I recently had my basement finished. The contractor used MDF to build a cabinet around my sump pump area. It has been about three months since the basement was finished. I decided now to have the cabinet painted. While looking at the cabinet I noticed mold growning on the inside of the doors. I have been told several things by others. 1st) The cabinet should be vented due to the sump pump, 2nd) I need to be sure the MDF isnt resting on the concrete as it will suck the water up like a wick. 3rd) Get it painted right away after cleaning the mold off with a bleach like substance. Is the contractor responisble for this problem at all? I did plan on painting the basement myself, but ws never told to get it done due to possible molding.

Thanks Dominic

"Dominic" wrote in message
news

I have been told several things by others. 1st) The cabinet
should be vented due to the sump pump, 2nd) I need to be sure the MDF
isnt resting on the concrete as it will suck the water up like a wick.
3rd) Get it painted right away after cleaning the mold off with a
bleach like substance. Is the contractor responisble for this problem
at all? I did plan on painting the basement myself, but ws never told
to get it done due to possible molding.

Not much venting is needed to compensate for what a pump will move. Natural
leaks at doors or floor should take care of that.

#2 and #3, yes.

It should have been painted. If you wee doing the painting, the problem is
yours as that is what was agreed to. Personally, I'd have used something
very open with screening to prevent mold from forming. Sump, water, mold,
just stop and think about it.

Hi Dominic,
I think the reason no one has answered is that no one can believe that
someone would use MDF for such an application. I would think that water
resistant plywood or painted MDO would be the reasonable choices.
Cheers, JG


"Dominic" wrote in message
news

I recently had my basement finished. The contractor used MDF to build a
cabinet around my sump pump area. It has been about three months since
the basement was finished. I decided now to have the cabinet painted.
While looking at the cabinet I noticed mold growning on the inside of
the doors. I have been told several things by others. 1st) The cabinet
should be vented due to the sump pump, 2nd) I need to be sure the MDF
isnt resting on the concrete as it will suck the water up like a wick.
3rd) Get it painted right away after cleaning the mold off with a
bleach like substance. Is the contractor responisble for this problem
at all? I did plan on painting the basement myself, but ws never told
to get it done due to possible molding.

Thanks Dominic




--
Dominic

Well thanks to both of you for replying. The painting discussion was that I would do any finishing painting. So there was never any discussion about needing to primer due to any possible problem. Not being a contractor I would have never thought that there would be any problems. We didnt paint the inside of the home for two years after the building was completed. Looking at the contract there was a price for finishing painting, which we declined.

JG,
They said they have used this materials 150 times and never had any problems. I guess they assumed I would paint it immediatley. The contractor came over and bleached out the doors and any mold areas. They are allowing it to dry for four days with the cabinet doors open. We will then close it for a couple more to see if any of the mold returns. They did say they will put a primer coat on the MDF inside and out using Kilz.

I'd be certain to use a mildewcide in the paint. I'm not sure if I'm
spelling that correctly, but the product prevents mold from growing in
the paint film.

I'd also be concerned that mold would return no matter what. If this
is a small, closed-off area, would it be possible to add some
ventilation in some way? Perhaps a vent at floor level and a small
(nearly invisible and inaudible) fan up high? Something no larger than
one of the larger muffin fans used for electronics cooling.

Dominic wrote:
Well thanks to both of you for replying. The painting discussion was
that I would do any finishing painting. So there was never any
discussion about needing to primer due to any possible problem. Not
being a contractor I would have never thought that there would be any
problems. We didnt paint the inside of the home for two years after the
building was completed. Looking at the contract there was a price for
finishing painting, which we declined.

JG,
They said they have used this materials 150 times and never had any
problems. I guess they assumed I would paint it immediatley. The
contractor came over and bleached out the doors and any mold areas.
They are allowing it to dry for four days with the cabinet doors open.
We will then close it for a couple more to see if any of the mold
returns. They did say they will put a primer coat on the MDF inside and
out using Kilz.


