What to do about Mold and Mildew

Mold & Mildew

Mold and mildew in your house or business can be both hazardous to your health and can also damage materials and personal belongings.
Due to its ease of growth and health risks, mold is dangerous and should not be taken lightly.  Mold naturally grows outdoors and can easily be transported into buildings through open windows, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as on pets, clothing, or shoes. Once indoors, mold needs nothing but moisture and a food source such as, lint, ceiling tiles, drywall, insulation, carpets, upholstery, and wood to grow.
What are some of “The Health Risks of Mold “
The health risks caused by mold depend on the type of mold present, the amount and degree of exposure, and the health condition of the person at risk. Symptoms of mold can range from being insignificant to causing allergic reactions and illness including nasal congestion, irritation of the eyes, shortness of breath, wheezing, and in rare cases, mold infections in the lung.
There are certain groups of people that are at a higher risk when exposed to mold such as infants and children, elderly, pregnant women, and people with respiratory diseases, a weakened immune system, or those who suffer from allergies.
The name "toxic mold" is inaccurate. There are certain types of mold that are toxigenic, which means they can produce toxins like mycotoxins, however, the mold itself is not toxic, or poisonous. The health risks presented by molds that produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common types of mold.
Mold Damage to Material
Mold and mildew can stain or discolor many types of material, and these materials will be ruined overtime if mold is not properly removed. Over time, moldy paper and cardboard can disintegrate, and fabrics will get damaged. Be aware that continued mold growth can be indicative of moisture conditions favorable for growth of fungi that cause wood rot and structural damage to your home or business.
If you suspect mold in your home, do not delay in hiring a professional mold inspector to test your home. Once the home has been tested, the inspector will take the samples to the lab and will provide you with a remediation protocol.
If you strip off wallpaper, you will sometimes find mold or mildew.  This is because the wallpaper paste coupled with the moisture when installed is a perfect condition for the mold.  If you hire a professional painter or wallpaper installer, they will kill it and then seal the sheet rock. If you are having new wallpaper installed and if the walls are sealed, the mold should not return.  If you are painting, sealing is necessary and most premium paints have some mildew retardant or killer in them.
Mold and Mildew is common outside on your house.  Usually, if you will clean the outside once a year it will keep it controlled.  Also, all of the premium exterior paints on the market have a mildew and mold killer and retardant in them.  That is nice.  If your house was painted more than 10 years ago it might not have that ingredient in the paint. If you have vinyl or metal siding, mold is common.  Just wash the outside once a year.  You can get a house wash with a mold killer in it. 
Once again,” if you hire a professional”, they will get rid of the mold or mildew and treat the surface to keep it away.  And you get Peace of Mind.
Spring is the best time to inspect for mold or mildew inside and outside and get you plan of action thought out.
As Always,  “Happy Painting”
Ken  (www.kenraderinteriors.com)   (www.facebook.com/ken.rader.interiors)

Spring Decorating

Does the thought of sprucing up the interior or your home make you want to curl up and hide or does it make you eager and thrilled? Are you stimulated about this possibility or are you daunted?

There are certainly mixed feelings when it comes to sprucing up the interior of homes. Unless you are a skilled home handyman its likely that you have mixed feelings when it comes to sprucing up the inside of your home. Not everyone is imaginative or capable.

Many people are just not that competent or handy and they might assume, quite correctly, that they are incapable of making the updates to the interior of their homes. Some people do not like handyman-type projects. They tell themselves,” I need skilled help”. Some people simply do not like this sort of project. Then there are those folks who can’t wait, “Let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the paint and plaster.

There is plenty of help available. No matter what your feelings are concerning decorating the interior of your home it can be done. If you absolutely can't stand the idea of decorating the inside of your home, a specialized interior decorator might be the best solution for you. They will advise you and help you pick out a decorating theme including colors, flooring, furnishings and accessories. They will put the whole plan in motion and can almost certainly help you to hire expert tradesman where necessary.

But you say, “This is a great option if you have plenty of money”. Many people do not have the funds to pay a qualified interior decorator, a painter and a flooring installer or other tradesmen as needed.

