Re: Plaster walls- Porous, semi, or non?

[Guest guest]

This brings up back to the question "will just cleaning with bleach be good enough?"

Just to clarify

1 I did not ask that question.

2 It does have the wood backing which appears to have weathered well with very little visible growth. It is quite a contrast to a new constuction site I visited today and told the contractor it would be cheaper to replace a few certain 2x4s that to clean, he replyed that his carpenter had just bought them this morning and installed less than 2 hours before. They just don't grow trees like they used to.

[Guest guest]

I'm not trying to be a smart-arse here, but would a good cleaning with a

bleach solution and dry high heat help the problem?

>From: LRRamey@...

>Reply-To: iequality

>To: iequality

>Subject: Plaster walls- Porous, semi, or non?

>Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 07:28:20 EST

>

>Background;

>Five hundred thousand dollar renovation, most of structure removed and

>rebuilt except the foyer.

>

>Arched cathedral plaster walls and ceiling 15 feet high in a room 15x 35.

>While roof was being worked on tarp blew off in a storm. Three quarters of

>room

>got water down the celing/walls. House is not dried in yet. I was called in

>way after the fact, and now the area that is still wet is of course has

>visible mold on the painted (living side) of plaster lath. I directed the

>contractor to remove all the 80 year old insulation that we can get to

>which is also

>what got wet. Only slight visible mold on the back side which can be

>addressed.

>

>Since the problem at this point in time looks like it is only on the

>multiple coats of paint that is holding the problem, can the painted

>surface of the

>soon to be interior be cleaned? Do I need to remove the paint, (many

>coats,

>old, think lead paint), or is the plaster considered non-salvagable? The

>contractor and home owner has taken pains to preserve this historic focal

>point of

>the house. An as any businessman the contractor doesn't want to spend any

>more money than needed.

>As a side note, does contractors GL cover an event like that?

>

>Lee R Ramey

>To the Rescue!

>716 9th St. No

>Birmingham Al 35203

> (spells 25clean)

>Fax

>_To The Rescue!_ (http://www.totherescue.cc/)

>

>Carpet and Specialized Cleaning

>www.totherescue.cc

>email: lrramey@...

>

>For free consumer reports reply to this e-mail. Subjects include Water

>Damage, Mold Remediation, Carpet Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Care, and

>others.

>

[Guest guest]

Lee,

Plaster has a high pH. Consequently, it is resistive to mold growth.

In addition, plaster has virtually no organic material so that any

visible mold growth is probably due surface contamination.

I have been in renovated homes that were half plaster and half (new)

drywall. After a major water intrusion, all the drywall was growing

stuff, but not the plaster.

The only complicating factor with plaster is whether it has a metal or

much older wood lathing. Usually, the wood lathing is from old growth

wood so it is fairly water tolerant. However, on old homes with really

bad water problems I have seen this wood begin to rot.

If the plaster has lead paint on it, lead paint was again mold

inhibiting. However, dirt and other organics on the surface can

support mold growth.

This brings up back to the question " will just cleaning with bleach be

good enough? "

Can't accurately answer that one without actually seeing the job and

doing some testing of the contaminated area.

BOB

PS. Is plaster porous? IF you are referencing the need to get rid of

" porous " materials - then plaster is not porous.

The assumption about porous materials is that they are sufficient

porous to allow organics to penetrate and support growth. Plaster is

not that porous. It will allow water to get in, but not much else.

> Background;

> Five hundred thousand dollar renovation, most of structure removed and

> rebuilt except the foyer.

>  

> Arched cathedral plaster walls and ceiling 15 feet high in a room 15x

> 35. While roof was being worked on tarp blew off in a storm. Three

> quarters of room got water down the celing/walls. House is not dried

> in yet. I was called in way after the fact, and now the area that is

> still wet is of course has visible mold on the painted (living side)

> of plaster lath. I directed the contractor to remove all the 80 year

> old insulation that we can get to which is also what got wet. Only

> slight visible mold on the back side which can be addressed.

>  

> Since the problem at this point in time looks like it is only on the

> multiple coats of paint that is holding the problem, can the painted

> surface of the soon to be interior be cleaned? Do I need to remove the

> paint, (many coats, old, think lead paint), or is the plaster

> considered non-salvagable? The contractor and home owner has taken

> pains to preserve this historic focal point of the house. An as any

> businessman the contractor doesn't want to spend any more money than

> needed.

> As a side note, does contractors GL cover an event like that?

>  

> Lee R Ramey

> To the Rescue!

