Temporary Solution To A Bigger Problem
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
February 20, 2013 7:54am CST
Me and John have our own bedrooms we sleep in. We don't have a problem with this so there is no reason for anyone else to have a problem with it.
However, what I DO have a problem with is the dark green mould in the corner of my room. Now, we do know what's causing it and it's the guttering outside. There is a slight crack in it and the water is drip, drip, dripping into the walls and, over time, the interior has developed this mould.
Normal people would TREAT the outside first before tackling the inside, but, due to John not being interested AT ALL on the outside, I have decided that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and I'm going to PAINT the interior walls/ceiling with some Dulux Emulsion I have left over from doing the landing ceiling recently.
This job isn't as easy as it sounds as the wooden curtain pole and curtains would have to come down..and we need ladders for that job. John mumbled something about getting ladders but I'm not sure if he meant from his Dad (who would have to know what I'm doing if John went round to his house) or if he's going to buy some.
I really don't know.
One thing's for sure though. I am sick of looking at this mould and I'd rather paint over it than trying to treat it with some strange concoction, as that might damage the walls further and the wallpaper might come off. Painting over it would be temporary but, in my view, better than nothing..and we already have the paint.
What are your thoughts on this hair-brained idea? Is it a bit too radical, even for me?
5 people like this
12 responses
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
20 Feb 13
You and my mum I am damn sure are cut from the same cloth, her husband, my father has the same attitude as John, they won't do a thing, so unless you want anything done, you have to do it yourself, mum has done all the DIY, the fixing, the mending, the repairing, you name it, she is tenacious like me, she won't give up, she admits she's no expert but at least she tries, something that father won't even bother to do! You can but try my dear friend, no harm in trying, if it doesn't work, at least you have tried and if it does, think of how proud you will be for your achievement! If you do nothing, it will only get worse! Good luck my friend and you have my full admiration.
3 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
John isn't lazy (far from it as he works hard for the money) but, that's just it, extra money to sort out problems PERMANENTLY is hard to come by, which is why I have come up with this temporary solution to a bigger problem..even though I have said many times that sorting the guttering out would not be a huge outlay..you would be surprised how many people neglect that area of their homes.
As for my Dad, well, he IS lazy but that's due to him being in pain all the time. He does use it as an excuse to do NOTHING though and when Mum showed him the fandabidozi battery-operated Black and Decker screwdriver she'd bought him (after seeing him struggle with conventional screwdrivers) he told her he doesn't think he'll be able to use it. In other words, he can't be ar*ed. In our household the willingness is there but we are short of cash. In Mum's house the money gets saved up over time but if a job wants doing MUM has to do it, she has no choice. Currently (despite being on holiday for a week) she feels obliged to paint the door jambs. Dad just sits on his ar*e in the front room and lets her do it.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (157488)
• United States
20 Feb 13
Even though it is wall paper I would fix a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide and spray it down really well first. There also used to be an additive you could stir into your paint that will kill the mold. If you are going to do that much work you might as well get that as well.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
21 Feb 13
yhes janeyh mold it really not healthy to be around.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
No doubt John will conveniently forget all about 'ladders' over weekend so I won't be able to do anything if he does.
I have taken your comments on board though..and thanks.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45437)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb 13
Wipe it down with bleach first.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45437)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb 13
As long as you don't get it sopping wet, it should be ok. If you don't, it will just come through the paint again.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
My initial plan was to paint, then wait for the mould to come through as it's very slow growing.
I told you I was too radical!
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
That might take the wallpaper off, something I don't wish to happen..not yet anyway. No money to decorate the bedroom fully so I thought the painting would be a temporary solution. The proper treatment will come much, much later..probably 2025 lol.
2 people like this
@derek_a (10874)
•
20 Feb 13
Hi Janey, We have lived in many houses through my life and experienced mould in many of them - especially in the bedrooms! With us it has usually been caused by damp coming in from the outside - usually on a wall that gets all the weather extremes. Sometime external treatment has worked, but in my experience it has always come back. In our older houses it has not been possible to put in cavity wall insulation as that usually fixes it. So what we did was to purchase a dehumidifier - they have in the Argos from £50 upwards - we bought one around £80 if I remember correctly. Anyway, it did the job and stopped the mould which was because of the inside wall being so much warmer than the outside wall which formed the damp and then mould. I have read that it is not healthy to sleep in a room with mould because we are breathing in spores that over time can cause health problems.
