# Kilz ?



## ProWallGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

I would use Zinsser's BIN. It is a better vapor barrier IMHO.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

Like Pro, BIN.


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

Thank you ProWallGuy! Does B-I-N go on clear or white? Should I use the spray or the paint-on? It will involve pulling all of the shelves out and reaching up underneath the cabinetry (i.e. crawling...)

Afterwards, will I need to go over it with the Zinsser Perma-White mildew-proof paint?


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

Teetorbilt: not sure what you mean by Pro BIN.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

I'd also recommend the BIN


kenziekiss said:


> Does B-I-N go on clear or white?


 White


kenziekiss said:


> Should I use the spray or the paint-on?


 Depends on what you feel comfortable with
Probably brush on is the safest (no over-spray), but I often use the spray


kenziekiss said:


> It will involve pulling all of the shelves out and reaching up underneath the cabinetry (i.e. crawling...)


 Better brush it, you don't want that spray bouncing back into your eyes


kenziekiss said:


> Afterwards, will I need to go over it with the Zinsser Perma-White mildew-proof paint?


 No you won't _need_ to
Although that is the best mildew resistant paint I have found, you won't _need_ to use it, as you have fixed the moisture problem
However, you may want to, as it is a great mildew and stain resistant easily cleanable paint


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> Teetorbilt: not sure what you mean by Pro BIN.


 Me means he agrees with *Pro*WallGuy, or "Pro" as he calls him


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

*more of the mystery mildew smell...*

I'm also having a problem with mysterious mildew smells throughout the house. It's 1920 stucco Spanish. When I walk in the front door, it always smells mildewy. I know the previous owners had a prob with water beneath the house. They had to rip out the flhardwood floor in livingroom and redo it due to warping. It still smells funny, though. Is there some kind of clear BIN I could use to seal away the smell?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> Is there some kind of clear BIN I could use to seal away the smell?


Not that I'm aware of
You would have to find the source anyway, and once you found the source, it would probably be best to eliminate it


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

Argh, Slick, that's the problem. I would have to take up about 1,500 sq. feet of hardwood flooring. Or install fans beneath the house to dry out damp soil.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

Ken, I cut my teeth on homes of that type from that era. Where is the home located?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> ...I would have to take up about 1,500 sq. feet of hardwood flooring...



It's the flooring that smells?!?
Yeah I could see you wanting to seal the wood floors
Though I do floors, I must say I've never had to seal one to get rid of an odor


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## OneWheelBiting (Nov 7, 2005)

Kilz not Kilz 2 it the shiznit. But try using a mix of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water sprayed on to the area with mold do this twice over 2 day and allow to dry then paint.....


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

House is in Los Angeles near UCLA. Old, cold exterior stucco walls about 1 ft. deep. 

What kind of person would I call to help me figure out where the midlew is coming from? I called one of those "mold specialists" and they wanted something like a $3,000 deposit. They were going to take specimins to a lab somewhere to see if it was deadly black mold! I have a feeling it's just wet ground underneath the house. Someone said to have fans on timers installed under there. SOunded like an expensive alternative.


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## OneWheelBiting (Nov 7, 2005)

Call someone who is a old school painter the whole mold thing is blown way out....Just let him tell you what you should do. I wouldn't get to crazy.


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## ProWallGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

Can the crawlspace just be ventilated?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> What kind of person would I call to help me figure out where the midlew is coming from? I called one of those "mold specialists" and they wanted something like a $3,000 deposit.


 Hey for 3K fly me out there, I'll take a look 

I think you will have to have some eyeballs, and noses on the ground on this one
There's know way to tell over the interweb if you even have a mildew problem, or it's the ground, or it's in the wood, or what

I wouldn't give someone a 3K deposit for a look-see
But if it costs 50 or 100 to get someone to look at it...it might be worth it

You could have a horrendous mold problem, one a little bleach isn't gonna cure
You could have no mold, and just some dead possums under there

If the smell has permeated the flooring...well then it's in there...

