# Moldy basement with senior citizen.



## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

I am painting for a senior citizen that is asthmatic and has bad case of C.O.P.D.. I painted his family about two years ago with ProMar 200 and he had to sleep in a motel room because of the odor.

Now he had a pipe bust in his basement a while ago and he has mold on his walls. Some one sprayed a Concroboim mixture on the walls and the mold came back. He wants me to treat it and paint it. With his health issues I am puzzled on what to use. 

Any suggestions.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

If the repair has been made and all moisture issues resolved then micro ban is an excellent start (imo). It smells very nive actually...A janitorial supply house is 1 place to get it or home depot sells it online. It will kill spores on the surface just like bleach but without the smell or the discoloration. You can spray it on anything and it doesn't ruin the object (carpet, furniture, etc.) It's used in hospitals and daycares and such to kill bacteria and a host of other microbial problems.
That being said, shellac dissipates quickly. Just get him outta there for the day and bin it. Hopwfully theres a window or??? You can stick a fan in to draw it out. Top coat it with bm natura or sw harmony. It may be inconvient to leave for the day but it is what it is... and tell him a dehumidifier might be a wise investment down there.

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## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

Thank you LilPaintchic, you are awesome.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Hope it works out....i hate rolling bin...gawd awful stuff but it will do the job. Good luck Dave.

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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

If you're gonna bin it down there, don't forget that it's flammable. Deal with all sources of ignition like a pilot light on a furnace, etc.

Also, like lpc said.... ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. I learned that lesson the hard way with coverstain a long time ago. Memories of that day still make me shudder.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I'm not sure Natura and Harmony have any mildewscides in them, or they couldn't be labelled as environmentally safe or any of that stuff. So if you are wanting a finish coat that is lo voc/lo odor and has a mildewscide in it you may have to look elsewhere. Not 100% sure on this but you should check it out before you use them.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

PACman said:


> I'm not sure Natura and Harmony have any mildewscides in them, or they couldn't be labelled as environmentally safe or any of that stuff. So if you are wanting a finish coat that is lo voc/lo odor and has a mildewscide in it you may have to look elsewhere. Not 100% sure on this but you should check it out before you use them.


Regal would be a good alternative. Has the mold inhibitors and mildewcides. Zero VOC too.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Get rid of mold*



007 Dave said:


> I am painting for a senior citizen that is asthmatic and has bad case of C.O.P.D.. I painted his family about two years ago with ProMar 200 and he had to sleep in a motel room because of the odor.
> 
> Now he had a pipe bust in his basement a while ago and he has mold on his walls. Some one sprayed a Concroboim mixture on the walls and the mold came back. He wants me to treat it and paint it. With his health issues I am puzzled on what to use.
> 
> Any suggestions.


Mold needs an acid (low pH) environment to grow in. Concrobium has 2 ingrdients with a high, or basic, pH, sodium carbonate (pH of about 11) and trisodium phosphate (pH of about 12). If Concrobium was sprayed onto the mold in the basement and it came back, my guess is that it the mold has quite a foothold in the basement.

My guess is that the walls are drywall. If that is the case, the mold may very well be growing untreated on the other side of the drywall. If that is the case, I would imagine that all of the moldy material needs to be removed, preferably by a company with all the bells and whistles to get the moldy material out without spreading it throughout the rest of the house (containment walls, negative pressure, air scrubbers, venting outside a basement window, etc.). 

I have a job like this waiting for me at a rental where I do work for a landlord. There is a leak in the finished basement and the drywall in a closet is moldy. The tenants have 3 little kids, is moving out at end of July and don't want any mold work done until they are out of the house. 

I have a mold guy who does all this removal stuff. He is going to remove all the drywall in 2 side by side closets (as well as a 13 x 23 carpet that should never have been put down there!) so a basement leak company can come in and fix the inside problem (outside lanscape is being graded away from house).

After that is all done, I am recommending to the landlord that no carpeting be put back down and that no more drywall be put up inside the closets, but that they should remain open the the foundation walls, painted if he so desires, and stand-up non-molding plastic shelves be put inside the closets instead of mold feeding drywall and particle board shelves.

I could go on and on (and I usually do), but without any more info on the state of this basement, IMO you need to remove the moldy materials and replace them if so desired before doing any painting.

At the very least, tell the HO that he absolutely needs (like lpc said) a dehumidifier down there running at all times when the outside temperature is above 60 F or so.

Some photos would be nice. 

