Latest Discussions : Flooring & Stairs

05:27AM | 11/28/00

Member Since: 11/27/00
1 lifetime posts

Mold and Vinyl Floors

Wondering if anyone has any info on this. I own a house
that is just over 1 year old. I noticed mold growing on
the baseboards in 2 different places where I have vinyl
flooring. I cleaned the areas and it grew back with no
visible source of moisture. The house is very clean so it
is not a simple cleaning issue. I pointed this out during
my 1 year walk through. The builder removed the baseboard
and made sure there were no issues withing the walls. The
problem areas are not close to plumbing. Then I noticed
some purple spots appearing in various areas of the floor.
They do not clean off. A cousin of mine looked at them
and though they had seen a show about mold under vinyl
flooring that is direct on concrete. The builder followed
up but claimed they never heard of such a thing. I figured
someone on the Net must know.

Matches

01:11PM | 11/28/00

Member Since: 09/01/00
312 lifetime posts

I would question the builder as to how this was installed followed by warranty information on the vinyl product.I'm guessing that either there was an installation error or an inferior adhesive was used.

girldog

07:58PM | 01/06/01

Member Since: 01/06/01
14 lifetime posts

I do not think the installer laid a vapor barrier on your floor before laying down the vinyl. It is absolutely critical on a concrete floor, which 'sweats' a lot. Hound the builder until he or she answers your question. Put it in writing. Contact city a city inspector to check on building codes and their enforcement. good luck!

Lawrence

08:53PM | 01/08/01

Member Since: 11/14/00
333 lifetime posts

Actually, think simple first. If it is mold/mildew, try using s strong solution of bleach to kill it. It might just be a one-time problem that is spreading because you thought you cleaned it off, but didn't. NOTHING BUT BLEACH WILL KILL MOLD OR MILDEW. Even though you say cleanliness is not the problem, you might just be using the wrong cleaner. Pine "disinfectant" cleaners say they "prevent" mold, but they will not "kill" it or its spores once they takes root. (Even "Tilex Mildew Cleaner" has a very weak solution of bleach in it.) Some people claim vinegar kills mold, too, but that smells worse than mold when used as a cleaner. :-) Use bleach.

Next, because the mold first grew ABOVE the floor, not inside the floor, I suspect the problem has more to do with inadequate ventillation and cheap building materials than moisture seeping up through the concrete subfloor. Your builder is lying if he says he never heard of mold problems with vinyl flooring on concrete because it is a common problem, but I doubt that is the problem because it first appeared on your baseboards, not in/under your floor. You also usually cannot see the mold when it festers under the floor, as well; you can just smell it.

The culprit is probably cheap-o cabinets and baseboards that use mold-friendly materials and glues. The solution is to bleach it down every few weeks as a part of your cleaning regimen. Use any cleaner with bleach in it or dilute bleach down with water, yourself, and use it.

Next, ventillate and dehumidify the room. Mold only grows in humid, unventillated environments. Even if you do not get an electric dehumidifier unit, many home improvement centers sell a chemical dehumidifier that absorbs water and drip-drains it into a bucket that you empty every once in a while. (It will only work in a small room, though). For ventillation, keep the door to the room open as much as possible. Even using a simple box fan in the room to circulate the air will help ventillate the room and prevent it from getting too humid, thereby preventing the mold from growing.

Finally, if it is a bathroom, most building codes require that new-construction bathrooms have ventillation fans for this very reason. If your's does not have one, get your builder to install one to get it up to Code. If it does have one, then use it.

[This message has been edited by Lawrence (edited January 09, 2001).]

Oodi

04:53PM | 02/08/01

Member Since: 02/06/01
4 lifetime posts

A few months ago I had a linoleum floor glued on concrete in a bedroom. I also adhered self-adhering linoleum tiles in a bedroom because the concrete was creating dust. I haven't noticed a problem but I was concerned when I read this post. One thing I didn't understand was the comment about using a vapor barrier. I would assume its because the linoleum traps the water that the mold grows. So if you used a plastic underneath the linoleum, the water would still be trapped and I would imagine that the mold would still grow under the plastic.

I am planning another linoleum floor in the kitchen and would like to better understand the issues.