JGS Wrote:
Hi Dominic,
I think the reason no one has answered is that no one can believe that

someone would use MDF for such an application. I would think that water

resistant plywood or painted MDO would be the reasonable choices.
Cheers, JG


"Dominic" wrote in message
news
I recently had my basement finished. The contractor used MDF to build
a
cabinet around my sump pump area. It has been about three months
since
the basement was finished. I decided now to have the cabinet painted.
While looking at the cabinet I noticed mold growning on the inside of
the doors. I have been told several things by others. 1st) The
cabinet
should be vented due to the sump pump, 2nd) I need to be sure the MDF
isnt resting on the concrete as it will suck the water up like a
wick.
3rd) Get it painted right away after cleaning the mold off with a
bleach like substance. Is the contractor responisble for this problem
at all? I did plan on painting the basement myself, but ws never told
to get it done due to possible molding.

Thanks Dominic




--
Dominic -




--
Dominic

Dominic wrote:
Well thanks to both of you for replying. The painting discussion was
that I would do any finishing painting. So there was never any
discussion about needing to primer due to any possible problem. Not
being a contractor I would have never thought that there would be any
problems. We didnt paint the inside of the home for two years after the
building was completed. Looking at the contract there was a price for
finishing painting, which we declined.

Painting and priming are both painting. Unless your contract
specifically differentiated, they're both your responsibility.

The mold is also yours. Three things are needed for mold to grow.
Moisture, the correct temperature range, and mold spores. It's your
house and you're the one feeding the mold growth. Unless your contract
specifically called for the contractor to deal with the mold, it's your
responsibility.

Waiting days after cleaning off the mold to see if it will come back
makes no sense. Clean it, let it dry, paint it. A bleach solution for
cleaning, and mildecide paint or mildecide additive to regular paint.
There are primer and top coat systems that give guarantees against the
mold returning within a specified time period, but it's still your
house and your actions or inactions supporting the growth.

For a sump pump cover I would not have used MDF. There are PVC wood
substitutes and composite decking materials which are far more
suitable.

R

R
What are your suggestions to stop this from continuing. Ripping the cabinent out and replacing it with another type of material? They also used MDF on the window sills. Should I have those replaced as well? We have been in the house a total of four years now. We have never had a mold problem until the cabinent (4 ft tall with 2 doors to access the sump pump) was built. I have not changed anything in my basement as far as heating or ventilation. I have not changed the tempature, I have not added any moisture, and I did not put mold spores into the cabinent. I am simply a consumer that paid to have a basement finished and asked to paint the walls myself. I suppose from now on I will have to get a lawyer involved before putting another addition onto my house next year.

Thanks D

Painting and priming are both painting. Unless your contract
specifically differentiated, they're both your responsibility.

The mold is also yours. Three things are needed for mold to grow.
Moisture, the correct temperature range, and mold spores. It's your
house and you're the one feeding the mold growth. Unless your contract
specifically called for the contractor to deal with the mold, it's your
responsibility.

Waiting days after cleaning off the mold to see if it will come back
makes no sense. Clean it, let it dry, paint it. A bleach solution for
cleaning, and mildecide paint or mildecide additive to regular paint.
There are primer and top coat systems that give guarantees against the
mold returning within a specified time period, but it's still your
house and your actions or inactions supporting the growth.

For a sump pump cover I would not have used MDF. There are PVC wood
substitutes and composite decking materials which are far more
suitable.

R[/quote]

In addition to the others suggestions about killing the mold and then
painting, I would like to suggest the following:

The cabinet over the sump pump area holds in the water vapor and it is
building up to levels that allow the mold to grow. Even if you paint the
inside and outside of the cabinet and kill all of the mold that is there now
it will come back because of the high humidity inside the cabinet. In order
to keep the mold from growing you will need to ventilate the cabinet. You
could put louvers in the doors so the air in the cabinet is free to exchange
with the air in the room or a vent pipe to the outside of the house with a
small fan to draw the high humidity air out of the cabinet. Whatever method
you choose will have to change the air in the cabinet several times a day to
keep the humidity levels low inside the cabinet. You can't eliminate the
source of the humidity, which is the water in the sump, so you will have to
find a way of removing the water vapor. We boat owners deal with this
problem all the time in below deck rooms and cabinets. Ventilation is the
only solution that solves the problem.

--
Charley


"Dominic" wrote in message
news

R
What are your suggestions to stop this from continuing. Ripping the
cabinent out and replacing it with another type of material? They also
used MDF on the window sills. Should I have those replaced as well? We
have been in the house a total of four years now. We have never had a
mold problem until the cabinent (4 ft tall with 2 doors to access the
sump pump) was built. I have not changed anything in my basement as far
as heating or ventilation. I have not changed the tempature, I have not
added any moisture, and I did not put mold spores into the cabinent. I
am simply a consumer that paid to have a basement finished and asked to
paint the walls myself. I suppose from now on I will have to get a
lawyer involved before putting another addition onto my house next
year.

