My name is Tom Lopatosky. I’m the President of LOPCO Contracting (www.LopcoContracting.com) and I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk to you about home improvement on a monthly basis. I love answering your questions! Please send them to tom@LopcoContracting.com or call 401-270-2664. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this column!
How I Prevent Mold on Bathroom Ceilings
The list of items that I have found of ‘things that get people concerned around the home,’ reads almost like a frightful scroll of ‘heart-dropping-into-stomach’ moments…
- The discovery of peeling paint
- The discovery of an annoying leak, which subsequently cannot seem to be properly sourced
- The discovery of a broken pane of glass on a window, or a window that will not properly open/close/lock
I can go on and on.
One of the items highest on the list is the discovery of some type of mold.
While certainly there can be ‘one-offs,’ like a random patch of mold that is simply related to a recent leak, and there are definitely grave causes of concern, such as the spread of a deep case of toxic black mold, which goes unnoticed in someone’s basement for years, perhaps, one of the more frustrating examples of mold is that it’s found on someone’s bathroom ceiling, and no matter what they do, they simply cannot seem to get rid of it.
Fortunately, I have worked through countless examples of this specific type of situation and have been able to come up with a process to help even the most discouraged of homeowners. work through this type of scenario.
There are a number of tactics I would initially steer folks toward in eliminating the mold; here is my checklist:
- Make sure there is a bathroom ceiling fan (especially in bathrooms with a shower/bathtub).
- Ensure the ceiling fan is functioning properly (toilet paper test).
- Make sure the ceiling fan is correctly vented to the outside of the house (preferably through the roof if possible).
- Clean all of the existing mold (prior to doing so, if there is a concern that the mold is of the harmful variety, have the mold tested by a professional testing company and then have the mold cleaned by a professional remediation company).
- Ensure the surface is well prepped.
- Apply a mold killing primer to the entire ceiling.
- Properly apply a mold resistant finish coat.
Adhering to these steps should get you where you need to be, in terms of once and for all, stopping the mold challenge with the bathroom ceiling.
If for some reason this develops into one of those extremely rare instances where the mold returns, a more drastic approach would be recommended, as there may somehow be mold trapped deeper into the building material of the ceiling, and at that point, it would be recommended to take down and dispose of the existing ceiling, hang a new ceiling (I prefer blueboard and plaster), and repeat the painting process recommended above.
Though there are many types of things occurring around the home that can be very disheartening, having mold return on a bathroom ceiling, after seemingly countless attempts to eliminate it, can be near the top of the list of irritating dilemmas.
As maddening as these types of things may be, there is a path to work through things – as there almost always is – just be sure that your approach is methodical and in-line with what is recommended, and you can be confident that this will be one more thing that can be crossed off the ‘things that bother me about my house’ list.
About Tom Lopatosky
Tom Lopatosky has run his own RI-based painting and repair business since 1995; LOPCO Contracting – the “Personable, Particular Professionals” – specializes in exterior & interior painting and carpentry. Recently LOPCO Contracting was named ‘RI’s Finest Painting Contracting Company’ by ShopInRI Magazine. In 2013, Tom was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) and a “40 Under 40” award winner by Providence Business News. He is a member of both PCA (Painting Contractors Association) and RIBA (Rhode Island Builders Association). Tom has often had weekly ‘Home Improvement Tips’ that have aired on the radio on 630 WPRO AM and on television on WPRI 12. You can catch Tom LIVE on the radio EVERY Saturday, 2pm-3pm, on 630 WPRO AM (99.7 FM) during his weekly ProTalk Home Improvement Radio Show!
