five drillbits later...

[thanate]

...the water heater is now attached firmly to the wall. So is about half of one of the drill bits, but we're not going to worry about that.

Meanwhile, I've been sponging the first scum of mold off the basement ceiling beams (eew) and just looked up climate data for BWI-- apparently August was the 5th wettest month on record, and the wettest this century; September has been wetter so far. (Average precipitation for Baltimore since they started recording it in the 1870s is around 3-4 inches a month, pretty consistently. August had almost eleven inches of rain by the official count, and I don't know what it's been at BWI, but right here we've had over 12" so far in September.) We've also broken three specific-day records, one per hurricane & one on Friday, all of which were set over 60 years ago. Admittedly, the specificity of all this is a bit silly, but the point is that it has been stupidly wet since they pulled the back of the house off, and until it dries out enough to backfill & then pour the basement floor, the basement is still kind of open to the weather. I'm about ready to go out there with a shovel and do it myself, although it's supposed to be dry after, well, tomorrow. Of course, they said that last week, too, and then we got another 3" of rain.

Once everything gets closed in long enough to let the dehumidifier do its thing (and oh, it's been trying!) we were thinking of doing a coat of kilz2 primer on the beams & everything but looking at it, I'm wondering if there exists mold-stopping finish of some sort, that would seal everything up without covering it in pigment. Anyone know of such a thing?

More later on things other than stupid house stuff. Really!

Comments

[stanci.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily mold-stopping sealant, but as the weather's still semi-decent (and thus things can be aired out), one option might be to wipe everything down with a water-bleach solution. One of my neighbors just did that to the new wood siding before putting it up on his house. Everything got wiped down with bleach, dried, and then the side that went up against the house got a clear coat before going up (the outside-side got primered once it was up)

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Everything is getting scrubbed with about half & half "Simple Green" and water (because I'm done getting bleach in my lungs), so the main question is what to put up to discourage anything further from growing. Reputedly the Kilz stuff has some kind of mold-suppressant in it, hence why it's recommended for such use. Do you know what your neighbors used as a clear-coat? I contemplate some kind of deck finish, but all they claim to be rated for is UV, which isn't really a concern in the basement.

[stanci.livejournal.com]

The clearcoat that was used was Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat, mainly because that was what was left over from staining & sealing the fence they put up earlier in the year. It was rather expensive, and probably overkill for the siding.
Also, a borate-based detergent solution (applied & not rinsed off) is supposed to help prevent/retard mold growth - so says the state of Washington's department of health.

[heuchera.livejournal.com]

Mildew resistant kitchen and bath paint, or exterior paint (perhaps especially targeted at coastal applications where mildew is a problem?), will probably be your best bet at inhibiting mildew growth. I can't think of a clear coat that will do it (not really my area of expertise). However most things rated for exterior use probably have some kind of mildew resistance formulated into them. I do believe linseed oil based coatings will feed the mildew, so avoid that. Ideally you would use a primer (I think Kilz2 or Kilz Premium are okay) rated for mildew resistant application and then topcoat with another such paint. Maybe look for a paint with zinc oxide in it -- that is a mildewstat, so resists mildew though it won't kill it. Often hard to tell from what the paint can tells you whether there is ZnO in it or not. Maybe go to a paint store and ask. ZnO is a white pigment so you're not going to find a clear with it.

I'd be concerned simple green won't really kill the spores though.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

It looks like Thompson's makes a product (http://www.thompsonswaterseal.com/waterproofing-products/waterproofers/advanced-natural-wood-protector) that looks like it's got similar stats to the kilz2 stuff, but it doesn't seem to be sold either online or in a store nearer than Annapolis. I don't know how comparable it is, but their regular products soak in quite significantly, which would seem like a better mold barrier once it's applied. Of course, they want everything to be super dry before application.

It may come to bleaching somewhere, but even with the basement open at the side & a fan pointing out, we still get odors rising through the one-layer of floor. :/