Mold Under Kitchen Sink

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thapranksta

Home DIY Newbie
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The cabinet floor beneath my kitchen sink has had old water damage from previous owner for a number of years. I finally had an opportunity to go in and try to replace the area. After I got the floor completely up, I ran into what I am pretty sure is mold as the subfloor and some of the wall near it appeared black or black spotted.

So I went to Lowes and picked up the Concrobium Mold spray. I sprayed the area (about 2'x3') pretty good and let it sit for a while until it started to dry some. Then I hit it again and this time - grabbed some Shop Towels to try to wipe some of the black stains on and near the subfloor. I pulled up a lot of the black stuff and reapplied once or twice again after.


The subfloor looks cleaner but still looks pretty dark and black in areas. How do I know if I have done enough to truly get rid of the mold and stop it from spreading? Should the stains not be visible anymore? Is it worthwhile to apply Zinsser BIN mold killing primer as a final measure? Should I leave the cabinet doors open?

It seems I often find myself in these situations where I go to fix one thing and something else is uncovered that makes things take waaaay longer. :(


Current state of floor as best of an image I could get of it
PHOTOBUCKET FAIL!

Thanks.
 
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Is the subfloor dry?
Is the subfloor spongy?

If it is dry and solid, the Concrobium Mold spray should kill the mold. You may not be able to get the black mold color out. Bleach may lighten it, but I'm not sure of any reactions between the mold spray and bleach.
 
Yes, it seemed dry. It definitely wasn't spongy. I didn't realize it was mold at first and was just thinking there was black all over the place from dirt until it dawned on me. Do you think the primer would be worth it for extra insurance?
 
Anytime I have had this kind of stuff the engineers always ask for the area to be treated with end grain treatment before closing it up.
 
Does the end grain treatment help kill existing mold that could be left or is it more preventative?
 
Post a picture so we can see what your seeing.
What's the sub floor made of?
 
Photobucket has officially lost a user once I get some of my images backed up!

EDIT: Those are the best shots of the floor air-dried after the Concrobium treatments I could probably get right now, unless I add a bunch of artificial light. It was much darker before. Right now I've got another brand of Mold remover/disinfectant, Mold Armor, and a can of the BIN mold killer. Have not applied either. The subfloor is made of OSB, assuming the builders used the same on both floors of my home.

IMAG1480.jpg

IMAG1481.jpg
 
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My advice is to spray the area with 100% clorox bleach, let dry
then paint the wood with Rust-Oleum 276087 Mold Killing Primer Quart
 
Does Bleach Really Kill Mold?
Will chlorine bleach kill mold or not—yes or no? The answer is yes, but with a caveat. That answer comes from The Clorox Company, Oakland CA, manufacturer and distributor of Ultra Clorox® Regular Bleach. The company states that their Tech Center studies, supported by independent laboratories, show that “…3/4 cup of Clorox liquid bleach per gallon of water will be effective on hard, non-porous surfaces against… Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus)”. Whether or not chlorine bleach kills other molds and fungi, the company did not say. The “hard, non-porous surfaces” part of the sentence is a caveat. Mold remediation involves the need to disinfect wood and wood-based building materials, all of which are porous materials. Thus, chlorine bleach should not be used in mold remediation as confirmed by OSHA’s and EPA’s updated recommendations and suggested guidelines. The use of bleach as a mold disinfectant is best left to kitchen and bathroom counter-tops, tubs and shower glass, etc.

http://certifiedmoldcleaning.com/articlesresourses/bleach-myth/
 
I do not care what a gubment agency says, It works

It works on porous surfaces, let it soak in,
a light spray on the top does not good, soak it and let it dry
 
Went with several applications of the 2 mold cleaners and two coats of mold killing paint. A little of the wet moldy smell is still present but most of it seems to be gone.

Here's my progress so far. Getting the framing for the new cabinet floor assembled. By the way rip cutting a 2x4 with a jigsaw actually isn't that bad if you don't need a totally flat edge. [emoji1]

View attachment IMAG1506.jpg
 
On a side note, if you drop your account with photobucket, you can still get your photos back. I discovered that just recently. Just do a google search for "HOW TO RECOVER PHOTOBUCKET PHOTOS", and you'll find sites that can help, even with no active account. I recovered a bunch of photos I thought were lost forever. I had a hard drive crash and lost them on my end, and photbucket lock up the photos on their end. But there is a way to get them back with a few easy steps.
 
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