Getting rid of mold on a concrete floor

Gina Raye
by Gina Raye
I recently bought a 14 year old home as a rental. The home is built on a concrete slab and has vinyl laid directly on it. The neighbor told me that there is an issue with moisture and I have found that there is mold between the vinyl and concrete. I want to pull up the vinyl and clean and seal the concrete but am unsure of how to do this and what the best floor covering would be after the process is done. Any advice???
  1 answer
  • Its funny how neighbors know everything about others homes. the vinyl has been holding the moisture that is wicking up from below the cement slab. This is a very common issue with slabs. Not so much with homes of this age however. As quality of install with plastic vapor barriers have improved much more so then when it the past they were hardly ever used and when they were, the plastic was so thin it split and cracked during the cement install. In any case, you will need to scrape the vinyl backing which is nothing more then a special paper product of sorts. This is what has fed the moldy material. You can do this manual style or rent a power scraper that has what looks like a large putty knife on a machine that pushes it back and fourth. It is a heavy machine but it will make quick work of the glued on surface. This of course assumes the vinyl was glued on. If not damp areas may cause the old flooring to stick as though it was glued. A long pole type scraper will release the vinyl from the cement. Using a good cleaner such as Mr. Clean or any liquid type floor cleaner, not bleach, scrub the floor clean and allow it to dry. To determine what type of floor to choose is dependent upon what your styles are and if the floor indeed has been damp. A moisture test on the floor right after you remove the vinyl is in order. Do this before you do any cleaning with liquids. This will the time that the floor will be at its worse. If the floor appears to be damp based upon the readings, then your options are limited. I always prefer that tile be placed on the cement floor. Large tile make the rooms look larger and will not promote any moisture or mold from collecting below. Once done a large area rug can be placed down for comfort when its cool out. Do not waste your time trying to seal the cement. it will not work and if you did anyway it will cause a poor adhesion of any other product that will require glue to fasten to the floor. If you put a floating floor down, it will have a plastic vapor barrier. But if you show moisture on the floor test, even with the moisture barrier installed it can cause the floor to buckle and warp.