I'm building a sealed grow room in the corner of my basement using 1/2" oriented strand board for everything(walls, floor, ceiling). All of the boards will be primed on both sides with oil-based kilz original primer and the inside of the room will be painted with a scrubbable white matte paint(not sure which to use yet). The grow room's osb walls are going to be mostly flush to the 2 walls in the corner of my basement. The concrete basement walls both show some signs of water damage. I will be scraping and bleaching the basement walls before putting the osb up against it. My question is do I need to take any other measures to prevent mold and what not from building up in the small space between my grow room and my basement walls? Thanks in advance!
I am actually in the mold testing and remediation industry. The number one thing to do drop the humidity levels of an area. Mold HAS to have moisture to grow. Get a dehumidifier for the space in question. If you are having humidity problems, that may affect your plants also. The next most important thing is physical removal of any mold or mold spores. Don't use bleach, use Benefect....it's extremely effective and can be purchased online. Get some rags and a bucket, wipe down the entire area in question. The dehumidifier will dry the area after a good cleaning. Benefect on Amazon I would try and leave a little space, maybe 2 inches if possible between the walls to prevent future problems. It may seem like some work and wasted time but you'll never forgive yourself if you get a moldy area and grow space. A little bit of work on the front end may be worth it in the long run.
skip painting the room...just panda film it...will act as a vapor barrier for the entire room...it will hold all moisture inside & all other air outside of the room. Then you will fall back on your exhaust system to control the rooms air.
If there is water marks on the existing wall that means it will happen again, benefect is awsome, I also think if possible leave a space of a few inches, if mold begins to grow again( and that mold is a fickle bitch) you want to be able to scrub all areas down again,
Hi there! You need to keep the space dry in order to prevent from mold damage. Because an excess of moisture in the air causes mold to grow. Make sure to keep the small space away from water. If water detects at the small space, clean it immediately. Also, if a mold spores detects then use mold removal products to remove mold spores and make it clean to avoid damage. Also, read the article online for mold removal techniques and product.
I had condensation in the airspace due to cold concrete meeting heated air after remediation to get rid of the spots of mold i had spray foam added to concrete and have had no more issues..
Moldex is a paint with mold spores inhibitors that works great. They have paint and cleaning products. Moldex Mold-Inhibiting Paint > Green Products, Green Building Materials | Green Depot