Question Re: Dealing with Mold Behind Backsplash

17 years ago

My husband and I are taking out the last of our kitchen cabs and sink tonight, and the new cabs are to be installed on Thursday.

In taking off the old formica backsplash that is right above/behind the kitchen sink there was a LOT of mold. The backsplash always had a gap there between it and the wall (predating us as owners). We actually took the backsplash off a couple of weeks ago, and are doing the last removal now so we can repair the walls and paint before cabs arrive later this week.

When I first found the mold I sprayed and washed over it with bleach for a couple of days. There is only a little bit that needs washing now - actually, I don't know if what is left (the little bit of black) is active mold, or leftover mold stains.

Question: how do we insure the mold problem is "dealt with", and that we can safely repair the wall area (spackle, and, paint) and move on?

Washing with bleach water, letting dry out - is that enough?

I Thank You,

Hubby Thanks You,

Miss Mary

Featured Answer

raehelen

17 years ago

I would cut away the drywall (do it carefully, if you think you want to reuse it- but I would start again with fresh drywall). We took down the brick from an old fireplace, and just by happenstance removed the insulation and lo and behold, mold had practically eaten away the wood studs- the wood looked like it was burnt- it had rotted away so badly. I removed all of the affected wood and sprayed it with a mold killer- let everything dry out before we redid the insulation and put up new walls. We spent over $1000.00 on trying to find the source of the leak- still aren't sure, so in the meantime, our brick chimney is tarped over- it will probably have to be rebuilt this summer.

Check behind there- if there's nothing, it will only have cost you the price of a sheet of drywall, and you'll have gained peace of mind. If you discover more mold, then you can deal with it. This is the best and really only time you can do this!

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Comments (7)

iris16
17 years ago
Perhaps if you contact your local Health Department they can refer you to the proper people you would know how to deal with mold abaitment. I would want to have authoratative advice before "moving on"
melanie1422
17 years ago
I had serious mold in the insulation in my kitchen, and we dealt with it like you have dealt with it - bleach bleach bleach! Once it was really dry, we put in new insulation and used yellow board drywall, which is mold resistant, anywhere that might get wet.

I don't know if this is what the Health Dept would recommend, but I'm hoping it will work!
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jejvtr
17 years ago
You may want to consider cutting the drywall in that spot enough to get clean margins & to be certain it is not lurking in the interior walls - a little bit of mold can multiply and cause havoc

good luck
growlery
17 years ago
Mold is not the enemy. It is a symptom. Bleach will take care of it. Don't believe the hype from a few years ago.

The water getting in that is allowing the mold to form is the enemy. You SHOULD find out the source of the water. A leaky pipe? A bad drain from outside? Condensation?

While the bleach is working, I'd have a contractor or plumber take a look. As much as you want everything to go on schedule, it would be worse for the coupling to corrode ALL the way on that pipe or whatever 6 months from now when your kitchen is finished.

(Unless you're allergic, mold is not a serious health threat to the vast majority of people. Stop smoking, wear a seatbelt, floss, get some exercise and get guns out of the house, those health benefits are proven.)

Good luck!
missmary - 6b/Central Maryland
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks to everyone.

We are certain that the water/mold problem in that one spot is due to it being directly behind the kitchen faucet, and where the backsplash has not been attached to the wall for a number (?) of years. There is about a 1/2 inch gap between it and the wall. I am a "splashy girl", and have not taken any care at all about water going back behind there. The kitchen came like that with the house when we bought it last year. Hence, our current kitchen update.

I tried to copy and paste a picture of where we are in the process (I call the picture "Are We Having Fun Yet?"), but I can't get this message field to accept my "copy" using the "paste" command. I think you would've enjoyed seeing the mess!

Miss Mary
raehelen
17 years ago
Miss Mary,

To get a photo into your message, you need to have your photos downloaded at a web-based photo hosting site like PhotoBucket or Flicker, etc. Once you download your photo there, you copy the HTML code that they provide, and that is what you copy and paste into your message.

I literally went for years avoiding doing that- but it is not that complicated, and once you've done it a few times, you'll be hooked!