Mold....or not mold

[Qbert]

Ok, so I had some loose shingles that I guess water came in and dripped down the wall. I peeled back the carpet to clean up, and where the carpet connects to the floor to those nailed things on the wood, I noticed it was black. So, I preceded to cut away at the wall assuming the worst......MOLD.
Anyway, I'm at a lose, because I don't know whether or not it is indeed mold.
I tried looking it up, and from what I gather, it seems like mold tends to be slimey, maybe have spores and have a strong musty smell.
The black on the wood was not slimey, did not have spores, and the only smell I smell, is what I "think" is soil from outside. When they say "musty", is that supposed be like that sweat smell you tend to smell on people that sweat a lot when outdoors in the summer? Or that smell wet towels get sometimes when left out and not dried well?

I'm stuck here, because I don't know how to treat this. Do I just dry it well, and the put back new drywall, or do I treat this as mold, and start ripping up even more wall?

 

[sharkboy1200]

I don't know, next to getting a professional out there, I'm not sure what you can do. Maybe buy some cleaning products and give it a good scrubbing or something of that nature.

 

[BraddersTheDog]

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what you're describing.

When you say:

where the carpet connects to the floor to those nailed things on the wood

Are you describing the carpet grips on the floor (the small wooden pieces with several sharp nail heads protruding from them) or the wooden struts holding your wall in place?

If you're describing the carpet grips, I can't see all that much black on them.

Mould doesn't always have to be slimy. If you've had a leak and mould has grown and then dried out after the leak stopped, it could be dry and even slightly powdery, but it will probably have left a mark (usually blackish). Mould generally does have a smell, it's not dissimilar a wet towel which has been left to fester. However, the smell isn't always strong (if it exists at all).

I'm no expert but from what I can see, that doesn't look like mould on the carpet grips or the wooden struts in your wall. You need to take a couple of clear pictures though because those aren't that easy to see due to lighting and blurriness.

Does any of the area in question feel at all damp? Has it been raining recently (since before you fixed your shingles)? If it has and the shingles were damaged enough to cause a leak (thus mould) you'll probably still have a damp area where the mould is (if you have mould).

Again I'm no expert, but I've generally found that mould doesn't always smell unless the whole area around it is damp (and more so if the whole building has a damp problem).

Also, if the area has grown mouldy due to a leak which has been fixed, there's no need to start ripping things out. Just dry the area out properly and that'll be that. Mould won't spread without further moisture, it's not like wood worm where you need to take drastic action. Unless the mould has rotted through the wood (which takes a long time), a thorough drying out should do the trick, presuming that the cause of the damp (i.e. the leak) has been fixed.

 

[Videodrome]

Sell the house

 

[Z A C K]

Burn the house

Fixed.

 

[Qbert]

Yes, I meant the carpet grips. The wood in the wall also had black. you don't really see it, because I cleaned up most of it.

 

[Qbert]

As requested, a close up of the dark spots. This is a few days after spraying down with bleach/water solution.

 

[BraddersTheDog]

Yes that may be a bit of mould but like I say I wouldn't be too concerned. The main thing with mould is to treat the cause. Once that's done the mould will usually dry out and be no further problem. I had a leak in my house for months and it caused water to flow from my attic into my bedroom and then down into the kitchen. When I finally found I had a leak I got it sorted (new roof tile) and the mould dried out. I cleaned it up and it's been no further problem.

Although mould can be damaging, it usually takes a long time for it to do anything serious. Generally I view it as a symptom as opposed to a cause of damage. The damage is caused by moisture, the mould just grows because the area is moist. Dry it out and clean it up and you shouldn't have any further problems.

 

[Qbert]

Ok, so....it rained a ton today, and sure enough, since I have the wall opened, I saw the water coming in. I thought I resolved it by taking care of the shingles, but no. So, after it rained, I got up on my roof, and starting hosing down areas, and I've pinpointed where I think the water is getting through, although I don't see a "hole".

It appears the water is coming in from where that siding meets the shingles, but towards the bottom of the roof, not at the top. I put a nice arrow to show off my mad paint skills, as to where the water seems to be making its way in.