This Oakland California home experienced a leak in the plumbing which upon first appearances did not appear to have caused much damage; however, mold remediation by Environmental CPR was necessary as you will see below.
This laminate hardwood floor may not look damaged but there is a hint of what's lurking under the flooring. There is mold growth at the base of the drywall which indicates that the floor was probably wet and that water probably got under the laminate flooring.
After pulling up one strip of the laminate flooring up against the wall, it is now obvious that there is severe mold growth under the laminate flooring. As you can see in the photo below, the laminate wood floor was installed over a vinyl-plastic cushion and that was installed over some type of felt paper which is now so moldy as to be stuck to the concrete underneath in most areas.
The plastic underlayment and the finish on the laminate flooring both act as moisture barriers so that when water gets below the underlayment, the water will have a very hard time evaporating. Placing a paper product on top of the concrete is a really bad idea since if it gets wet, mold will grow. And since the water really can't evaporate very quickly, the mold will continue to grow as long as the paper remains wet.
In this house in Oakland, CA, we wound up removing all of the laminate wood flooring and cutting the drywall two feet up from the floor. Yes, there was mold in the wall cavity on the wood studs and on the drywall.
With the laminate wood floor and the underlayment pulled up, what remained was a black moldy paper that was stuck right to the concrete. You can see the severe mold growth in the photo below as well as the ducting for the HEPA air filtration device required during mold remediation. The output of the HEPA air filtration device is ducted outside in order to create negative air pressure in the remediation areas so that air is always drawn into the mold remediation area, HEPA filtered, then blown outside; this prevents the spread of mold spores to other areas of the house.
For professional advice on mold remediation and water damage, call Environmental CPR at 925-806-0700. We are the "Paramedics of Property Damage."
When you hire a mold remediation company, always ask if they will guarantee that their work will pass a mold clearance test by a qualified third-party mold inspector or industrial hygienist.
Just this week I put bids for mold remediation work on three properties that have already had mold remediation work performed but by companies that do not guarantee that the property will pass a mold clearance test when the work is complete.
What does this mean? It means a lot of wasted money and time as the mold will now have to be remediated properly. Doing a poor job on the initial remediation can actually make the situation worse by spreading mold spores throughout the entire house instead of containing it to one room.
This is the case for two of the properties I recently encountered in Oakland, CA, and Berkeley, CA. Both initially had mold in just one room but due to poor work practices, the mold spores were not contained during remediation and released into the home environment and into the HVAC system. What was basically just a one-room remediation effort is now a whole house effort at about triple the cost of what it would have been initially if done properly.
You get what you pay for. If you don't get a guarantee that the remediation work will pass a clearance test then you may wind up doing the remediation effort all over again with a greater scope of work and a much bigger cost!
WATER DAMAGE - FIRE DAMAGE - MOLD REMEDIATION
Water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, and mold remediation and removal.
Water removal and in-place structural drying is a specialized business and Environmental CPR is the leader in this area. We driy the building structure thoroughly, reducing the threat of mold and other pathogens. This perfected system reduces drying time and eliminates the inconvenience that comes when a building is wet. Our state-of-the-art equipment and techniques dry most homes faster than other companies in the industry.
FIRE & SMOKE DAMAGE RESTORATION SERVICES:
Technicians can assess fire damaged scenarios and take immediate actions to reduce the loss. We understand the effects of smoke, heat, and residues caused by fire, smoke, and other forms of incomplete combustion. Cleaning immediately saves many items from having to be replaced--therefore, time is of the essence.
Deodorization procedures and HEPA air filtration systems are enacted to provide relief from airborne contamination. Smoke damaged buildings and personal property are restored using special processes, cleaning compounds, and state-of-the-art techniques allowing many items to be saved rather than replaced.
Smoke odor can be completely eliminated through proper cleaning, odor neutralization, and deodorization. Guaranteed!
When water saturates your home or business, you must act quickly in order to prevent permanent damage to your property. Carpet, hardwood floor, wet walls and tile can all be dried out and saved if caught in time. Even if your hardwood floors have begun to "cup" or warp, our specialized drying equipment can restore hardwood back to normal. Call today and have a professional assess your specific conditions and begin the drying process immediately.
Our state-of-the-art technology enables us to extract water directly from the carpet, carpet pad, and subfloor which allows us to dry your home without removing the carpet or carpet pad. In fact, all furnishings and contents may remain in the affected area while our dehumidifiers and air movers dry the entire structure and all its contents in-place. This is water damage restoration done right!
EMERGENCY WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION SERVICES:
We employ a nationally certified Water Damage Restoration Technician on every job which places us in the top 10% of the restoration industry.Why Choose Environmental CPR for your Mold Remediation Services?
If you smell mold in your home or office, then you have mold! What you smell are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) that are emitted by active mold which produces tha
t "moldy" or "musty" smell. Exposure to mold can be an irritant to the mucous membranes and can lead to respiratory problems and illness. Environmental CPR professionals handle mold issues every day and can safely remove mold from your home or work environment. In order for mold to grow in an indoor environment, there must be moisture present. The source of moisture must be identified and stopped or mold will continue to grow. After water intrusion has occurred, drywall and other building materials may appear to be dry but can still contain enough moisture for mold to grow.
A technician will use sophisticated metering equipment to identify the extent of moisture intrusion in and behind walls as well as in and under flooring material. After determination of the extent of mold and moisture intrusion, a remediation plan can be made for proper mold removal and professional drying if needed.
Water damage, fire damage, smoke damage, and mold remediation services for the California counties of San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Solano and the cities of San Francisco, Daly City, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Castro Valley, Livermore, Berkeley, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Albany, Alameda, El Sobrante, Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Clayton, Martinez, Benicia, and Vallejo.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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