Tile flooring is commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms because of its ability to withstand humid environments. However, moisture can still cause problems for tile floors. Tile flooring is commonly installed over a subfloor made of plywood or oriented strand board. Both of these materials are made from wood shavings that are glued together, and mold can use the cellulose found in the wood shavings as a food source.
If water saturates the subfloor underneath the tile floor, mold can begin to grow in it. To learn how this happens and what you can do to remove mold underneath a tile floor, read on.
How Does Mold Start Growing Under Tile Flooring?
Mold usually starts growing underneath tile flooring because of standing water. Water can seep between the edges of the tiles and the wall or through a gap in the grout between the tiles, and this causes the plywood or oriented strand board subfloor underneath the tiles to become damp.
Mold spores are everywhere in the air, and they'll start growing if they find their way onto the damp subfloor. They can float through the small gaps that water uses to soak the subfloor underneath the tile.
When mold starts growing underneath a tile floor, the first sign is normally a moldy smell in the room. In addition, mold will start spreading from underneath the tiles. You may notice it growing on the drywall in the room near the floor. Another sign that you may have mold growing underneath your tile floor is when walking on it feels like walking on damp leaves. The glue used to keep plywood or oriented strand board together breaks down when it's exposed to water, causing the subfloor to disintegrate and feel squishy.
How Do You Remove Mold Underneath Tile Flooring?
If you have mold growing underneath your tile floor, you'll need to completely remove the tiles and the damp subfloor underneath them. Removing the subfloor prevents mold from spreading further throughout your home, and it also allows you to see if the mold has spread to nearby drywall or wooden floor joists.
You will most likely need to replace all of the tiles since it's difficult to detach them from the subfloor without breaking them. Removing the mold from underneath your tile floor, however, is very important because it will reduce the chance that mold will start spreading into the structure of your home like the floor joists and wall studs. Mold can eat away at these load-bearing structures and cause significant amounts of damage.
If you think that you have mold underneath a tile floor in your home, call a mold removal service and have it replaced. While replacing tile flooring can be a lengthy process, it will help limit damage to your home by completely eliminating the mold and preventing its spread. If you don't address the mold underneath your tile flooring promptly, it can turn into a much more extensive infestation.
Contact mold services for more info.
