Removing moldy drywall is the best choice for larger infected areas. Or if the paper on the drywall has been ruined and/or the core of the drywall has started to disintegrate. You will need to remove and replace the drywall.

For drywall with mold on it, make sure you dispose of it in tightly sealed plastic bags. Take safety precautions, wear gloves and a mask when you are around moldy drywall.

See the government website for information on the issues, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home provides some good information. Disinfect the entire area after the bad drywall is removed. See the article 'Disinfecting Moldy Drywall' for more information.

Testing Moldy Drywall

You may be concerned that the mold that you have is the dangerous 'black mold' that everyone is afraid of. There are many thousands of types of mold that you could have in your home. Only a few of them are toxic and not all of the toxic ones are black.

There has been overactive use of scare tactics with regard to mold. Some of this comes from the media, and some of it comes from companies that want to sell expensive remediation services.

How can you tell what type of mold you have? You cannot tell by the naked eye. The only way to tell is to have it tested. With that said, testing can be expensive.

There are some relatively inexpensive test kits that can tell you whether or not you have a dangerous problem. You can find 'Test Kits' for purchase at the 'My Mold Detective' website. If you want to put your mind at ease, test the mold before you attempt to clean or remove it.

Preparation

Before you disturb moldy drywall, even if you are certain it is not the dangerous kind, you should seal off the area that you are working in. You do not want mold spores to be spread needlessly throughout the house. People with allergies, the young and the old are very sensitive to mold and may react to any type of airborne mold.

Use some plastic and blue or green tape to put a barrier around the area that you are working in. If you do not need to use a door, seal it off with tape. For doors that you need to go in and out of, create a flap in the plastic to walk through.

Remove unneeded items from the room such as carpets, draperies, loose furniture and anything else that you don't want mold spores to damage. If something is too big to move, cover it with plastic. If it is possible to have a fan exhaust the air to the outside this is good idea. Place the fan in a window with direction of air movement pointed to the outside.

Have a supply of large heavy duty trash bags on hand to place the moldy drywall and other debris in as you remove it. You will also need a broom and dust pan to sweep up the drywall dust.

Tools Required

You are going to need the following tools for this project:

• Hammer
• Pry Bar
• Keyhole Drywall Knife
• Utility Knife
• Tape Measure
• Battery Drill or Screwdriver
• 4' Level

Removing the Bad Drywall

For drywall that has been compromised by the water damage and mold you will need to replace it.

Drywall or sheetrock, as it is many times called, is fastened to the wood framing with nails and glue. If the house was built in the last thirty or so years it will likely have screws, especially in the field, holding it in place. To remove it, you need to locate the framing members.

Locating Framing Members

The first step is to determine how much drywall needs to be removed. You want to go somewhat beyond the moldy area. After that you are going to need to locate the studs. You can use a stud finder or tap the wall on either side of an electrical outlet. Since the outlets are attached to the studs, you will find a stud on one side or the other, of the outlet location. Find the center of the stud and measure in multiples of 16" from that point to the closest stud in the area you want to remove.

Once you have located the studs, use a level as a straight edge to mark out your cut lines. Ideally, it will be a square or a rectangle.

Where studs occur and the cut runs parallel, cut the drywall in the center of the stud.. It is harder to cut out the drywall at these locations, but is saves having to install extra framing members.

Cutting Perpendicular to the Studs

You can use a key hold saw to cut out the drywall that is perpendicular to the stud framing. You will have to stop at each stud or joist and skip over it. You should be able to get the majority of the cut done with the keyhole saw. You will need to finish off the cut over the framing with a utility knife.

Cutting Drywall Parallel With the Framing

You will need to use a utility knife to cut the drywall over the framing members. Ideally, you have located the center of the framing and drawn a line down the center. Initially, you will score this line with a utility knife. After you have scored the paper, you will run the utility knife over the cut repeatedly, applying more pressure each time until you cut completely through the drywall.

Removing Moldy Drywall

Make sure you are wearing your gloves and a mask prior to starting. The easiest way to remove sections of drywall is to use the hammer to knock a few holes in it. Once you have a hole you can get your fingers behind the drywall and pull outwardly. The drywall should pull away in bigger sections.

