Is There A Mutant Strain of Mold Floating Around?

[PressurePros 249]

I know this sounds, well, out there but.. Has anyone heard about a new strain of mold spore? Here is why I ask.

A few weeks ago someone posted on my message board about a new construction deck that was covered in spots that were rapidly expanding. This was after a rainy spell. Maybe a week later, a gentleman posted about Ready Seal being attacked by mold. He posted some pictures. The oil in RS is not the kind mold likes to feed upon and other contractors commented that they had never seen this on Ready Seal. Fast forward to this morning. A Restore-A-Deck customer shared his experience. Prior to finding my website he had pressure washed his deck clean. After a week his ipe deck also had an inordinate amount of mold spots. (again after a few day spell of rain) This is pretty rare for untreated ipe to get moldy that quickly. What makes his scenario even more puzzling to me is that his deck is ten feet off the ground and has southern exposure. He stated to me that the RAD Step-1 took a couple of applications and some vigorous scrubbing to get it off. In the same region, another customer reported the same type of problem. The lady that posted her deck on my message board used straight household bleach (5-6%) and she said she got mediocre results.

I don't know of any strain of mold that can withstand an assualt with 5-6% sodium hypochlorite. This lead me to believe it was not mold, but now I am not sure. What the heck is going on?

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Are they all RS users?. Is this stuff black as usual stuff or is it the more yellowish round spores we get on drives out here in the west?

Show us some more pics Ken...maybe think about sending sample to a lab or university for testing.

"I don't know of any strain of mold that can withstand an assualt with 5-6% sodium hypochlorite" ... I've got drives on my street with a black strain that covers real well and then the yellow round ones are mixed in and usually about a quarter in size by time people try to get rid of. Both withstand changing color with 4% dwelling 10 minutes or more and don't come off till hot high pressured at 3k psi.The yellow for sure lasts through the bleach as I have at times had to leave some for a few days when I ran out of heat.

Maybe too hard to see the black in the first picture but if you look close you can tell each drive right at the garage door are totally black:

driveway mold

driveway mold closer

..just wonderin if it same stuff.. :)

[RPetry 564]

Ken,

Almost seems to be a geographical occurance. I've never seen anything like those pics from that RS company in the upper midwest here in Central NJ. How about you in Southeastern Pa.?

Jim Foley has seen some in Conn. Where were your customers domiciled?

[PressurePros 249]

Rick,

Long Island NY and Northern Jersey were two. The lady whose pictures I posted last week.. not sure where she is located. Very bizarre. Oh yeah, I got an email from our mutual acquaintance. Give me a ring on Friday when you get the chance.

[James 625]

Ken , I posted in every thread you started. I am the only sucsessfull person eliminateing this mold. House hold bleach doesn't work. So if the only person who deals with it is me !!What is the point with new threads and asking redundant questions

[tunatussle 14]

I would like to know where the lumber was purchased. If it was from the south (New Orleans area) there was a lot of stuff in the water from Katrina and some of it may have found its way into the wood.

[PressurePros 249]

Randy the wood species varied from ipe to cedar. That also would not account for the guy that pressure washed his deck clean and then had mold start appearing 5 days later (it could I guess if he didn't use any type of mold removing agent). Also the Ready Seal decks showed this being on TOP of the stain. That wood was older not new construction.

Jim, be an adult and share your wisdom. I don't have time for your games or self proclaimation of being a guru. I'm not interested in calling you to hear how great you are. If you have a constructive answer, post it.

[Proclean 14]

Check this out.

This all happened in a 1 week period last summer.

Ken, the bottom step was my treatment and solution. If I told you what I did, I would have to kill you. I know you are too nice of a guy to do that. I can say that bleach did not work. You'll have to wait and buy my book on wood restoration to find the answer:)

I will only post my solution if Jim's answer will work on my test board.

Batter Up.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

:corn:got any butter?