Hi, can you please advise what's best to do if the laundry tile has shown water damage and mould growth? And what products will be required?
Thank you very much!
Hi @xiaoci2008 ,
First of all, has the source of the water damage been fixed? There's not a lot of point repairing things if the leak is ongoing and more damage is likely to occur, so it's best to be confident the leak has been sorted before moving on.
You could certainly try treating the visible mould first with a product such as Selleys Rapid Mould Killer, following the manufacturer's instructions and taking the appropriate safety precautions. You might also like to have a look at How to get rid of bathroom mould for some general guidance.
However, plasterboard is porous, so once moisture and mould have made their way into the board rather than remaining on the surface, it can be very difficult to treat effectively. In that situation, the affected section will often need to be cut out and replaced. In doing this, you'd want to check whether there is mould growth inside the wall cavity that can make the mould reappear and treat it.
I'd also give the plasterboard a gentle press in a few areas to see whether it still feels solid. If it has become soft, swollen or crumbly, then regardless of whether you can remove the visible mould, the plasterboard has been compromised and should be replaced.
If the plasterboard is still solid and the mould appears to be limited to the surface, you could treat it, allow everything to dry thoroughly and reassess from there.
Let us know whether the leak has been repaired and how the plasterboard feels when you test it. That should give us a better idea of whether it's worth trying to save or whether replacement would be the better option.
Jacob