Thanks,
Oodi

Lawrence

11:45AM | 02/16/01

Member Since: 11/14/00
333 lifetime posts

Although this person's problem probably does not stem from water wicking up through the subfloor (and thus he does not need to use a vapor barrier), a vapor barrier will prevent air from getting to the water. Mold needs both a bit of air and water to grow in an unventilated environment. Vinyl lets that air in. Vinyl also lets the mold penetrate upwards into the living space, whereas a plastic vapor barrier should not, or at least will not allow it to escape so quickly. It also is not a perfect solution, but simply one that will delay needing to replace the flooring so soon.

However, water wicking up through the subfloor is a rare problem due to gravity. I have misdiagnosed it as the problem, only to find out that the problem and solutions were more obvious and simple than that. Ventiallation, Dehumidification, and bleach conquers most mold problems, especially on floors.

Lawrence

11:45AM | 02/16/01

Member Since: 11/14/00
333 lifetime posts

girldog

07:51AM | 02/22/01

Member Since: 01/06/01
14 lifetime posts

Lawrence, upon re-reading the original post, I see that you are right. It is probably an indoor-air issue, i.e. ventilation etc. thank you for straightening that out.

Phyllis Sherwin

12:05PM | 09/07/14

Member Since: 09/07/14
1 lifetime posts

We put a vinyl floor down over concrete in our bathroom. It does have an overhead vent fan. We had leakage from out bathroom stool over a year which we didn't realize. It leaked under the vinyl and caused mold to come up through the joints of the tile. We've now pulled the tile up and what was one a light color underneath is all black which I assume is mold. The concrete floor is also discolored and dark in places. We know to wash the floor with a bleach solution, several times. My question is can the tile be saved. I say not but my husband believes it's worth washing with a bleach solution and it will be fine. What is your answer to this: does the mold get into the vinyl or just on the surface and can be washed off?
Thank you. He's out there preparing to wash that vinyl as I type. Phyllis Sherwin

BV007700

06:56PM | 05/03/15

Question.... I'm planning on moving into a short-term rental. In the bathroom, under the linoleum floor, is what appears to be mold. (I'm fairly sure since it is a converted garage, and we had to remove the carpet due to mold growing along the perimeter of the walls, and outside around the house there's moss growing even though nobody waters there)
What I need to know is, can we live here, with the mold under the bathroom floor, without risking our health? Or, should it be removed safely, then cleaned up, dried, and re-floored? We've cleaned the areas that were carpeted, but are waiting to install laminate flooring. I'm having issues with the picture uploading...

BV010553

06:30PM | 02/17/16

I wanted to know the outcome. I have spots in my bedroom where linoleum was used instead of standard flooring for a bedroom. I've had five major respiratory infections in a little over a year and am always itching, coughing, etc.

sueqb

10:37PM | 07/20/16

Member Since: 07/20/16
1 lifetime posts

had vynal laid on concrete and just glued around the edges, now one area of the room has a mouldy smell. Question: can the vynl be lifted up and cleaned with bleach as well as the concrete and the vynl relaid after it has dried for a week or so..... really don't want to replace it as the whole house is the same floor but there is a problem in this one area.

BV014992

10:35AM | 10/25/17

I washed my sheet vinyl floor with Mr. Clean and than noticed big grey spots show up after they were dry.

BV022285

11:20PM | 04/30/20

Please I beg anyone living in mold to get out. I moved into a home and had some allergies. No biggie. 2 years later I have full blown auto immune disease called CIRS. Look up survivingmold.com. I had lost my vision, memory etc! It’s a huge deal! Get out! It can mess with your entire DNA! Do not take anyone’s word that mold is no big deal. It almost killed me and thousands of others! Look up the movie *moldy* by David Asprey!

BV024214

02:53AM | 01/15/21

Hi Blaine ,
I’m having the same issue with a brand new remodel.
I hired a scientist that specializes in mold.she says vinyl is inot good because the cork bottom is mold food.
I have no recourse and now have ripped up my new flooring. Black mold is all over the underneath.

BV025657

09:01AM | 07/20/21

If you have discoloration coming through sheet vinyl on a cement slab, it very well me that they didn't cure or seal (I forget) the cement slab and it's the alkaline from the cement coming through the vinyl. It's a lighter color, it normally takes on a gray appearance and there are purples as well.
Good luck to you.