How To Remove Black Mold From Concrete And Keep Your Basement Mold-Free

Lots of homeowners find out they have an uninvited guest shacking up in their basement. Ever seen little white fuzzy stuff on your concrete basement floor?

Mold on concrete can take many forms. Concrete is a porous substance, and your basement floor gets a lot of moisture from the ground underneath it.

Usually, concrete foundations have a moisture barrier. But, in some cases the moisture barrier is old or damaged, or it may not have been properly installed.

In arid places like Southern California, Arizona and high altitudes, you may not have a moisture barrier built into your home. You usually don't need it, but if you have a heavy rain or a spell of humid weather, you're likely to get that nasty mold growing on your concrete floors.

If you have mold growing on basement tiles or under basement carpeting, the cause may be the concrete underneath. No matter what your mold problem, you have to remove it from your concrete.

A Little Bleach And Elbow Grease

If you've got a little mold growing on your concrete surfaces, it's easy enough to clean up. For little bits of mold here on there, use a solution of water and bleach. 4 parts water to 1 part bleach is usually the recommended formula. You can also find cleaning products designed specifically for mold removal.

Scrub at the moldy spots with your bleach and water until it's gone. Be careful - that bleach is dangerous stuff. Make sure you have some good rubber gloves and be careful that the bleach doesn't come into contact with anything else.

Seal It Up

If you have more serious mold problems and a good scrubbing won't get rid of it, you might try sealing the cracks. Chances are, the appearance of mold on your concrete surfaces is a symptom of a bigger structural problem in your home. There may be cracks in the concrete or walls that allow moisture to come into the house.

Go to the hardware store and look for a waterproofing compound made for this specific purpose. If you're totally unsure, talk to the clerk and explain your problem. What you want is something especially designed to seal up cracks in your concrete and walls. The compound will come with detailed instructions on how to use it.

Call The Contractor

If you have water wicking up from under your foundation into the concrete, you've got a much bigger problem. You may need to call a professional.

What you'll need to do is take off all the flooring so the original concrete is exposed. This is something you can probably do yourself, but you should make sure to keep yourself safe. Any time you're dealing with mold, make sure you have good gloves and a mask, and make sure that the mold doesn't get into any other parts of the house. Even if you're working in the basement, make sure you have some ventilation going.

Now, you'll need to have a new top layer of concrete poured. It has to be at least one inch thick. Make sure that the new cement is mixed with a waterproofing compound that will keep down its moisture level.

This is a big job and most of us would have to call a contractor. Check your local yellow pages.

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What You Should Know Before Applying a Garage Floor Coating

If you are planning on resurfacing your garage floor with an epoxy or polyaspartic coating there are a few things to know to prevent problems later.

Moisture In Concrete

Concrete is mixed with water which is an obvious statement, but what happens during the cure process? Water combined with ash, sand, aggregate and water creates a chemical reaction that turns the mix into a hard substance. The cure cycle called hydration is part of the chemical process. Excess moisture will work it's way to the surface leaving a trail behind it. As the moisture goes to the surface the concrete hardens and the trail left behind the water is an air hole or vein. Moisture pressure will push upwards traveling to the surface through these pores.

There are two types of pressure that can cause a coating to have problems. There is capillary and hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure happens when concrete is below grade. Moisture below grade creates tremendous pressure that pushes upwards through the tiny air holes in concrete. As it pushes upwards it pushes salts to the surface as well. Capillary pressure has a similar result with less pressure. Either way the moisture and salts can cause coatings to chip and delaminate.

Checking For Moisture In Your Slab

The easiest way is to tape plastic down to the floor in a few areas. You can also put down heavy rubber mats on the floor. If after 24-48 hours you have condensation underneath you have a moisture issue. It is possible to get different reading at various times of the year. In colder climates you will have minimal moisture in winter or early spring that can increase when the ground thaws. If your concrete is above grade with a basement below you will likely have little if any moisture.

Choosing a Coating

There are epoxies and polyaspartics or polyureas products for coating a garage floor. Whatever you choose surface prep is the most important first step. Cracks should be filled with a polyurea filler for best results. Polyureas can be thin enough to completely fill a crack to the bottom. Your concrete is likely about 4 inches thick. A crack will go all the way through. Filling the crack to the bottom with a filler that will cure below grade, absorb into the walls of the crack and flex will keep moisture vapor from traveling to the surface. There are also some heavy duty epoxies used for waterproofing that are an excellent alternative.

The next step is to etch, shotblast or grind the surface to either provide increased surface area or open the pores of the concrete. Etching with a gel acid is a simple and effective way to profile the concrete with results similar to shotblasting. Shotblasting is the process of shooting thousands of tiny ball bearings at the surface. Either process will abrade the surface feeling like 100 grit sandpaper. This is the process before applying an epoxy coating.

Floor grinding is another surface prep method which opens the air holes and veins of the concrete while also removing the highs and lows of the floor. This is the correct process if using a polyurea or polyaspartic coating. These two materials are different than epoxies. Polyureas absorb into the airholes and veins in concrete and actually cap off the surface preventing moisture damage. Epoxies do not have the capability to absorb into concrete. Instead they stick to the surface. The process of etching or shotblasting substantially increases the surface area for epoxy to stick to.

If you have low traffic and no moisture you may be able to get away with an epoxy paint. In a garage a high performance epoxy or polyurea is the best choice for holding up to hot tires caused by road friction and chemicals that may drop to the floor. If moisture is an issue a properly prepared floor with a polyurea coating is your best choice.

Another difference to consider between an epoxy and polyureas is what happens with micro scratches that are inevitable. Epoxies get a frayed edge from scratches which trap dirt and surface moisture creating a bacteria build. Surface scratches on a polyurea are straight making it easy to clean and avoid bacteria build.

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Garage Flooring Paint - Renew Your Garage Floor with Paint

If you are tired of looking at the bleak unattractive floor in your garage, take a stand! Use garage floor paint. Not only is painting a great protection for your floor, but also creates an extra dimension to your garage. Your choices are many and you're sure to find exactly the right product to your home style and color match.
Many of us have oil stains, radiator fluid stains or grease stains on the garage. Although most garage floors equipped to handle such evil dirt and stains, they still make the area unattractive and difficult to clean.
It is important to use garage floor paint that is specially designed for this purpose. With standard color can sometimes create more problems than just an unattractive floor. Oils is heated and melt everything run over them, and might, as if to wash away the paint on the water during the experiment, the cleaning. With one of the many garage> Floor paints on the market can eliminate these problems.

Garage Flooring Paint

The garage floor paint must be applied to an extremely clean floor. There are solutions available to the old dirt and stains that may be on the concrete floor, remove them. If you are not yet in a position to remove the stains, you can try using a pressure washer. Once your floor is clean and dry you can apply the garage floor paint.These colors are designed to oils and other liquids that come together in vehicles in the garage can resist. Pickling, if the paint is applied, it should be no problem.

Another option that adds a little spice to your garage floor is masonry staining. Paint the garage, it gives you a touch of style, but keep your floors practical. In a variety of colors Stain can be purchased.

Takes place in both variants, still need to be cleaned.Instructions for cleaning should buy the specific type of paint or stain you come from. If you can not find instructions for cleaning, call the manufacturer, such as proper maintenance is crucial for the performance and longevity of your newly surfaced floor.

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