Good luck,

futtyos


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

With apologies to Chrisn, my first thought upon seeing the title to this thread was to simply get the senior citizen out of there and the mold issue will also be gone. :devil3:


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## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

Thank you all for the input. This is great. I appreciate it.
I went to his house this afternoon to tell him after treating it again we will have to use BIN on the walls before the finish coat. His reaction was as he raised his voice "BIN, I used to use that on some rentals I had a while back. That is some smelling stuff"
I forgot to ask him how old the house was but it has knotty pine on the walls on the main floor so I'm thinking it may have been built in the 40's or 50's, (Just a guess). It has block walls in the basement. The way he discribed it over the phone I was expecting much worse.To me, it doesn't smell to bad at all. He says he can smell the mold. So I treated it again with the Concrobium he had. I will get the Microban next week and go from there.
He is a friend of mine in his 80's and is one of the nicest people you could meet.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*What is the mold on?*



007 Dave said:


> Thank you all for the input. This is great. I appreciate it.
> I went to his house this afternoon to tell him after treating it again we will have to use BIN on the walls before the finish coat. His reaction was as he raised his voice "BIN, I used to use that on some rentals I had a while back. That is some smelling stuff"
> I forgot to ask him how old the house was but it has knotty pine on the walls on the main floor so I'm thinking it may have been built in the 40's or 50's, (Just a guess). It has block walls in the basement. The way he discribed it over the phone I was expecting much worse.To me, it doesn't smell to bad at all. He says he can smell the mold. So I treated it again with the Concrobium he had. I will get the Microban next week and go from there.
> He is a friend of mine in his 80's and is one of the nicest people you could meet.


007 Dave, can you give accurate details on just exactly what the recurring mold is growing on?

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Did I mention a dehumidifier already? If it's block down there you'll need to seal it with dry lok or something like it. Also, consider what is on that exterior and where. Is there a mound of dirt against the house, does that foundation need to be sealed? Where is the moisture coming in? 

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

lilpaintchic said:


> Did I mention a dehumidifier already? If it's block down there you'll need to seal it with dry lok or something like it. Also, consider what is on that exterior and where. Is there a mound of dirt against the house, does that foundation need to be sealed? Where is the moisture coming in?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


You did mention a dehumidifier and I credited you on that, but called you lpc. 

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

futtyos said:


> You did mention a dehumidifier and I credited you on that, but called you lpc.
> 
> futtyos


I was being sarcastic. I also like to trip small children and the elderly from time to time....oh, and pinch babies. That's the best cuz they can't rat ya out. 

I mentioned it again (yes, i saw your post futtyos)as we gleaned more info from Dave. Namely the block, which is porous. I'm wondering if it's a block foundation. If so, it will likely be an unending source of moisture which means mold....

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## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

futtyos said:


> 007 Dave, can you give accurate details on just exactly what the recurring mold is growing on?
> 
> futtyos


Hey Futtyos, Thank you for your input. That is great info. The basement walls is concrete block. It has already been painted. the HO said it was painted when he bought the house in 1988. They are in good shape. Im only seeing very little blistering paint up towards the top of the wall. The mold is toward the bottom of the wall from the floor to maybe 3 feet up. The mold is keeps coming back in the same place. We had record rain fall here in Indianapolis back in the spring I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. He said he hasn't had any problems with the mold in the basement until recently. A couple of years ago it was flooded due to a sump pump giving out on him and then about six weeks ago he had this pipe bust on him. He does have a dehumidifier down there and he runs it 24/7. The basement floor has been painted and is in good shape.


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## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

lilpaintchic said:


> Did I mention a dehumidifier already? If it's block down there you'll need to seal it with dry lok or something like it. Also, consider what is on that exterior and where. Is there a mound of dirt against the house, does that foundation need to be sealed? Where is the moisture coming in?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Thank you for you input Lilpaint chic . All four of the basement walls is underground and is covered all the way around the house. With all the rain we had in the spring and with the flood in the basement I'm thinking water or moister is still in the hollow part of the block. I'm just guessing at that though. He does run a dehumidifier 24/7 and has since the clean up of the flood.

I knew you had those other issues with the tripping old people, but pinching babies too? Do you pinch them randomly or every chance you get?


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*In all seriousness*



lilpaintchic said:


> I was being sarcastic. I also like to trip small children and the elderly from time to time....oh, and pinch babies. That's the best cuz they can't rat ya out.
> 
> I mentioned it again (yes, i saw your post futtyos)as we gleaned more info from Dave. Namely the block, which is porous. I'm wondering if it's a block foundation. If so, it will likely be an unending source of moisture which means mold....
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Lilpaintchic, why can't I find a gal like you in the Chicago area? 

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Lol, my mommy says I'm special.

