Stop Mold Before it Starts
Mold is the stuff of nightmares for developers, owners and property managers. By the time you find mold in a community there is usually an expensive and time consuming remediation process on the horizon. The last thing any apartment owner wants is a health risk for their residents, so every dollar you use to prevent mold is a dollar well spent
By Mike Ratliff, Senior Associate Editor
M2Tech
Mold is the stuff of nightmares for developers, owners and property managers. By the time you find mold in a community there is usually an expensive and time consuming remediation process on the horizon. The last thing any apartment owner wants is a health risk for their residents, so every dollar you use to prevent mold is a dollar well spent.
With September designated by the EPA as National Indoor Mold Awareness Month, building products brand CertainTeed Corp. has put forth a few tips and products for keeping your property mold free. First off, ask your maintenance team to check for leaky roofs, foundations, faucets and pipes on a regular basis. Sending an e-email out to your residents asking them to check for and report any leaks might be a good idea as well. Any leaks should be fixed immediately and allowed to dry out. It is also a smart idea to keep tabs on the humidity level inside your community. The ideal range is between 30 and 50 percent (you can pick up a humidity reader on the cheap at a local hardware store).
But Ben Franklin’s famous proverb that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is perhaps the best advice for dealing with mold. CertainTeed has a suite of building products aimed at preventing the scourge all together. FortiCel is a protective coating solution perfect for studs, wood framing, concrete and floor joints when either building or renovating a community. It helps prevent mold surface growth and is backed by a 25-year warranty.
MemBrain Installation
When raising or replacing drywall it is also smart to look for products that inhibit mold growth. CertainTeed’s M2Tech gypsum board and finisher products are one route. The system is moisture and mold resistant, as well as Greenguard Gold certified. These types of boards are especially important in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms that tend to build up moisture.
Sometimes creating a water tight barrier can have the unintended consequence of making it easy for moisture to become trapped within a wall cavity. One solution is CertainTeed’s MemBrain smart vapor retarder and air barrier film, which not only blocks moisture and air, but also allows wall cavities to breath and stay dry by allowing moisture to escape.
For more information on these products or to find a mold remediation specialist be sure to visit CertainTeed.
