Structural Damage Caused by Mold and What You Can Do to Fix It

One of the worst sights for a homeowner to see is the presence of mold in the home. You start thinking about how it got in, the extent of the damage, and how you can get it out, frantically searching for answers. At CLEAR Restoration, we’ve undertaken mold remediation projects for years, and we’ve seen firsthand how it can seriously damage your home.

Mold can affect your daily routine in several ways. As far as health concerns go, medical experts agree that mold can induce respiratory illnesses, headaches, and allergic reactions. This poses a health risk to the people living in your home. The second and more likely outcome is that mold will cause structural damage in hard-to-see parts of your home.

How Mold Can Cause Structural Damage to Your Home

Mold can eat through building materials, but its effect on your home’s structure has more to do with mold’s tendency to cause dry rot. Mold and its fungal cousin serpula lacrymans grow under the same conditions on the organic materials within your home, causing dry rot. Dry rot is wood that has been decayed, decreasing its structural integrity.

The environment has to be warm, humid, and dark for mold and dry rot to spread. These issues are manageable, but if they aren’t addressed, your home will have extensive structural damage that can be unsafe.

[Related: Causes and Prevention of Black Mold]

Areas Mold is Likely to Cause Structural Damage

Structural damage caused by mold can happen anywhere around your house, but there are a few places that mold and fungi are more likely to do serious damage:

Roofs and Attics

Small leaks in your roof are likely to go unnoticed for years unless you get regular inspections. These leaks can wet the wood sheeting under your roof, deteriorating its strength. All the other framing apparatuses in your roof, like rafters and beams, are susceptible to mold and dry rot if they get wet.

Bathroom

Your bathroom is one of the most humid areas in your home. Keep an eye out for signs of mold outbreaks so you can get rid of them right away. Otherwise, spores will travel into the darkest corners of the room and take root in walls, around baseboards, and around plumbing fixtures, eating at the materials. If your bathroom fan releases that humid air into an attic, there’s a greater likelihood that structures in the attic will also need to be replaced due to dry rot.

Walls and Floors

Plumbing leaks from sewer pipes or water lines are the main culprit of mold growing in your home. Just like roof leaks, small plumbing leaks can go unnoticed until they start causing trouble. For example, you might not realize that there’s a small leak in your kitchen water lines until you go to replace your cabinets and realize the floor beneath is rotting away. Plumbing leaks can be subtle, but over time they can cause extensive structural damage caused by mold.

[Related: Top Five Causes of Water Damage in Your Home]

Repairing Structural Damage of Mold

Because of the effects mold can have on your health and your home, anyone who suspects structural damage caused by prolonged mold outbreaks should call a mold remediation company as soon as possible. It can be tempting to remove mold yourself, but mold can spread during the removal process, so it’s better to call a professional trained in safety practices.

A mold specialist must perform an inspection to identify the damage before repairs can begin. The remediation and restoration process varies depending on how extensive the mold outbreak is. Sometimes small repairs will take care of your troubles, but if there is long-term structural damage caused by mold, some of your home’s framing may need to be replaced.

[Related: How Mold Inspections Work]

Call CLEAR Restoration in Baton Rouge to Repair Structural Damage of Mold

When you suspect structural damage caused by mold, you want a mold remediation company that will fix the root of the problem. At CLEAR Restoration, we’re committed to finding the cause of a mold outbreak and stopping it. We’ll help you regulate your home’s moisture levels to deter other outbreaks, so you don’t need invasive structural repairs again.

Don’t let mold wreak havoc on your home. Call CLEAR Restoration, your Baton Rouge mold remediation specialist, today at 225-245-3575.