Replacing a drywall ceiling

[Cookie]

I will be replacing a kitchen ceiling in a camp soon. I am replacing it, since, it is moldy, and bowing. When, he takes down the drywall, can anyone answer, if the flipside of the sheet, going to be worse than what I see, with mold? Also, before he hangs new, should he use a moisture paper or something? It is damp in the camp, since it is nestled in the woods, getting very little light or air. Thank you.

 

[Jadnashua]

The back side is probably worse than the exposed side. Staple a vapor barrier up on the rafters before you install new drywall. Is there any insulation? If it is faced and not all moldy already, then you shouldn't put another vapor barrier up. But, if the drywall got wet and there is insulation there, it's probably shot as well - get rid of it, too. Get a spray bottle and fill it up with a mixture of bleach and some water...make the solution strong. If there is mold, spray it all before you put up the new stuff.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cass]

Get a spray bottle and fill it up with a mixture of bleach and some water...make the solution strong. If there is mold, spray it all before you put up the new stuff.

Add a shot or 2 of fabric softener to the mix and it will break the molecular adheasion and make the water wetter and allow it to penetrate the mold better.

I like 1 gal. water, 1 cup bleach, 1-2 oz. powdered laundry soap and 1-2 oz. fabric softener

 

[Cookie]

Oh, no Jad, I will climb a roof, scale a chimney if need be, but, touch mold...not on your life ( not mine)

I didn't think of the insulation. We wondered what was under the ceiling. We talked about replacing it, but, I got to be honest, we were slackers, when the problem started --wanting to just go fishing and hiking, instead of doing the necessary chores.

I guess insulation should be on my shopping list for HD. Anything else Jad? What if it is wet up there, should I even put another ceiling up until it dries out?

Also, I planned on him only removing and redoing the sheets of drywall that are bad. Now, I wonder Jad, should the entire ceiling go? Mold does spread I saw that with my own eyes. What do you think Jad?

Cass, I will add laundry softener to my list for HD. I use dryer sheets, I guess that won't work, lol.

Thank you guys.

 

[Jadnashua]

You'll know once you start to tear stuff off. If the old drywall is discolored, it almost certainly got wet. Depends on where and how pervasive the leak was as to how much you have to destroy/remove.

 

[Cookie]

Well, that I am having done. So, I will leave it up to the man. I just hope it is not the whole thing. So much work, even if I am not doing it. What if, I replaced the drywall with something different? What else is there besides tiles? Oh, by the way, there is an attic, but, you can't see up there. The door is nailed shut, we never unnailed it in all the years we owned it. We would laugh about it, saying, if nailed, there is a reason, and we didn't want to know. Neither of us. We were very much alike. We weren't that brave.

 

[Bob NH]

if nailed, there is a reason, and we didn't want to know. Neither of us. We were very much alike. We weren't that brave.

That's where the body (now skeleton) of the wife of an earlier owner resides.

Is the camp heated and used in the winter? If not, then there is probably no need to insulate it if it is ventilated. Are the walls dry-walled and insulated?

 

[Cookie]

Yep, we used it in the winter, hiking waaaay up there to get there, where the Jeep wouldn't go. It was warm in there, I don't know if it is insulated or not, to be honest. No way of knowing, until, maybe, the need to know now. My husband wanted to leave the heater on low in the winter, but, I had reservations on that, about causing a fire; so, we never did. We just used sleds to get about. Who knows what is up there, lol. I am just not that curious to know.

 

[D.Smith]

Thought you had planned on selling the camp?



Anyways How are you going to contain the mold when you start tearing down the ceiling? Need some plastic to block off room you plan on doing this. You should have ppe device inc but not limited to respirator, tyvec overhauls, and gloves. Maybe rent an airscrubber from local rental and vent fresh air in. When you tear down the drywall either take it out the window or in bags. You dont want to spread spores through all the house.

This is not a task you should take lightly. People get sued insurance companies pay big dollars for mold problems down the road. I looked at getting into Mold Removal and my insurance would not cover me for that.

 

[Cookie]

Yes, I gave it alot of thought. The camp is listed. There is a picture of the ceiling posted under the roof thread. It is pretty dastardly. I have tried my best since my husband died to take care of everything but, I work an average of 60 hours a week, got kids, etc. A 2.5 hour drive to the camp is just alittle difficult to squeeze in. I feel like I left him down when I look at camp. It is very depressing. Someone is supposed to get back to me about fixing the ceiling and roof. I am thinking too, about lowering the price of the property to allow for the repairs.