Attic Plywood Black

Mold growing on the sheathing in your attic is a serious problem that shouldn t be ignored.

Attic plywood black.

Why does attic mold rarely if ever affect indoor air quality in homes. When moisture condenses on plywood roof sheathing repeatedly or continuously the wood will turn black. That is a stain caused by mold mould. If the wood is soft if it s easily imprinted when you push on it it s probably rotten.

When an attic is stuffy that indicates you have a ventilation problem which often results in mold problems. The second variable is the species of wood used in the plywood. The presence of mold inside your home even if it. Black mold in attics.

Attic feels excessively hot or stuffy attics should feel breezy if they are properly ventilated. It is also a potential breeding ground for black mold because it is often hot and humid and there is a potential for water seepage. The following picture is of a long standing moisture condition in an attic where much of the roof sheathing has turned black. This latter phenomenon occurs when the house is too humid and the warm moist air seeps into the attic where it condenses and freezes on cold attic areas.

The attic is one of the parts of the home that is not frequently visited especially if it is difficult to access. This can be caused by the action of fungal growth and molds and the affect they have on the tannins in the wood. Attic moisture and poor ventilation are the causes. The variety i see most often is fuzzy green when active and goes black like that when dormant or dead.

After several years of this there may be. Dark black staining on wood surfaces if the wood in your attic shows any black discoloration the problem has moved beyond moisture. If the dark surface of the wood smudges it could be mold. You have mold that should be removed.

What are the tell tale signs of an attic mold problem. In old houses you ll usually see some spots that are stained dark or black where there was a roof leak at some point in time which was repaired but the stain remains. Does mold on attic sheathing have to be removed. Even if conditions are conducive to mold growth elevated moisture plywood made from a fungal resistant wood will resist mold growth for quite a while.

In this photo of very dark mold in an attic in a wet attic mold which we found to be brown in the microscope looked black on the plywood. If your attic sheathing doesn t look like new construction and is visibly black or white stained like this picture you likely have a ventilation issue that needs to be addressed and mold remediated. Some woods are much more resistant to rot and fungal attacks. The black attic mold shown here confirms that this attic had a serious venting and moisture problem including moisture from sources lower in the building.

Get rid of black mold. When this seepage occurs it can often go unnoticed until a major problem makes it known.