[paulinep]

Paint on drywall seam --10 in .that surromds ouside od shower stall has cracked. Pulling it off I discovered the mesh drywall tape below showed no signs of mud and was on top of dryall which now has developed a 6 in length of mold---
Painter 3-years ago did not do proper job-what to do?

[Home repair]

The best way to repair is not to do it wrong again.

You should really take that section of drywall out, back to the closest corner and reinstall a new piece and tape, texture and paint it to match.

If you do just patch it, get all the mold out any way you can, this can make you ill.

Usually when you see mold, there is more behind the wall.

Good luck Roger

[Chevyfreak]

Hi Paul,

The site of mesh tape anywhere in a house indicates that the particular area was either patched/fixed or added after the original construction of the home. This is not a bad thing but since it's near the shower, my instincts tell me the patch was apparently done improperly... or was done many years ago. And certainly, a water leak is probably still the culprit. If the integrity of the drywall has not been compromised, it's an easy repair. "Home Repair" is correct in the assumption that where there's mold outside a wall, there will most likely be mold inside the wall. If so, this would turn this easy repair into something a bit more stimulating.

Only to way to tell is to cut some of the drywall out and take a look see. My last job of this nature started as a 2 X 2 foot section, then escalated into tearing all the drywall out, spraying the mold with a 50/50 solution of water and chlorine (and letting it dry completely). Then I was able to replace the damaged section, tape, mud, and spray texture. Remember, if you see water outside a wall, there will most likely be water inside the wall.

If I can be of further help, let me know.

[Chevyfreak]

Oh man. That would be "sight". Long day and don't ask. LOL