.
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:35 am
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To me what needs to be look at first is why the mold. You can remove repair but if you dont address the reason why it will be back. sounds like it may be a costly problem. The previous answer about mold being harmful is very true and good advice
April 5th, 2010 at 3:29 am
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After you rip out the drywall and remove the carpet, apply Drylock (read the directions on the container) to the surfaces. It’s a sealer.
This will help you to decide if you want carpet or peel and stick tiles.
April 5th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
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Jackie doesn’t even spell it right…how will he do his inspection reports?. Mildew is very common and not the same as black mold. the cause is moisture and if no moisture is present the mold goes dormant and does not release spoors. If you have controlled the water then you can go ahead and remodel without problems. One thing I have done in basements is epoxy floor. I would recommend chips. And I have installed azec (plastic wood) as baseboard so it won’t rot or wick moisture.
April 6th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
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The moisture you see in your basement happens as a result of moisture, the water that is seeping through the walls in your basement.
That indicates that the soil surrounding your basement is over-saturated with water, probably due to drainage problem, improper grading, downspouts that discharge too close to the house, clogged gutters or a combination of any of these.
Mold needs two things to grow: moisture and organic matter, therefore you have two options here: get rid of the moisture or get rid of the organic matter.
Eliminate the water seepage and the moisture problem by fixing gutters, extending downspouts, grading the soil to soil to slope away from the house, and ultimately, have a drainage system installed externally or internally along the basement walls and a sump pump. The second being the easiest and more affordable method. If the humidity levels in your basement read higher than 50%, you might need to run a dehumidifier.
Right now the mold that you see on the walls is probably feeding off dust particles. However, if you add carpet, wood framing, drywall, insulation, all of which contain organic compounds, without bringing the humidity levels down to 50% or less, you will be growing a nice mold farm in no time. That mold will spread like wild fire and you gonna end up with a rotten, damp and very stinky, not to mention unhealthy basement. However only a few species of mold are toxic, the spores released for even not toxic species are known to cause upper respiratory allergy symptoms in sensitive people, the elderly and children. Definitely something you don’t want anyone you love to breath.
A lot of people will tell you to clean off the mold with bleach, but it is not a good idea when it is so widespread as you describe. Mold is a living thing. As you bleach it, it will release an enormous amount of spores in the air in a attempt to survive. Those airborne spore will just look for another place to settle and the problem will keep coming back.
You second option would be to use only finishing products designed specifically for basements, and not just any basement finishing product. You want products that are 100% waterproof and mold resistant. The kind that won’t ever get ruined or rot even if your basement is under water.
For the walls, look for basement wall systems and panels that have a cement core and rigid foam insulation. Those are impervious to water and have the advantage of giving you usable walls where you can hang flat screen TV, book shelves, etc. Forget the foamy, soft stuff. That is not going to work for you.
For the floors look for basement finishing tiles or laminates. They are floating and interlocking tiles that allow the moisture from the slab to evaporate and offer thermal protection as well.
Whatever you do avoid using drywall, fiberglass insulation, wood frames, hardwood floors and wooden sub-floors over the slab.
Unless you want to be re-doing your basement every couple of years.
I am including some info on basement finishing solutions and a video.
April 6th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
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THeres mold killing paint that you can put down on the floors…they obviously had a flood