Re-doing kitchen floor

[Matt]

Hi, Recently I tore up the kitchen floor (vinyl) due to the fact that some of the underlayment was buckeling by the sink (Seems the previous owner had a water issue and didn't tear it up). So I sprayed the plywood underneath with a bleach water solution and let it set for a day or so, and it seems ok now (going to re-tile soon).

As we were tearing the rest of the kitchen floor up I discovered that there seems to be some mildew that's been under various sections of the plywood floor.

Now, probably the best thing to do would be replace the plywood, but I don't really have the time, energy, or money to get that in depth.

What are people's thoughts on scraping the mildew off, spraying down the floor with a bleach solution and letting it sit for a few days to kill/dry?

~ Matt

[m Ransley]

Dont even bother to scrape it you will be breathing it ,just use cheap bleach. If the floor is sound dont tear it up. They obviously has a leak at one time and flooded it and the vinyl trapped the moisture.

[SQLit]

I would wait a couple of weeks to be sure that the stuff is gone. Just to be safe. Mold sometimes needs more than one treatment

[m Ransley]

Actualy bleach kills by removing the oxygen in the plant, you can see it dying within minutes. If the area is dry and im sure it is, one good aplication is all you need, unless it is 1/4 of an inch thick, which I dought.

[Matt]

Ok.. yes the wood is sound.. other then the mildew in a few areas.. I can run a screw driver at it and it stops at the top.. there is some stuff that I can peel off.. but I did that just a very small layer, and it becomes sound again. I will spray it down with a bleach mixture then, let it sit for a few weeks, and see how things go!

yeah they had some questi> Dont even bother to scrape it you will be breathing it ,just use cheap

[Chet Hayes]

A better question would be how spraying buckled plywood with bleach will result in a sound underlayment for a new floor. If it's just mildew, not rotted, and otherwise sound, then cleaning it with bleach should be fine.

[Mark & Mary Ann Weiss]

I like to use copper napthanate in these situations. I keep a stainless pump canister (the kind used by professional exterminators) filled with the stuff (sold as buried wood post preservative) and just spray the plywood to kill bacteria and leave a lasting preservative effect.

Of course, use good ventilation and breathing protection.

-- Take care,

Mark & Mary Ann Weiss

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[Matt]

Very good question! The plywood is not buckled.. just slightly mildewy in places.. but otherwise level and good.