Mould / Discussions

...mould behind it near the bottom. I had the foil side toward the interior and a plastic layer side next to the wall. I was hoping to nail the Rock Wool Comfort 80 Board to the entire wall, and then when the time is right frame and finish. If I’m getting this right, you had insulation in the rim joist cavities then a foi...

I saw in your wall video that you advise to use a vapour retarder paint along with an outside air barrier.  Can you do this for the ceiling as well, thereby taking out that possible weak spot where the vapour barrier joins in with your walls? Vapour barrier paint (or Vapor barrier paint in the U.S. ) is more of a solut...

Has hydronic radiant cooling advanced enough to be a viable, cost effective option for an average 2300 sq ft residential house? Hydronic radiant cooling can be done, but we would strongly advise against doing it in a humid climate. So we're not the ones to check in on about pricing since we aren't advocates of it as a ...

I live in climate zone 5 in USA and plan to frame basement walls roughly 3” away from concrete and then place mineral wool between the studs.  I do not plan to apply any vapor barrier to the concrete or between the studs and drywall and the mineral wool has no vapor barrier.  Is this space between concrete and studwall...

...mould on the exterior particple board. The are no leaks in the roof, or water running down the exterior walls. We wonder whether the mould is caused by condensation between the vapor barrier and the particle board. The house had air conditioning going all summer. The mould is on the particle board on the south side of ...

I have a new construction project where one floor is subgrade. It has a cement wall on three sides that the contractor insured me was prepared to be mold resistant. He put special draining paper on it and put gravel up against it but it already smells like mold. It is just framed. Is it possible to finish the project i...

I bought  a duplex that was built in 1978 in Indiana.  It gets moisture on ceiling so bad during winter when temps drop below 20 degrees that it will run down the walls & look like its raining. Contractor says there’s enough insulation in the attic. There’s wood siding on 3 sides & brick on the front of the hou...

I have a 120 yr old home with a dirt crawl space that is completely dry, no Mold in the entire home, has new windows and new insulation in the attic. I have started the insulation in the floor joist from the crawlspace. I would like to know the correct way to insulate my crawl space regarding vapour barrier and what to...

Since the recent cold snap our double glazed windows are running with water, every morning it's all over the window sills, running down the wall - in the bathroom it's even making a puddle on the floor tiles. Now I noticed the seals at the bottom of our windows are starting to get what looks like a black mold - should ...

We had a water leak in our basement earlier this year and when the contractors started pulling off damaged drywall we were disgusted to find that our basement wall framing was rotten in multiple areas and the insulation was full of mold behind the vapor barrier. The scariest part is that our house was only built in 200...

We have a concrete basement in decent condition that's about 20 years old in Boulder CO and having had mitigation installed for high radon levels we now want to use the room more. It's currently completely unfinished, nothing on the walls - what's the best way for us to finish and insulate our basement so it's easy to ...

It's a fairly new house (about a year old).  The concrete basement foundation walls are framed (wood), insulated, sealed with a plastic vapor barrier, but not drywalled.   I am led to believe that, during construction, the builder didn't immediately seal around the basement windows before he installed the insulation in...

I live in Northern Ontario in a house converted from a cottage, it has a 20 'X 20' crawlspace with floor joists at about 24" on center. I put 6 mm polythene on the ground and put fiberglass insulation between the joists. Since then I have noticed a lot of condensation and mold forming on the insulation despite the craw...

I have a new house (self-built) on a concrete slab insulated with R22 rockwool and R3 panel insulation. The windows are double glazed wood and aluminum. I do not have an air exchanger yet, I’m wondering if that is part of the problem. Thank you in advance for your comments! Condensation forms when humid air comes in co...

I live in Sudbury Canada in a 1959 bungalow and the basement is always humid and the dehumidifier runs constantly. It also costs a fortune to heat. I was advised to insulate the top portion of the foundation (the top third) but the wall is not insulated at all. And on the bottom of the walls there is a white powder. Ac...