# Mold Remediation - To encapsulate or not?



## cjaustin81 (Sep 4, 2014)

I have some white mold on the floor joists in my basement. This was due to not running a dehumidifier or AC this past Spring/Summer. I'm getting ready to clean it up and HEPA vacuum everything but I'm conflicted on whether I should use an encapsulating paint (Fosters 40-25) on all the wood in the basement (floor joists, stairs, drywall by stairs)?

I had one company come out and they suggested I use the encapsulation, then I had another company come out that was against using it. I then called the company that makes MicroBan and spoke to a tech there and he said I don't need an encapsulating paint.

I'm curious to see what you guys think? 

I was told the mold is a 1-2 out of 10. (10 being the worst).


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Never even heard of any one encapsulating it, and I used to have an exterminator license.
We sprayed it with Bora care and left it alone.
It's a simple DIY job to spray it.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/boracare-with-moldcare-p-1265.html


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## cjaustin81 (Sep 4, 2014)

joecaption said:


> Never even heard of any one encapsulating it, and I used to have an exterminator license.
> We sprayed it with Bora care and left it alone.
> It's a simple DIY job to spray it.
> http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/boracare-with-moldcare-p-1265.html


I can't believe you've never heard of a fungicidal encapsulate. That seems to be the big thing right now in mold remediation to prevent further growth. I looked up that Bora care and it's hard for me to tell what that exactly is. It does appear to be a sort of mold prevention but I'm not sure if it's an encapsulate. 

This article shows a basic mold remediation process using encapsulate > 

http://www.trfenv.com/services/mold_remediation/fox_valley/st._charles

The stuff has a 10 year warranty guaranteeing the mold won't return. I just wanted to get thoughts on these products since an inspector can clearly see it after it's applied and this one dries white (but is also the best stuff).


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## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

The big thing is sand blasting. That will take it all away and make it look new again. You should remove/replace the wood if it is rotten, nothing will kill dry rot.
btw, you can get borax 6 mules is much cheaper.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Well you can't "sandblast" drywall and you don't want to sandblast any finish materials. Sandblasting won't remove the source and until that is done anything other than a simple remediation is a waste of money. In all of my "mold abatement" training and certifications no one has ever mentioned "encapsulating" mold as a remedy. Encapsulating asbestos is done all of the time but encapsulating mold doesn't make any sense.

Microban is a great product (there are others) and is all anyone will need to kill the current infestation and stave-off any recurrence in the near future. A regular treatment with Microban would be a permanent fix so to speak but would not necessarily eliminate the source.

There are are paints available that contain Microban and [that] would be a form of encapsulation but shouldn't be done until the current presence is remediated.

What does an inspector have to do with anything? I don't understand that comment.


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## cjaustin81 (Sep 4, 2014)

begal said:


> The big thing is sand blasting. That will take it all away and make it look new again. You should remove/replace the wood if it is rotten, nothing will kill dry rot.
> btw, you can get borax 6 mules is much cheaper.


Sand blasting is NOT a proper form of mold remediation. For dywall and lumbar you need a product that will PENETRATE into the wood. Borax 6 mules does not penetrate into the wood and will not kill the mold like Microban. Borax 6 and bleach are non-porous products. It's also not an EPA registered product for mold, such as Microban. When dealing with wood it's critical to use porous products that will penetrate the wood to get at and kill the roots. 

When you're talking about floor joists of a house with minimal surface mold, replacing the wood doesn't make sense one bit.


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## cjaustin81 (Sep 4, 2014)

Bud Cline said:


> Well you can't "sandblast" drywall and you don't want to sandblast any finish materials. Sandblasting won't remove the source and until that is done anything other than a simple remediation is a waste of money. In all of my "mold abatement" training and certifications no one has ever mentioned "encapsulating" mold as a remedy. Encapsulating asbestos is done all of the time but encapsulating mold doesn't make any sense.
> 
> Microban is a great product (there are others) and is all anyone will need to kill the current infestation and stave-off any recurrence in the near future. A regular treatment with Microban would be a permanent fix so to speak but would not necessarily eliminate the source.
> 
> ...


Encapsulation prevents future mold growth in the event that the conditions would be humid again. Lets say there was a small flood in the basement, having the encapsulation would protect the wooden surfaces as best they could from mold until the basement is cleaned up. Or if I stopped running the dehumidifier for an extended period of time the encapsulate would protect the wood.

The inspector comment was due to this encapsulate paint being white. When I go to sell the house one day, any home inspector will be able to see that I put white encapsulate paint on all the wood in the basement.


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