DIY Builds
DIY Builds
Photo: Daria Klimova
Use 1 part bleach to 3 parts water, according to Sherwin-Williams. If you don't want to use bleach but do want something other than water, try vinegar, borax or branded products that you can find at a hardware store or home center, which also kill mold.
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armoured cable One of the most frequently asked questions is what outdoor electrical cable do I need to power my shed? The answer is armoured cable.
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The use of 90° elbows upstream of a pump inlet can distort the approach flow resulting in spatial and temporal velocity variations and swirling...
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If the surface is stained and will stand up to bleach, or if you plan to repaint and are following instructions from the paint manufacturer, wipe the cleaned surface with a diluted bleach solution. Use 1 part bleach to 3 parts water, according to Sherwin-Williams. If you don’t want to use bleach but do want something other than water, try vinegar, borax or branded products that you can find at a hardware store or home center, which also kill mold. Even if you do sterilize the surface, though, enough mold spores are always floating around in the air that mold can regrow if the conditions are right. If the mold is on a porous surface, such as ceiling tiles or unpainted drywall, there is no way to completely get rid of it. You will need to remove and replace the moldy material. Besides making this a much more complicated job, removing contaminated material also greatly increases the risk of stirring up mold. Switch off and seal vents for heating and air conditioning, and try to create negative air pressure in the room. Pros do this by taping up plastic sheeting and setting up an exhaust fan to pull room air out through a window. For a relatively small job in a small room, you might just clear out the room (so you don’t have to decontaminate everything later), close the door and switch on a box fan in a window. Tape up cardboard to seal around the fan, so fresh air doesn’t come in from the window; you want the fan to be pulling air from the rest of the house through gaps around the door, ensuring that air in the room doesn’t get into the rest of the house. Wear clothes you can toss, and bundle up all the debris before you open the door. Whether the mold is on porous or nonporous surfaces, probably the most important aspect of cleanup is preventing the mold from reappearing. One of the key conditions that allows mold to flourish is moisture, which can form on surfaces because of a water leak or because of condensation from warm, humid air hitting a cold surface. If there is a leak, you need to fix it. The remedy for condensation, though, isn’t always as obvious. If the mold grew on a wall in a closet in a cold corner of your house, try increasing ventilation by clearing out clutter and leaving the door slightly ajar. Desiccants can also be helpful. If the mold is on a bathroom wall, consider upgrading your exhaust fan — and make sure it vents to the outdoors, not the attic. To boost airflow to get shower steam out of the room, try leaving the door slightly open while you shower. And consider adding a timer switch to the fan, so it stays on for about five minutes after your shower ends. Wiping down shower walls can also help lower the amount of moisture in the room; use a squeegee or a microfiber cloth that you can wring out.
If you're getting a shed without a built-in floor you're going to need a concrete pad. The walls of your shed will actually get anchored to the...
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Low-voltage (no more than 30 volts) wiring must be buried at least 6 inches deep. Buried wiring runs that transition from underground to above...
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A damp basement or crawl space can lead to mold problems throughout a house, not just under the floor, because of the way air and water vapor move. A dehumidifier can help, or you may need to install a basement waterproofing system or cover the dirt in a crawl space with plastic. This Old House has a good overview in an article titled “Wet Basement Solutions: How to Stop the Leaks From Coming” on thisoldhouse.com. Especially in a bathroom, where moisture is always an issue, it can be helpful to repaint with a product formulated to resist mold or mildew growth on the paint surface. Sherwin-Williams, for example, includes antimicrobial ingredients in its Emerald, Duration and Harmony lines. As extra insurance, you might want to prime first with Zinsser Mold Killing Primer ($14.99 a quart at Ace Hardware), which is registered as a fungicide and can kill spores on the surface, negating the need to wash first with a bleach solution. Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com. Put “How To” in the subject line, tell us where you live and try to include a photo.
However, if you have a project in a high-humidity area, you must use or create water-resistant MDF, or the material will start to disintegrate if...
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Unfortunately, mold can still grow after a leak or flood damage has been fixed. Often this happens because the problem wasn't fixed properly the...
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Look closely at your foundation for cracks or gaps where a mouse could squeeze through. Wherever possible, climb underneath porches and look behind...
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