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Mold treatment*



007 Dave said:


> Hey Futtyos, Thank you for your input. That is great info. The basement walls is concrete block. It has already been painted. the HO said it was painted when he bought the house in 1988. They are in good shape. Im only seeing very little blistering paint up towards the top of the wall. The mold is toward the bottom of the wall from the floor to maybe 3 feet up. The mold is keeps coming back in the same place. We had record rain fall here in Indianapolis back in the spring I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. He said he hasn't had any problems with the mold in the basement until recently. A couple of years ago it was flooded due to a sump pump giving out on him and then about six weeks ago he had this pipe bust on him. He does have a dehumidifier down there and he runs it 24/7. The basement floor has been painted and is in good shape.


007 Dave, from what you have described, this is what I would do. First I would get everything away from the walls/areas that are moldy. Then I would spray a bleach solution (1 part Clorox BLeach to 3 or 4 parts water - use freshly bought Clorox as it does lose its potency over time) repeatedly on the mold until it turns from orangish to yellowish to clear as it runs down off the wall, then let sit overnight. You might wet vac the excess fluid that runs down the wall onto the basement floor after spraying. Wear a carbon filter mask while spraying the bleach and see if there is a window in the basement that you could put some type of exhaust fan to pull air out of the basement and prevent the cholrine from migrating upstairs. If the central air is being used, turn it off if the air circulates through the basement or tape off the supply and return ducts in the basement until the chlorine smell dissipates.

The area where the mold keeps coming back should be checked over thoroughly as mold grows when the humidity is over 50-60%. There might be some kind of leak or something from the outside or from a leaky pipe inside. Once you know that the water source for the recurring mold has been taken care of and there does not seem to be any more mold growing there, I might check out Lime Prime to prevent future mold growth:

https://shop-earthpaint.net/products/lime-prime

https://www.earthpaint.net/natural-mold-abatement-paint-zero-voc.html

You might even be able to leave Lime Prime as the final coating in the basement.

These aree just suggestions. Whithout seeing what is actually going on, it is hard to say exactly what I would do. The main concern I would have is stopping the mold growth in the basement whatever else is done.

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

007 Dave said:


> Thank you for you input Lilpaint chic . All four of the basement walls is underground and is covered all the way around the house. With all the rain we had in the spring and with the flood in the basement I'm thinking water or moister is still in the hollow part of the block. I'm just guessing at that though. He does run a dehumidifier 24/7 and has since the clean up of the flood.
> 
> I knew you had those other issues with the tripping old people, but pinching babies too? Do you pinch them randomly or every chance you get?


I do drive bys in the grocery store usually....mom looks away to peruse the shelves and I reach over real quick like a ninja. Little poopy pants havin, booger eatin, germ breeding terrorists deserve it some times!! they think they're so cute, and omg!such control freaks!!!! Here's a little pinch little baby...you cute little bugger.  

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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

RH said:


> With apologies to Chrisn, my first thought upon seeing the title to this thread was to simply get the senior citizen out of there and the mold issue will also be gone. :devil3:


 and all this time I thought I liked you, you little whipper snapper:wink:


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I would recommend Ecospec silver myself. Just my opinion.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Ecospec Silver*



PACman said:


> I would recommend Ecospec silver myself. Just my opinion.


http://www.bykoket.benjaminmoore.co...c-wb-silver-interior-latex-paint#advs=0&tab=3

Interesting. Silver is a broad spectrum antimicrobial. First time I have heard of it being used in paint for this purpose. I will have to file this one away for future use. Thanks, PACman.

futtyos


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

futtyos said:


> http://www.bykoket.benjaminmoore.co...c-wb-silver-interior-latex-paint#advs=0&tab=3
> 
> Interesting. Silver is a broad spectrum antimicrobial. First time I have heard of it being used in paint for this purpose. I will have to file this one away for future use. Thanks, PACman.
> 
> futtyos


Elemental silver used to be taken as a medicine. Until doctors found out it will turn your skin blue. And i mean blue-blue. Not kinda blue.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

chrisn said:


> and all this time I thought I liked you, you little whipper snapper:wink:


If I'm not mistaken, I think there is something like four months difference in our ages - with _me_ being the older. :sad:


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Colloidal silver*



PACman said:


> Elemental silver used to be taken as a medicine. Until doctors found out it will turn your skin blue. And i mean blue-blue. Not kinda blue.


I take colloidal silver when I have an infection or such, but only at that time, not like the guy in the video below:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemistry-behind-the-blue-man-unlocked-/5591.article

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Smurfalicious?

