What does mold on hardwood floors look like? Today, we will be discussing signs of mold under an engineered hardwood floor.
Any homeowner who understands the implications of mold appearance or growth on their prized asset would be very concerned and seek immediate solutions. Part of these solutions includes determining the causes and looking for common signs.
Some of these signs can be subtle.
This article is written to provide insight on common mold growth signs to look out for. To the untrained eye, a lot of these signs may lie in open sight without detection.
As you read through, you should be able to determine the extent of your mold problem by easily identifying the signs and how widespread they are.
The Varying Hues of Mold Growth
As a homeowner seeking to assess the level of mold presence on your property, it’s important to understand that mold can have varying appearances. In other words, different hues of mold growth are common.
This is mostly brought about by the type of mold.
You may find certain discolorations on your hardwood floors ranging from yellow, green, orange, and black. Any of these discolorations showing up on your hardwood floors aren’t pretty and signal trouble.
You’ll need to proceed to further inspection if they’re what you suspect.
Causes of Mold Growth under Hardwood Floors
Before we get into the signs of mold presence beneath hardwood floors, it will be necessary to first consider its causes. Mold spores wandering in the air give rise to mold growth once suitable conditions are met.
These spores can be everywhere and will grow where there is moisture.
Moisture and humidity are primary conditions that promote mold growth. So, whenever mold begins to grow under your hardwood floors, it’s because there’s moisture on the wood surface.
Such conditions could arise after flooding, or when your surroundings are mostly humid.
Another likely cause of mold growth under hardwood floors is a crawlspace with moisture problems below. When crawlspaces aren’t encapsulated, the moisture problems below could get to hardwood floors.
This is mostly the case for homes located in areas known for moisture problems.
Signs Of Mold Growth Under Hardwood Flooring
It’s normal for homeowners to be unsettled about mold growth that appears on or below their hardwood floors. However, finding a single patch of growth is only a sign that the problem could be much worse.
You’ll need to look further to determine how widespread the problem is.
Ideally, you only need to look out for certain signs such as water stains, actual mold growth, musty odor, and spongy flooring. Any or all of these signs found on or below your hardwood floor is a sure sign that you have a mold problem that needs to be addressed.
Let’s further discuss each of the points mentioned.
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Water Stains
Water stains are among common signs that point to mold presence and growth. As mentioned earlier, mold will readily grow around moist or humid areas.
The likelihood of mold growth increases when there’s a right medium that wood provides. So, moisture or still water making contact with your wood flooring provides the perfect condition for mold growth.
This is even more common after a flood.
Affected wood stained by floodwater won’t take long before it’s overrun by mold. It’s important to note that mold spores are almost everywhere and will readily sprout when conditions are right.
So, one of the primary signs to look out for is water stain or damage.
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Actual Mold Growth
When suspecting mold growth beneath your hardwood floors, you might want to take a closer look.
Close inspections will require knowing what to look out for. As mentioned earlier, mold has multiple hues depending on the type. So, you might find yellow, black, green, white, gray, or brown growth.
Any growth you find matching these color variations should be a clear confirmation of mold presence. This, coupled with the other signs mentioned should lead to adopting urgent remediation treatments.
You can either perform such yourself or call a mold remediation professional.
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Musty Odor
Another common sign of mold growth below hardwood floors is the musty smell or odor it releases.
This can easily be perceived when you’re within the vicinity. Your entire home might be permeated by this smell which isn’t pretty at all. The musty odor primarily arises from the gases produced by mold.
When the smell is widespread, it’s a clear sign that the mold problem has reached an advanced stage and should be treated as such. You’ll need to seek immediate help towards treatment and elimination of this odor.
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Spongy Flooring
A lot of times, mold presence is detected by the spongy feel of hardwood flooring when walking over affected areas. This squishy feeling of the floor beneath your feet isn’t normal and is a sign that things aren’t right.
You’ll need to find out the causes right away.
When any or all of the signs mentioned above are observed, it becomes a confirmation of your fears. As always, seek professional help in combating your mold issues.
Taking Action Against Mold On Hardwood Floors
When it comes to mold control, two main approaches are available.
There’s the DIY treatment or approach as well as the professional approach. Of these two approaches, the most reliable is the professional treatment option.
Here, a mold remediation contractor is called to assess the mold damage and perform remediation treatment on the hardwood flooring.
DIY’ers need to understand that handling a mold problem can be risky.
A lot of spores can be flying around when the area is disturbed. Without proper protection, you might inhale a significant amount which might lead to a wide range of symptoms.
As a DIY’er, basic tools needed to get the job done include a face dust mask, spray bottle, protective hand gloves, and paper towels.
Others include distilled white vinegar, bucket, and water. A cup of vinegar should be added to about a gallon of water and mixed. This should be poured into a spray bottle to treat affected areas.
Affected areas are targeted and sprayed while the brush or broom is used to scrub over affected surfaces.
The signs listed above are common with mold growth beneath hardwood floors. You’ll need to take drastic action to eliminate the problem using your preferred approach.
However, we recommend going with the professional treatment approach.