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August 6, 2007
mold in wall, looking for honest assesment
hi, i took the time to search through all posts concerning mold mitigation, but i need some recommendations
I have a coop apartment with mold issues on the out-side facing walls, the building had pointing done, but i believe this is from earlier water leaks.
the seller had previously covered the mold with drywall, now i find out after taking it down to the brick that even the brick may have issues.
unfortunately also it may also be airborne after taking the sheet rock down.
i called 2 companies each one said they come in a test, 1 offered infared cameras to check the walls and both said they use some kind of anti-mold fogger. how do you find a reputable company that deals with this? i feel that i possibly its hard too find an honest answer without scare tactics forcing me to fork over tons of cash.
the one thing my contractor recommended is scrubbing the brick with behrs 62 cleaner then sealing it with behrs water seal, but is this enough?
extra concerned because there is a baby in the family.
thanks for your time
Comments
You might try Microecologies in Manhattan. Check them out on the web. They just did some work for us and we were really pleased with the outcome, although they were the most expensive of three companies we brought in for a look. Also, scheduling the work took a bit of patience.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 6, 2007 9:29 PM
hi thanks
i will call them
but how did you finally come to the decision to use them?
what made you feel comfortable with them?
Posted by: op, at August 7, 2007 12:05 AM
I found other posts here that referred me to Habitat Safe Solutions. They were very helpful on the phone (I talked to Anthony) and were able to come quickly. When he arrived at the house, he was very good at describing what he thought was the issue, but said it was best to wait until the tests came back. They email and call you with the test results, which I felt was a good bonus. They'll also give you an estimate over the phone. (It came in slightly less than they quoted)
I really liked the professionalism & service.
Here's a link to their site:
www.habitatsafesolutions.com/
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 1:40 PM
More important is that you fix any problem that contributes to the mold. As water leakage and moisture trapping.
If you fix the cause, and clean and replace any damaged material that is all needed.
Rarely is mold toxic. Spores are in air everywhere. If you give it right environment it will grow. (check out your bathroom).
Mold grows on organic matter (which is not brick). White stuff you see on brick is not mold -it is minerals leaching out of brick and quite common.
Check for dampness.
You could also run a dehumidifier if you really think your space is prone to damp.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 7, 2007 2:50 PM
@1:40, so what was the solution? what did you need to do mitigate the mold? really interested in people experiences..
also did Habitat do the mitigation? how much was everything?
i've been cautioned from having the mold testing done by the people that do the mitigation hence conflict of interest
Posted by: op at August 7, 2007 3:34 PM
Hi OP. I'm the one who recommended Microecologies a few days ago. Our problem was actually not mold, but another toxic substance. We chose them based on their walk-through at our house. They were professional, thorough, knowledgeable and not alarmist. The subcontractor who was to perform the work was there for the estimate, gave a lot of input, and we got a really good gut feeling from him. I was happy later that he was on hand throughout the job.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 11:54 PM
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