Listen, you haven't mentioned seeing any mildew, just smelling it
Have you seen any mold or mildew?
Could you take some pics if you do?
Or take some pics of the crawlspace?
And any mold/mildew down there?

That would at least give us something to go on
Like "aww that's nuthin" or "Cripes it's the Green Blob 'o' Death"

And no matter what, I'd try and fit a fan on either side, one facing in, one out, and put them on high
It couldn't hurt


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

I haven't seen ANY mold or mildew -- just smelled it. 

Would I call an old-school PAINTER type guy to crawl under the house? I can't imagine a painter would want to do that...Any other ideas of the kind of person I would call? Does anyone know what those under-house, electronically controlled fans are called?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> ..Any other ideas of the kind of person I would call?


Yes a cleaning company
Serv-Pro, Service Master, that type of service (not Merry Maids lol)
The kind that do fire damage/water damage clean-up and such
At least it shouldn't cost 3K to get them to come out there
They may be able to help pin-point the source of the odor and perhaps eliminate it


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

kenziekiss said:


> Does anyone know what those under-house, electronically controlled fans are called?


Around here they don't sell a specific fan for that (that I know of)
Those dual fans that fit into the window are available with thermostats on them, they work well
Other than that, use whatever you can make fit/work

Also, I don't know the technical name, but I do borrow a large humidifier-looking thing that my buddy calls the mold-killer
It has a large fan that sucks in air past a UV light to kill mildew/mold spores
After running that for a few days in a nasty basement, (along with suface treatment of mold/mildew) it can actually kill the floating spores and eliminate the musty smell
If your odor is cased by mold/mildew, it may be worth it to see if one of these units is available at the rental centers in your area
I will call my buddy today and ask him what it's called


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

My A/C company will install that sucker for $1,200. I think it's a Honeywell U.V. filter system. Thank you! I think I will call Serv-Pro and see what they have to say. How did you guys get to be so smart?


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## Mike Swearingen (Mar 15, 2005)

kenziekiss,
It isn't expensive to put an exhaust fan in to help ventilate a crawlspace.
First, calculate the cubic footage of the crawlspace (height X width X length). I then doubled that when I did it, because I'm a firm believer that if you have a moisure problem, there's no such thing as "too much" ventilation. 
I live on the Albemarle Sound in coastal NC with very high ground and air moisture. The air moisture is usually so high that a ground vapor barrier wouldn't have been any help. (Had dripping pipes and ductwork under my home, plus the musty odor, etc. from condensation.)
I finally solved the problem by installing a 10" louvered exhaust fan in a pressure-treated custom-built crawlspace door that I run 24/7 year-round, with all crawlspace vents wide open, in all but freezing weather. It runs on a little 1/30th hp motor and keeps it bone dry under there. 
I got the exhaust fan (actually for dairy barns) from www.wwgrainger.com for about $130 or so.
I built the crawlspace door with a 14" square hole in the middle for the fan housing. The door was 1/2" p-t plywood with two layers of p-t 2X4s around the inside opening and one layer around the outside to handle the exhaust fan housing and louvers. I put hardware cloth and screen on the outside to keep out insects, mice., snakes and other unwanted things. 
It bolts on with four lag bolts on the inside, and I just plug it in and let 'er roll. I oil the little fan motor about every other month when running. Uses so little electricity that you can't even tell that it's there, and as I said, it keeps it bone dry.
Good Luck!
Mike


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

Thank you, Mike , for the detailed advice! I am going to the grainger website to check it out. I do have a crawlspace beneath the house. My only problem is that the wet ground may be expansive. The house is a 2-story stucco, approx. 3500 sq. feet. So, I'm thinking the wet ground may cover 1,000 sq. feet of base. What size fan do you think I would need? Or perhaps two fans coming from two angles? 

Debbie


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## kenziekiss (Nov 5, 2005)

Hey Mike -- what is the name or model Number of the fan you bought? There are 75 pages of 'em!!


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