Thanks D

Painting and priming are both painting. Unless your contract
specifically differentiated, they're both your responsibility.

The mold is also yours. Three things are needed for mold to grow.
Moisture, the correct temperature range, and mold spores. It's your
house and you're the one feeding the mold growth. Unless your
contract
specifically called for the contractor to deal with the mold, it's
your
responsibility.

Waiting days after cleaning off the mold to see if it will come back
makes no sense. Clean it, let it dry, paint it. A bleach solution
for
cleaning, and mildecide paint or mildecide additive to regular paint.
There are primer and top coat systems that give guarantees against the
mold returning within a specified time period, but it's still your
house and your actions or inactions supporting the growth.

For a sump pump cover I would not have used MDF. There are PVC wood
substitutes and composite decking materials which are far more
suitable.

R




--
Dominic

Dominic wrote:

What are your suggestions to stop this from continuing. Ripping the
cabinent out and replacing it with another type of material? They also
used MDF on the window sills. Should I have those replaced as well? We
have been in the house a total of four years now. We have never had a
mold problem until the cabinent (4 ft tall with 2 doors to access the
sump pump) was built. I have not changed anything in my basement as far
as heating or ventilation. I have not changed the tempature, I have not
added any moisture, and I did not put mold spores into the cabinent. I
am simply a consumer that paid to have a basement finished and asked to
paint the walls myself. I suppose from now on I will have to get a
lawyer involved before putting another addition onto my house next
year.

I can understand a bit of frustration as you learn your way through
this little problem, but the lawyer bit is being a bit melodramatic,
no?

Spores are everywhere. You don't have to go out of your way to
physically place them somewhere. Open your door and you're letting in
spores. Step on the carpet and you're stirring up spores. That's the
world we live in.

Another poster pointed out that the sump is supplying the moisture that
the mold needs to grow. Since the sump pump is there to deal with the
water, you can't remove that. What remains is to prevent mold growth.

As I mentioned previously, MDF would not have been my choice for the
sump cover. Not because of the mold, but because of how MDF reacts to
water. If it is cleaned, the mold killed, and you use mildecide primer
and paint, and periodically check the cover for mold (maintenance is
often simply periodically checking the status), you should be able to
keep the mold in check. I would also consider placing one of those
silica gel containers, such as DampRid, inside the cover to absorb the
excess moisture.

Immediately painting the MDF would have gone a long way to ameliorating
your present situation. Paint is not merely a cosmetic finish.
Unfortunately the questions you need to ask before starting a project
aren't apparent until you're in the project and the questions arise due
to problems.

In the greater scheme of things this is a small problem. A little mold
won't kill you and it won't get out of control unless you let it.
Consider this a wakeup call and a learning experience.

R

R

The sump pump does not have an MDF cover. The cover is a metal lid with two holes in the top to allow the pvc pipes to eject the water. Should this cover be sealed in some fashion like the ejector pit for the bathroom? The MDF was used to construct a cabinent around the area of the sump pump. Are you suggesting I put this Damprid inside the cabinent?


R[/quote]

As I mentioned previously, MDF would not have been my choice for the
sump cover. Not because of the mold, but because of how MDF reacts to
water. If it is cleaned, the mold killed, and you use mildecide primer
and paint, and periodically check the cover for mold (maintenance is
often simply periodically checking the status), you should be able to
keep the mold in check. I would also consider placing one of those
silica gel containers, such as DampRid, inside the cover to absorb the
excess moisture.

R[/quote]

Dominic wrote:

The sump pump does not have an MDF cover. The cover is a metal lid
with two holes in the top to allow the pvc pipes to eject the water.
Should this cover be sealed in some fashion like the ejector pit for
the bathroom? The MDF was used to construct a cabinent around the area
of the sump pump. Are you suggesting I put this Damprid inside the
cabinent?

Yes, I understood that the actual sump cover was not MDF, and that the
MDF was some sort of cabinet/cover hiding the cover. And, also yes,
the tub of DampRid inside the MDF box will absorb excess moisture.
This becomes a maintenance thing like changing storm door screens for
glass in winter. The silica gel can be put in the oven at a
temperature of about 300 degrees to dry it out so it can be reused. It
will last indefinitely.

R