Paint Nitemare...HELP!

[ELVIRA_0000]

Hi, My ceilings have mildew & paint peeling again! I thought I had taken care of this nitemare, bleach/water solution, scraped & filled, used kiltz in one room & zinseller(sp) in the other...these are bedrooms. Then applied a good latex paint, month later installed crown moulding, beautiful, right? 2 yrs later in one room & not even a yr in the other, my problem is back! I also have a new 1 yr old roof & brand new furnace...the problem takes place on the walls facing the outside, which is also floor vent placement. The siding is only 6 yrs old and was well insulated. This is a

1-story older house w/attic, these rooms face east & west. Could my problem be attic insulation??? how do I find out?....any & all help/ideas much appreciated...Thanks....EL

[Ken]

You don't have a paint problem, you have a moisture problem. It could be a lot of things. It might be that you have excess humidity, and the mildew grows on the walls/ceiling just due to high humidity. You could also have leaks that are making the inside of your walls damp, and then the dampness seeps through and makes mildew on the side of the wall that you can see, although it could be going on inside the wall too. In this case, you would probably be seeing stains in addition to the mildew.

Go in the attic and look for any leaks or stains, or any other signs of moisture being not where it is supposed to be. You roof could be leaking and the water runs along a rafter to a spot far from where the leak originates and makes a puddle that then turns in to a mold spot on the other side of the plaster/drywall.

It doesn't matter how old your siding is, water could be leaking in behind your new siding. In fact, if you have an older house and say insulation and vinyl siding was added to the outside, that could have created a vapor barrier that is holding moisture inside the walls and could be causing your problem.

Basically, you need to figure out where the excess moisture is coming from, and then correct that problem.

Ken

[hershey]

I agree with Ken. You may also have a vapour barrier problem whereby the warm air from the house is meeting the cold air from outside and condensing inside the wall. This can be done when the vapour barrier that covers the wall wasn't tied into the vapour barrier from the ceiling or there is a hole in the vapour barrier itself. Is the mold in the corners of the walls and ceilings? Is it around windows? Is it mainly on the walls or ceiling?

Do you have any photos of the areas to show so that we can get a better idea of the areas?

[Bob F]

Do you have and use exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom that exhaust properly to the outside?

[sailors10]

I agree with the other comments and one additional thought. I assume that the mold problem in close to the outside wall, since you referenced the crown molding. Check the insulation in the attic to make sure that it is past the wall of the exterior. The exterior wall plate should be covered with attic insulation. In different areas the requirement is different. Also there should be ventilation from the soffit/roof overhang that moves air over the insulation and vents to the gables or ridge vents.

-Lee

~~ =98~ ~_/) ~=98~ ~~=A4 -|_ee

[m Ransley]

If it is the ceilings and the roof does not leak it could be insufficient attic venting, Get a few pros out.