Mold Cleaned From New Pool House Framing Before Spray Foam in Woodbury
1 / 9At the inspection: growth along a vault beam. The plywood deck above it was clean.
See How the Work Was Done
Real photos from this Woodbury job: mold on the vault beam and a truss web at the inspection, the scaffold and poly set up, and the same truss corner before and after cleaning.
What Happened
This is a brand new pool house in Woodbury, framed with roof trusses, a vaulted center section with large beams on each side, and a flat ceiling section. The framing went up and was rained on before the roof was on. By late October the roof, the ZIP wall sheathing and the windows were in, the plumbing and electrical had not started, and spray foam was next. Andrii inspected it on October 29 with the homeowner and the builder on site.
Mold was dense on the truss chords and webs and on the vault beams, five on each side, with spots on the door and window headers and the top plates. The plywood roof deck, the OSB and the ZIP sheathing were clean. The wood itself was dry, sound and new, with no decay. The footprint measured about 24.8 by 24.3 feet with a laser, and the vault reached 22 to 25 feet. We quoted two ways to do it: soda blasting, and hand cleaning. The homeowner chose hand cleaning.
The crew covered every installed window, the French doors and the door frames with poly, laid poly over the slab to catch what came down, and set two HEPA negative air scrubbers exhausting outside through lay flat ducting, with a zippered door at the entry. A rolling scaffold tower reached the vault. Every affected truss chord, web, vault beam and header was HEPA vacuumed, scrubbed with a peroxide based cleaner and wiped until no visible growth remained, about 650 square feet of framing surface.
Then the framing, the sheathing undersides, the plates and the ledges were HEPA vacuumed in detail, 1,200 square feet, and a plant based antimicrobial went on the cleaned wood. The slab poly was rolled up and bagged and the floor was HEPA vacuumed. The work was planned for three days and was done in two. One thing the quote said up front: light staining in the wood grain can remain after the growth is removed. That is what the after photos show.
Scope of Damage
Roof Trusses
SevereDense growth on the truss chords and webs, worst around the metal truss plates, where the framing was rained on before the roof was on.
Vault Beams
SevereFive large beams on each side of the vaulted section, 22 to 25 feet up. Reached from a rolling scaffold tower.
Headers and Top Plates
ModerateSpots on the door and window headers and the top plates. Cleaned in the same pass as the trusses.
Roof Deck and Sheathing
LightThe plywood roof deck, the OSB and the ZIP wall sheathing were clean at the inspection. Their undersides were HEPA vacuumed with the framing.
How We Solved It
- 1
Inspected and Measured
Walked the framing with the homeowner and the builder, measured the footprint and the vault height with a laser, and set the scope on the wood that actually had growth.
- 2
Protected the Building
Poly taped over the windows, French doors and door frames, poly over the slab, and a zippered door at the entry.
- 3
HEPA Air and Scaffold
Two HEPA negative air scrubbers exhausting outside through lay flat ducting, and a rolling scaffold tower for the vault.
- 4
Hand Cleaned the Framing
Every affected truss chord, web, vault beam and header HEPA vacuumed, scrubbed with a peroxide based cleaner and wiped until no visible growth remained, about 650 square feet.
- 5
Detail Vacuumed and Treated
A detailed HEPA vacuuming of the framing, sheathing undersides, plates and ledges, 1,200 square feet, then a plant based antimicrobial on the cleaned wood. Slab poly bagged, floor HEPA vacuumed.
Tools & Equipment Used
Questions Homeowners Ask
Why does new construction framing get moldy?
Framing that is rained on before the roof and windows go in stays wet long enough for growth to start on the surface. On this Woodbury pool house it showed on the roof trusses, the vault beams and the headers. The wood itself was dry, sound and new, with no decay, so the job was cleaning, not replacing lumber.
Can you spray foam over moldy framing?
It should be cleaned first. Spray foam closes the framing in for good, so this builder wanted the trusses and beams clean before the foam crew came in. Here every affected member was HEPA vacuumed, scrubbed with a peroxide based cleaner and wiped until no visible growth remained, then treated with a plant based antimicrobial.
Soda blasting or hand cleaning for framing mold?
Both work. Soda blasting is faster on large open framing and takes more of the staining out. Hand cleaning is slower detail work, member by member. We quoted this pool house both ways and the homeowner chose hand cleaning. About 650 square feet of framing was cleaned by hand in two days.
Will the wood look brand new after mold cleaning?
Not always. Cleaning removes the growth, but light staining in the wood grain can remain. The quote for this job said so up front, and the after photos show it. An optional clear coating can seal and even out the look; it was offered on this job and not part of the final scope.
How do you reach a 25 foot vaulted ceiling?
With a rolling scaffold tower, delivered, set up, moved as the work goes and taken down at the end. On this job the vault ran 22 to 25 feet, measured with a laser at the inspection, and the crew cleaned every truss and beam from the scaffold.
Do you serve Woodbury and Litchfield County?
Yes. Green Restoration serves Woodbury, Roxbury, Bethlehem, Washington, Watertown, New Milford and the rest of Litchfield County for mold remediation, water damage and new construction mold cleaning. David Megeneishvili, who led this job, is IICRC AMRT and WRT certified. We are insured and BBB A+ Rated. Call (860) 222-9498.
Woodbury is served by
Green Restoration of Litchfield County
Available 24 / 7 for emergency response
