Mold Discovered During Kitchen Renovations in Brick, NJ

Challenge

A homeowner in Brick, NJ was in the process of installing a range hood over the stove to vent away cooking odors and filer out heat, smoke, and moisture. As mold treatment specialists, we know the importance of good kitchen ventilation. Anywhere in the home where there is excess moisture can result in a mold issue, and range hoods can be a big help removing steam and moisture.  

Here, this kitchen improvement happened to be good for this homeowner because he uncovered a hidden problem. After removing the cabinet above the stove, he found some pretty extensive mold growth. He immediately stopped the renovation and contacted Cowleys. According to the homeowner, the most was likely caused by a roof leak that happened during 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. The roof leak had long since been fixed, but because the cabinet was covering the sheetrock, the mold remained had remained hidden for all these years. By now, the sheetrock behind the cabinet was so water-damaged and mold-contaminated that it had to be removed.

Solution

After taking down the cabinets, we carefully removed all of the contaminated kitchen sheetrock. Often, as long as the building materials have not lost their structural integrity, we can directly treat the mold and leave the building materials alone. Here, however, the sheetrock was too far gone to be saved. So, although this renovation turned out to be a bigger project than anticipated, it was far better than that hidden mold was discovered so that it could be treated.

After removing the sheetrock, we treated all of the mold-affected areas with an antimicrobial application called MAPS 1, which stands for Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions. MAPS 1 is an EPA registered product that attacks mold on a cellular level and immediately kills it. Next, we used our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold growth throughout the area. Afterward, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a moisture-sensitive application that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless, inert, and non-allergenic.

Certainly, for this homeowner, finding mold was an unneeded surprise. However, in the scheme of things, it was far better that he accidentally identified the mold problem so that it could be treated and resolved. The scope of the kitchen renovation is now a bit bigger than what was originally intended, but he now has a mold-free kitchen, which is most important. Given the length of time that the mold was hidden, this homeowner was fortunate that the mold problem was not worse than what we had found.