[crowingabout702]

Hello my basement is unfished... last year we decided to put up blue stryaphone isolation over concrete walls... I am worried about mold because it is in a basement of an old farm house... if mold should grow behind the 1 inch blue styraphone is there anyway to know... thank you

[RickJ]

No, there will really be no way to know. But don't worry yourself. There are a zillion places in your home where mold could grow and you'd never know it. A dehumidifier will help reduce the chances of mold, but beyond that, there's really nothing to do to monitor it.

[crowingabout702]

If the mold would ever get bad lets say would it grow through the styraphome..

[RickJ]

I am nearly certain, no. I do not believe mold can penetrate materials like that.

A good tip to keep in mind: Bleach kills most mold... so if you ever see any, mist it (with a spray bottle) with bleach and that will kill it. Don't waste money on expensive stuff... and don't scrub or scrape it. Spray it with bleach to kill it, THEN remove the residue with a scraper... then prime and paint over the place where you saw it.

[dherman1]

Blue or Pink foam boards are closed cell so there is no migration of moisture through it.

If you are concerned about mold, then make sure that you remove any sources of moisture from entering the house. Most moisture sources are caused by poor landscaping which allows the moisture to remain near the foundation as opposed to directing it away.

Another thing to consider is to use a vapor barrier, being sure to seal any seams.

Good Luck, Dan

[regyrich]

Using bleach will only keep mold away for a limited period. A proper antifungicidal wash should have been applied to the walls prior to styrophome being applied. Hope you checked the styrophome was fire retardent, also proper ventilation is required in the room to discourage the humid environment that mold needs to thrive on. If you intend to paint walls after treating with antifungicidal wash then I would recommend a paint called cellar paint ( dulux ) expensive , but designed just for this job.

[dreamingangei38]

I live in a old cotton mill building that was made in to apparments, my apparment is on the 3rd floor at the end where the stare way is but the is a door to the stare way, i was asked to clan up the stareway for a bit of reduction off my rent and i sweeped off white mold on the cender block wall , it was fuffly and flying in the air i know i was breathing it but was trying not to. I had been feeling bad a few days later sort of like a flu but not as bad, im going to my doctor today , is white mold bad? And cold any one give me a web site to read about it and should i call the health department? Ps my kids and other kids walk down them stare ways every day to school