> 716 9th St. No

> Birmingham Al 35203

> (spells 25clean)

> Fax

> To The Rescue! Carpet and Specialized Cleaning

> www.totherescue.cc

> email: lrramey@...

>

> For free consumer reports reply to this e-mail. Subjects include Water

> Damage, Mold Remediation, Carpet Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Care, and

> others.

>

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Lee

As you saw the plaster and lath themselves seldom grow much mold, since the lime kills any mold spores when it is wet. I wish drywall behaved that way!

It is not necessary to remove the plaster to solve the problem. Wash, rinse and dry the inside, then seal ALL of the cracks that you can find, taking a fair bit of effort to find them. Then do touch-up painting. This will almost assuredly take care of both the inside and outside mold problems. NO strong chemicals or fungicides are needed, and they may not work when needed anyway.

Jim H. White SSAL

Plaster walls- Porous, semi, or non?

Background;

Five hundred thousand dollar renovation, most of structure removed and rebuilt except the foyer.

Arched cathedral plaster walls and ceiling 15 feet high in a room 15x 35. While roof was being worked on tarp blew off in a storm. Three quarters of room got water down the celing/walls. House is not dried in yet. I was called in way after the fact, and now the area that is still wet is of course has visible mold on the painted (living side) of plaster lath. I directed the contractor to remove all the 80 year old insulation that we can get to which is also what got wet. Only slight visible mold on the back side which can be addressed.

Since the problem at this point in time looks like it is only on the multiple coats of paint that is holding the problem, can the painted surface of the soon to be interior be cleaned? Do I need to remove the paint, (many coats, old, think lead paint), or is the plaster considered non-salvagable? The contractor and home owner has taken pains to preserve this historic focal point of the house. An as any businessman the contractor doesn't want to spend any more money than needed.

As a side note, does contractors GL cover an event like that?

Lee R RameyTo the Rescue!716 9th St. NoBirmingham Al 35203 (spells 25clean)Fax To The Rescue! Carpet and Specialized Cleaning www.totherescue.ccemail: lrramey@...For free consumer reports reply to this e-mail. Subjects include Water Damage, Mold Remediation, Carpet Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Care, and others.FAIR USE NOTICE:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

[Guest guest]

Frances

The bleach is " overkill " (pardon the pun) and may damage some of the

existing paint. The high heat will cause further delamination of the

plaster, possibly causing catastrophic collapse. Even aggressive

dehumidification should be avoided, since too strong a moisture gradient in

the plaster can cause extensive cracking. Once the interior surface of the

painted plaster is dry enough (aw of less than 0.65) mold growth is no

longer an issue. Mold will not grow within the plaster, even if it is much

damper than that.

Jim H. White SSAL

Plaster walls- Porous, semi, or non?

>>Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 07:28:20 EST

>>

>>Background;

>>Five hundred thousand dollar renovation, most of structure removed and

>>rebuilt except the foyer.

>>

>>Arched cathedral plaster walls and ceiling 15 feet high in a room 15x 35.

>>While roof was being worked on tarp blew off in a storm. Three quarters of

>>room

>>got water down the celing/walls. House is not dried in yet. I was called

>>in

>>way after the fact, and now the area that is still wet is of course has

>>visible mold on the painted (living side) of plaster lath. I directed the

>>contractor to remove all the 80 year old insulation that we can get to

>>which is also

>>what got wet. Only slight visible mold on the back side which can be

>>addressed.

>>

>>Since the problem at this point in time looks like it is only on the

>>multiple coats of paint that is holding the problem, can the painted

>>surface of the

>>soon to be interior be cleaned? Do I need to remove the paint, (many

>>coats,

>>old, think lead paint), or is the plaster considered non-salvagable? The

>>contractor and home owner has taken pains to preserve this historic focal

>>point of

>>the house. An as any businessman the contractor doesn't want to spend any

>>more money than needed.

>>As a side note, does contractors GL cover an event like that?

>>

>>Lee R Ramey

>>To the Rescue!

>>716 9th St. No

>>Birmingham Al 35203

>> (spells 25clean)

>>Fax

>>_To The Rescue!_ (http://www.totherescue.cc/)

>>

>>Carpet and Specialized Cleaning

>>www.totherescue.cc

>>email: lrramey@...

>>

>>For free consumer reports reply to this e-mail. Subjects include Water

>>Damage, Mold Remediation, Carpet Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Care, and

>>others.

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

> This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always

> been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such

> material available in our efforts to advance understanding of

> environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific,

> and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use'

> of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US

> Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the

> material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have

> expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for

> research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

> http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use

> copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go

> beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

>