If you are an adventurous person, the interior of your home could be seen as just one more wonderful project.

You’ll have no problems finding ideas about changing the look of the interior of your home. There are many magazines published every month which provide information and instructions for re-decorating the inside of your home. There are do-it-yourself books that give specific step-by-step details for changing the look of the interior of your home. The Internet is a great resource for interior decorating information. Countless sites are filled with useful particulars to help you plan your re-decorating and help you through the process. The television is also a good source for ideas for sprucing up the interior of your home. There are several reality television programs that can instruct you and give you ideas for your re-decorating project.

However, do not overlook the expert advice you can obtain from the tradesmen.  Painters, floor installers, window treatment experts, etc. can give you wonderful direction and assistance.  The experts in these fields will be happy to offer help.  Just be sure and hire them to do the work that you are asking them to advice you on.

Choosing a theme is first and will help you make decisions regarding color, furnishings, fabric and accessories. Use a theme, such as Victorian, Cottage, Modern, English Country, French Country, Traditional, Medieval, Moroccan, Art Deco or Southwestern for example, to help you get your own initial ideas in order. Once you decide on a new design, you can then pick furnishings based around this interior home design. Using the various resources available for the inside of your home, you ought to be capable of picking a color palette that will enhance your room, choose fabric that will add warmth, select furnishings which are comfortable and accessories which will accent and complement your space.

There are many resources available to you, many of them offering free home decorating ideas. You should be able to make sprucing up the interior of your home an exciting adventure with little or no stress and frustration.

Just remember,” It is what you make it”.  Getting others involved will also help too allay the fear and anxiety.  Much can be accomplished for a little money.  Your imagination is your greatest asset.  Don’t be afraid to get it out and take it for a spin.  You will find that you are pretty good at this. 

Each of us is unique and gifted with a measure of decorating and designing ability.  If doing the actual work if beyond your reach, just hire the professional.

Most professional people are highly skilled in their trade.  This is great for you.  Get your “little gray cells” to work and your project will become a reality.

As always,” Happy Painting”

Ken

Ken Rader Interiors L.L.C.

 

Complete House Renovation

Complete Interior Renovation

To bring all of you up to date.  Cathie and I are assisting in renovating the interior of a house that was built in 1982.  The work includes Refinishing all cabinetry, all doors, all trim.  Removing the popcorn style texture from the ceilings and then texturing them with orange peel texture and painting them.  This is one of the biggest projects we have undertaken.  Ken Rader Interiors was contracted for this work because we had done work for the owners several years ago in another house.  We had a good working relationship and that has served us well.

Now, we have scraped the ceilings, textured them and painted them.  We have also painted the closets.  The phase that we have entered at this point calls for a lot of sanding and cleaning of the passage doors, cabinet doors and drawers, Kitchen cabinets, 3 bathroom cabinets.  We have set up a paint booth in the sun room of the house in order to paint the cabinet doors, drawers and shelves.  We have also removed all of the base boards in the house because new tile and hardwood is going down.  I removed them so that I could mark them and make installing them after the floors are done much easier.  We are using a couple of new products on this project.  Because there are sooooo many cabinet doors, passage doors and so much trim.  We purchased Door Deckers from Speed Painting for the passage doors and Erect-a-rack to stack the cabinet doors on.  These are proving to be wise choices.  We are documenting each day’s progress and providing pictures.  Today we finished sanding all of the cabinets, cleaned them and have them masked off ready for paint.  We also installed the door deckers.  Everything is ready for spraying tomorrow.  Much time and care has been taken to mark each door and drawer and piece of trim. All of the individual pieces add up to over 190.  Each doorknob taken off of the doors had to be put back together to insure they will work when we put them back on the doors.

We will be posting each day and uploading pictures for your education and hopefully enjoyment.  Check us out each day at  www.facebook.com/ken.rader.interiors

If you have questions or want to know how to do something that you see just send us your questions or comments.

Thanks—We will endeavor too persevere.

Ken and Cathie