Leak Under Kitchen Sink

[mcp6453]

There was a small leak over a long period of time under my kitchen sink. This past weekend, I went under the house for other reasons. Out of curiosity, I looked at the floor underneath the sink. It is all black from the leak. Presumably the black discoloration is mold or mildew. The leak has been fixed. We sprayed bleach in all of the areas we could reach to kill any mold.

The kitchen cabinet floors are not removable, as best as I can tell. Is there an alternative to removing the cabinet and replacing the subfloor? I'd have to hire someone to do it as that's beyond my limited skill set.

[dadiOH]

Why do you want to replace the subfloor? Because it was black? Don't bother.

[mcp6453]

Because I want to be able to sell the house? Seriously, is it sufficient to just kill the mold/mildew and move on? Under no circumstances do I want a health hazard for my family or for a subsequent owner of the house, nor do I want to have to tear out the kitchen if and when we decide to sell.

[Tony]

There is a very good chance of having black mold under the cabinet. The only DIY I can think of is to cut out the bottom of the cabinet leaving a couple inches all around. Kill, clean the mold/floor below, then cut a piece of thin plywood and set it on top of the few inches you left when you cut out the old bottom. Actually, if it was me I'd do that exact same thing.

[norminn]

Mildew has been around forever and spores are EVERYWHERE. It grows in damp places. If you are worried, drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the cabinet, spray in some 10% bleach/water and then forget about it.

[Red Green]

mcp6453 wrote in news:b5edncuqae7xMcTWnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Seriously, someday the place will be sold by you or whoever after you go to the big duct tape factory in the sky. A home inspector will point it out to the buyer, may say it appears to be inactive but the buyer should get an opinion from a certified mold inspector. Buyer may try to put that expense on the seller. My understanding is those are not just a couple of hundred bucks but I really don't know firsthand.

[Steve B]

The correct answer is: YES, NO, ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY, MAYBE, AND I DON'T KNOW.

We cannot give you accurate advice because laws in your state (all bets off in California) as to disclosure and mold remediation and such things may not be accurate where YOU live. Consult a local expert, and go from there. You can get an expert free opinion and inspection from a licensed contractor. What's the downside to that?

If you DO sell, and there is mold remediation needed, you have a few ways to go. One, don't say anything and hope they don't catch it; don't say anything, and if they do catch it, they will rake you over the coals; disclose it, and have them knock a chunk off the price; have it fixed now.

Get some local professional opinions. You'll get lots of free opinions here and they are worth ten times the price. And they may end up costing you big time.

Steve

[DerbyDad03]

re: "Because I want to be able to sell the house?"

There was just an article about this very subject in the Home section of my local paper.

The suggestion for "black spots on the roof rafters after the mold had been bleached" was to document the steps taken to remediate the mold, have the attic inspected by a mold remediation company and save the documents for any perspective buyers to review.

However, even if you gave this documentation to me, I'd still have my own inspector "certify" the absense of mold.

If you decide to go the inspection route at this time, it would probably more for *your* piece of mind than any perspective buyer's.

[dadiOH]

You decide. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. But I don't worry about lead or asbestos either; also, I never had a bomb shelter in the 50s.

[clare]

Bleach it to kill any mold, then when it is good and dry, seal it with somthing like Kilz primer. If the black doesn't come back, you've got it.

[Phisherman]

You'll need to assess the damage. I bet you can remove the cabinet floor, at least some of it to take a look?

After all is done, order a few of these...