Posted by Rick Wald on 6/29/05

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When it comes to mold in the building and construction
industry you could say the media hype has perhaps gone a
little overboard. There are a lot of companies out there
offering spray on protection, most of these companies are
capitalizing on consumer fear of the mold problem which
has been over hyped by the media. The problem with the
mircoshield type companies is they offer a service that
nobody really knows if it works or not. Furthermore, they
back up their products with warranties that often times
exclude mold growth and have a list of exclusions as long
as your arm.

The building industry is starting to shift when it comes
to mold and moisture protection. Where wood and water are
mixed, it rarely is a question of “if mold will appear”
it’s a matter of when, and often times its long after the
lumber has been sealed in a wall between plastic and a
very low perm exterior wall sheathing. Hoping it remains
undetected is not a defense against mold. Open
discussions regarding the nature of building materials,
the practicalities of building in a varied climate and
exposure to new products specifically designed with the
home owners’ or building owners’ best interest in mind is
what consumers are looking for.

No matter how careful a builder is, the inherent nature of
wood supports mold growth. This growth is compounded when
wood is exposed to bulk water and prohibited from drying
completely.

Lumber is most vulnerable to mold when it’s up against the
elements, stacked on top of dirt and mud and exposed to
rain during framing.

The industry has answered back to mold concerns with new
revolutionary products like the G.P. DensArmor paperless
wall board and MoldBlock Treated Lumber. These products
prevent mold growth within the exterior envelope of the
structure, they are ordered and available through every
contractor yard and home center and allow the builder to
offer warrantable mold protection without having to deal
with additional crews or sub-contractors. Products like
MoldBlock Lumber and Dens Armor cost the same as untreated
lumber and regular paper wall board so cost is not a
factor at all.

You'll see manufactures pre-treat material directly from
the mill which can be seamlessly incorporated into any
builders system become the industry standard when it comes
to addressing mold in construction.

To summarize; You don't need to kill a fly with a
sludgehammer. You don't need to hire someone to spray
your home during the construction process to prevent
mold. Just use the new products that are available in
constructing the exterior envelope that provide
warrantable mold protection. They cost the same and work.

RW

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