We thought that it would be OK in our more modern bungalow but there it is in our bedroom once again, and out came the dehumidifier that has fixed it once. This time it is again because of the difference in temperature between outer and inner wall. Before we realized that it was there, it had got into our wardrobe and we had to throw clothes away because mould got on them too. This time we can have insulation because the wall is a cavity brick wall. But we are still thinking on that one. 
_Derek
_Derek2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
Hiya Derek. Well, because of my Dad's age (he's over 70) cavity wall insulation and loft insulation was free..but I don't know your age so I can't comment on your situation.
We can't have cavity wall insulation (although we do have loft insulation) due to the fact we live in a terraced house. Mind you, it doesn't stop firms from ringing us up going on about grants. If we get anymore I shall make a point of saying, 'You're obviously going through the telephone directory because, if you weren't you would know that our street is full of terraced houses..leave us alone!'
I shall give a dehumidifier some serious thought, thanks.
We can't have cavity wall insulation (although we do have loft insulation) due to the fact we live in a terraced house. Mind you, it doesn't stop firms from ringing us up going on about grants. If we get anymore I shall make a point of saying, 'You're obviously going through the telephone directory because, if you weren't you would know that our street is full of terraced houses..leave us alone!'
I shall give a dehumidifier some serious thought, thanks.1 person likes this
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
20 Feb 13
If it were me, I think that I'd try spraying down the area with white vinegar first to take care of the issue. Paint will simply mask the problem, and it won't prevent structural damage. In order to do that, you have to get rid of the mold and keep eliminating any bit of it that comes back.
Does John not realize that not repairing the problem on the outside is eventually going to cost him a lot more money and effort trying to fix the structural issues caused by the dripping water?
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
I have mentioned that to him, yes, but it falls on deaf ears. I've also mentioned it to his Dad and he's the same..not interested. Even the roof has a temporary fix on it as no-one can be bothered laying out the extra cash to get it sorted permanently. It's waterproofed around the chimney but that's it. Once it goes, it goes, I shall have no part to play in the disaster that will - undoubtedly - unfold over time.
The same goes for the guttering which is peanuts to buy. It's just paying someone to install it would be the greatest expense..and it's this that John or his Dad are reluctant to to. It's like..well, my Dad can't do it so why should I get someone else in? All a bit pathetic but there you go.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45437)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb 13
Are there any residential improvement programs in your area? They're usually for low income people, so I don't know if you'd qualify, but it'd be worth looking into.
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
20 Feb 13
I don't have anything to input about your hair-brained idea. But all day today, I've been dealing with a customer of ours who've had a rejection on a product we made for them. They ship this part out to their own customer, and that was were the rejection started. To make a long story short, they've decided not to blame us for the 'mistake' because they themselves failed to catch the mistake. One of the people I've been talking to mentioned about painting over this issue and start fresh. It sounded familiar when I read this discussion.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Feb 13
LOL. I can see the similarities and I hope you have a better day tomorrow my friend.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Feb 13
We've not got the money to do either at the moment, even though we do have the paint..that's no good if no ladder to get up there and do awkward bits.
Not one of my better ideas.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
24 Feb 13
honestly?you really do need to address the leak first-there could be more than is showing on the surface,such as inside the wall.if that space fills also with mold,you're gonna have a raging health hazard at some point,if not a structural.
i would hire somebody if he doesn't want to.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
24 Feb 13
I haven't got the money to hire somebody, otherwise I would do.
@dawnald (85130)
• Shingle Springs, California
21 Feb 13
It's just that mold is unhealthy, and painting over it might just make it worse. Best get rid of it before it grows any further and creates health problems.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Feb 13
Hiya MandaLee, we may go down the dehumidifier route, but I shall keep you posted.
1 person likes this
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
20 Feb 13
If there is nobody yet to do the repair for that spot, then painting on it temporarily would make you fell better about your room. Just don't forget to have it done coz it still would be dripping on your room if you wouldn't fix it from the outside.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Feb 13
Well, I can't see the drips actually appearing on the inner wall but I get what you mean. It's no good painting the interior if the exterior guttering isn't seen to at some point, right?
I totally agree my friend!
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16518)
• China
21 Feb 13
You had better treat the outside first if you want to sort it out once for all.It will get worse in rainy days.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Feb 13
The mould has taken a fair while to appear but has grown..a bit, since I've known John, some 10 years nearly.
It would be great if the guttering could be sorted out but it won't so I'm wasting my energy even mentioning it to John or his Dad.
Time and again I see properties where the guttering has been left to rot and it's such a simple job to take care of..so, we're not alone it seems.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16518)
• China
22 Feb 13
Many people don't want to take the trouble ,so they tend to leave it alone before they have to sort it out.