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Water pressure on the foundation*



007 Dave said:


> Hey Futtyos, Thank you for your input. That is great info. The basement walls is concrete block. It has already been painted. the HO said it was painted when he bought the house in 1988. They are in good shape. Im only seeing very little blistering paint up towards the top of the wall. The mold is toward the bottom of the wall from the floor to maybe 3 feet up. The mold is keeps coming back in the same place. We had record rain fall here in Indianapolis back in the spring I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. He said he hasn't had any problems with the mold in the basement until recently. A couple of years ago it was flooded due to a sump pump giving out on him and then about six weeks ago he had this pipe bust on him. He does have a dehumidifier down there and he runs it 24/7. The basement floor has been painted and is in good shape.


007 Dave, I do work for a landlord, fixing things, painting, this and that, but not everything. He owns and rents out a house that was built in 1936. There is a concrete stairway in the back going down into the basement with a drain just outside the door. There is a brick patio directly behind the house and an asphault driveway next to it that also runs along the side of the house to the street. When it rains, a small pond forms over the brick patio which has sunken down over the years. Water has been creeping in around the house until it regularly came in through several avenues.

I did install downspout extensions to get the water from the roof away from the house. On the rear east corner I installed a 50' x 4" black hose to the downspout and ran it out to the front yard. Even so, water was still getting into the basement. I suggested installing a French drain in the rear of the house to the owner, but he opted to go with a basement waterproofing company. After the renter moved out, this company came in and basically dug a moat all the way around the basement to catch water seeping in from wherever. They also dug up the concrete outside the basement door and redid it so now there is a clear drain. That was last summer/fall. So far I have not heard any complaints.

When all the water leakage was happening and the owner was deciding what to do, I spoke with a clerk at Lowes big box store about this situation. Now, there are some people who work at big box stores who don't know what is going on and there are some that do. This guy seemed like one of those who knows what is going on. I am on a friendly basis with him, so I described the situation at the house (this was before any work was done) and told him that the owner was considering having all the above work done in the basement, but no French drain outside. He then told me about a friend of his who had a water problem outside her basement which was made of concrete blocks. He told me that she opted to go with the inside the basement work. She apparently did not take care of the outside water that was causing hydrostatci pressure on the concrete block foundation. When the hydrostatic pressure became too much (too much rain) the water pushed one of the concrete blocks into the basement.

You might want to take a walk around the house and see how the landscaping is graded. Ideally, the soil should be running downhill from the foundation. If not, then water could be making its way into the basement.

I am currently working with the above-mentioned landlord on another rental house of his where the soil needs to be graded away from the house.

This old guy is your friend. See if you can help him out.

futtyos


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

futtyos said:


> 007 Dave, I do work for a landlord, fixing things, painting, this and that, but not everything. He owns and rents out a house that was built in 1936. There is a concrete stairway in the back going down into the basement with a drain just outside the door. There is a brick patio directly behind the house and an asphault driveway next to it that also runs along the side of the house to the street. When it rains, a small pond forms over the brick patio which has sunken down over the years. Water has been creeping in around the house until it regularly came in through several avenues.
> 
> I did install downspout extensions to get the water from the roof away from the house. On the rear east corner I installed a 50' x 4" black hose to the downspout and ran it out to the front yard. Even so, water was still getting into the basement. I suggested installing a French drain in the rear of the house to the owner, but he opted to go with a basement waterproofing company. After the renter moved out, this company came in and basically dug a moat all the way around the basement to catch water seeping in from wherever. They also dug up the concrete outside the basement door and redid it so now there is a clear drain. That was last summer/fall. So far I have not heard any complaints.
> 
> ...


almost 75% of all basement water leakage comes from OUTSIDE the foundation. It is almost always improper grading, improper drainage, or a broken or deteriorated exterior coating or membrane on the foundation. ANY internal hydro-static coating, even such as drylock can continue to fail if these external problems are not corrected. The biggest issue is a hydrostatic controlling paint or coating will trap moisture in the foundation and cause the concrete to deteriorate or migrate to another area where it will leak through the coating or around it. It is much better to fix the leak from the outside BEFORE it becomes a hydrostatic build-up.


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## 007 Dave (Jun 22, 2016)

Thank you all for the advice. I've been so busy I haven't been able to get on here. I'm doing my best to help this guy. I love him to death and he always helped other people in need in the past. The frustrating thing I'm having with him now is every time I suggest a product he says "Well whats that going to cost me?" I've already told him I'm not charging him for my time. I did tell him he would have to pay my help which shouldn't be more than 8 hours At the most and for the material we use. 

We are expecting rain here tomorrow and we have exterior work planned. So if it rains we will go over there and check if the mold is back and if not we will proceed with the painting


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