Patching and Plastering - Mold and patching
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macrepairs
10-30-07, 09:33 AM
I live in an old Brooklyn brownstone. Interior walls are lathe and plaster, exterior ? and masonry. Several years ago, after a snow storm, one of the downspouts clogged and the melt accumulating on the roof must have rose above the flashing. I ended up with a waterfall on a section of bedroom wall. The repair wasn't done very well and now I have paint peeling back, cracks at the corner of the wall and some kind of white mold growing under the lifting paint chips.
I don't trust the landlord's hired help and would like to do it myself...the correct way. It's just two small sections of an outer wall with a window in the center and separated from the rest of that wall by a break formed by the chimney stack:
14" x 112" and 12" x 57"
I've rapped my knuckles on the wall in several spots and it all feels solid, like concrete. I assume that I only need to remove paint and plaster and not go down to the brick. Once I remove all loose paint and plaster, any special treatment for mold? Bleach? What would you recommend for filling any holes and smoothing the surface? Does it make a difference that it is an outside wall? What about primer and any other prepping considerations before painting? Recommendations?
Thanks.
I don't trust the landlord's hired help and would like to do it myself...the correct way. It's just two small sections of an outer wall with a window in the center and separated from the rest of that wall by a break formed by the chimney stack:
14" x 112" and 12" x 57"
I've rapped my knuckles on the wall in several spots and it all feels solid, like concrete. I assume that I only need to remove paint and plaster and not go down to the brick. Once I remove all loose paint and plaster, any special treatment for mold? Bleach? What would you recommend for filling any holes and smoothing the surface? Does it make a difference that it is an outside wall? What about primer and any other prepping considerations before painting? Recommendations?
Thanks.
mitch17
10-30-07, 04:15 PM
Talk to your landlord. Making repairs without his permission is a good way to get in trouble.
tightcoat
10-30-07, 08:09 PM
Furthermore, it probably isn't mold but effloresense. If it is a white, feathery crystaline substance it is caused by the water leaching minerals to the surface. The proper repair is first to neutralize that substance with a vinegar solution then perform the repairs.
Repairs will probably not be permanent until all water infiltration is stopped and that happens from the outside.
I would let the owner deal with it.
Repairs will probably not be permanent until all water infiltration is stopped and that happens from the outside.
I would let the owner deal with it.
macrepairs
10-31-07, 07:43 AM
I'm the type of person who tends to do my own troubleshooting and repairs, but this time I'll let him deal with the headache. Thanks for the advice.