Mold under shower pieces

[Rachael Taylor]

We rent our home and our landlord removed the bathtub to install a shower before we moved in. He did not use green board at any time. The tub caulk turned orange/pink, the shower floor "looks dirty" even after scrubbing with bleach and we find the bathe floods with water several feet from the shower along the baseboards. I am positive we have a mold problem along the subfloor of the shower and in truth much of the internal structure of the bathroom. Several of my family, mostly children, are allergic to mold (yes we have experienced "unexplained" anaphylactic episodes more than once) and our landlord refuses to sign a rent contract. I want to do what needs to be done to remedy the situation but really not sure if the entire bathroom needs to be stripped and replaced...or if we can dry and kill the mold and replace the caulk? Sigh, if that extreme needs done I don't even know if the landlord could even be persuaded/held responsible. Need advice because no matter what it needs to be handled for our families health and safety. Thank you!

 

[FullySprinklered]

Nail the bathroom door shut and shoot the landlord.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JRC3]

This is one of those threads where pics are needed.

 

[Jadnashua]

It certainly sounds like the shower was not installed according to any of the approved industry standard methods. A properly built shower does not leak. Now, a little surface mold could happen if it isn't cleaned regularly, but mold requires three things, and only two of them can be easily controlled. They are: food (body oil, soap scum, etc.), water (should be minimized if built properly and ventilated), and the mold spores, which are almost literally everywhere.

FWIW, industry standards and building codes have not approved moisture resistant drywall (often called greenboard) in wet areas for over a decade...IOW, it has no place in a shower - ever.

As to how to deal with the landlord...you might contact the city building inspector. If the area was redone without a building permit and not inspected, he could be forced to fix it. That might make relations really difficult, but it would also probably give you an easy out for any lease you might have. Not that you probably want to move again, but sometimes, that's the only way. It's best to talk to someone that is expert in these subjects, and not take advice from someone on the internet, myself included.