OSB and Mold
A big improvement
over its waferboard predecesssor, oriented strand board (OSB) is a
performance-rated structural panel engineered for uniformity, strength,
versatility and workability. It is utilized internationally in a wide array
of applications including commerical and residential construction and
renovation, packaging/crating, furniture and shelving, and do-it-yourself
projects.
Because it is engineered, OSB
can be custom manufactured to meet specific requirements in thickness,
density, panel size, surface texture, strength, and rigidity. This
engineering process makes OSB the most widely accepted and preferred
structural panel among architects, specifiers and contractors. [from
OSB Guide]
Like all cellulose-based building
materials, if OSB boards get wet, mold will enjoy eating the OSB.
Q.
First I’d like to say that I find your website very informational and I’m
hoping to get some advice from you in regards to
OSB removal vs. replacement. Hopefully this will not ramble on for
too long but I’m hoping with somewhat thorough information you may be
better prepared to give me an honest answer. I recently purchased a house
that was over taken by mold. I was told the previous owners of the house
purposely opened a water valve in the basement to cause damage to the
house since they were being foreclosed on. I doubt this story is true
because one I turned on the well I found a pipe that had split due to
freezing and the odds were that it sprayed water directly on the forced
air furnace. This must have caused a huge steam bath and all of the rooms
became moisture saturated for weeks, possibly months. The house is a
tri-level and every room had evenly distributed mold spots on every square
foot of surface. I may have made a mistake but I opted to not go with a
professional mold remediation company since the damage was spread
throughout the entire structure which to me,
required a complete gutting of the house. We opted for the masks and full
clothing and removed everything from the house. The basement was a
complete loss but the upper floors had such little damage that cleaning
and kills may have been an option for someone else. The insulation on the
upper floors was all nice and pink with no signs of mold getting passed
the poly barrier, but I opted to remove it to be on the safe side.
Unfortunately the house has a fairly large crawl space. The crawl space
is very dry and shows no signs of water in the past. The floor is cement
and the space is conditioned with the HVAC system. The problem is that
when I was examining the above floor structure I found some light green
mold dust on the 1x10’s and the osb which is the kitchen floor has light
mold stains (light black spots) across much of the surface. This brings
me to my question (finally). 1) Should I try
cleaning the osb with detergent? 2)Should I hire a professional since I
am going to get one involved to ensure everything is a-ok before I start
the rebuild process and see what options I have as for cleaning and
sealing? Or lastly, do I tear up and remove the flooring and rid the
house of this last menacing piece of the damage? I guess I would also
like you opinion on the necessity of HVAC duct replacement. I’m pulling
the furnace and water heater and installing an air exchanger. At this
point should I replace the ducting also? It is all galvanized and appears
bright and shiny on the inside. [May 17, 2005]
A. Thank you for your website
compliment. If you can remove ALL of the mold growth from the OSB
[flooring or otherwise] by such techniques as labor-intensive power
planing, power grinding with a wire brush attachment, and power sanding,
you might be able to save the OSB and avoid the huge expense and hassle of
replacement. Of course, you will need to follow the 25 steps for safe and
effective mold remediation at
Mold Removal,
including killing the mold prior to removal, and do fungicidal protection
spraying afterwards. You can avoid replacing the duct work if it is of
sheet metal construction with NO interior insulation to trap and hide mold
infestation. Your description sounds like your home has this type of
salvageable, cleanable ductwork. Hire a duct cleaning company to
thoroughly scrub and clean the insides of all duct walls and to apply an
EPA-approved fungicide [at least two separate spray or fog applications]
inside all ducts, including both the return air duct and all supply lines
to the various areas of your house. One very likely mold problem you have
not yet addressed is the likely mold infestation growing INSIDE floors,
walls, and ceilings. The abandoned situation of the house you bought,
along with the substantial water damage, almost guarantees that there are
going to be hidden mold infestations. You need to inspect all floors,
walls, and ceilings internally with a fiber optics inspection device [buy
one or hire a
Certified Mold Inspector, plus internal floor/wall/ceiling mold
testing of interior air samples. Learn more about
mold inspection techniques.
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