You are going to have places, especially around the fasteners where the drywall will be stubborn. You will need to use a pry bar and the hammer to loosen the drywall at these locations.

Place the pieces that you remove in the plastic bags as you remove them and keep the top of the back closed when not in use. The longer the moldy drywall is exposed, the more chance there is for mold spores to be released.

After you have remove all of the drywall, you will need to remove the leftover nails and screws. For nails you can use a claw hammer to pull them out. Use a Phillips bit in a battery drill to remove the screws. If you don't have a battery drill, you can use a screwdriver.

Replacing the Damaged Drywall

Installing new drywall involves cutting the sheets to the correct size and then fastening it in place. There are various measurements that need to be taken and laid out on the drywall panel. After that, the drywall needs to be cut correctly. Once the sheet is cut, it can be installed at the patch.

The article 'How To Cut Drywall' and 'Installing Large Drywall Patches' has information on all of the steps associated with installing new drywall patches.

Finishing the New Drywall Patch

After you have replaced the drywall where you tore out the old moldy drywall, you will need to tape and finish it. This situation is similar to any other drywall repair project, you have at most five steps to complete the finishing. (1) Applying the drywall tape. (2) Installing a first coat of drywall compound. (3) After a light sanding, you will apply a second coat of compound. (4) After another light sanding, you will want to skim the drywall with a light coat of mud to smooth out the surface. (5) The last step is to sand the drywall to prepare it for a coat of paint.

For a complete discussion on the steps involved with a drywall finishing project, see the article, 'Taping and Mudding Drywall'.

Conclusion

When you have too much of an area that is affected by mold, you will need to remove the drywall and replace it. This is a big job, but a neccessary one. Mold can cause health issues. It is also very dirty and gives off an offensive odor.

Going through the steps above should allow you to remove the drywall and dispose of it safely.

Disinfecting moldy drywall will work fine for small areas. For larger areas, you will need to consider removing the drywall. For related information, see the articles 'Is Black Mold Dangerous' and 'Removing Mold From Drywall'.

Dealing With Mold Concerns

Is it advisable to try to remove mold yourself. That is your decision to make. Bleach will kill mold and remove it from many surfaces. Precautions need to be taken so that the mold is not breathed in. It also needs to be disposed of properly.

Check out this government website before you mess with mold. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, it will give you some insight and safety tips. Another good article is Mold, on the CDC website. The EPA states that repairs of less than ten square feet can be performed by a homeowner, as long as they follow the guidelines.

Mold Removing Solutions

There are commercially manufactured mold disinfectants available. An example is the 'Moldex' website. They have multiple products that can kill and remove mold. Read the information and determine the product that best fits your needs.

Your home supply store should have a selection. A solution of a quarter to half cup of bleach to a gallon of water will also work.

Cleaning a Moldy Area

Were a mask and disinfect the area. Wipe down the area until the mold is gone.

Discard the rags after you are done and get rid of the dirty water. Let the area dry and make sure that the mold is gone. Use a good quality stain blocker/sealer such as Kilz or Zinnser as a primer. Paint the area as needed.

Drywall mold removal is a repair that should be made sooner than later. Address the problem at the first sign of mold. A musty smell is also an indicator of mold, even if you don't see it.

Drywall mold removal is needed when you find mold on your walls or ceilings. The 'black mold' scare has certainly brought this problem into the consciousness of the public. Not all mold, even mold that is black in color is the dangerous black mold. Unfortunately it takes laboratory testing to tell. Err on the side of caution in this matter. Treat any mold you see with a healthy respect.

Take precautions before you attempt a drywall mold removal project. Check out this government website before you mess with mold. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, it will give you some insight and safety tips. Another good article is Mold, on the CDC website. The EPA states that repairs of less than ten square feet can be performed by a homeowner, as long as they follow the guidelines.

Testing Moldy Drywall

You may be concerned that the mold that you have is the dangerous 'black mold' that everyone is afraid of. There are many thousands of types of mold that you could have in your home. Only a few of them are toxic and not all of the toxic ones are black.

There has been overactive use of scare tactics with regard to mold. Some of this comes from the media, and some of it comes from companies that want to sell expensive remediation services.

How can you tell what type of mold you have? You cannot tell by the naked eye. The only way to tell is to have it tested. With that said, testing can be expensive.

There are some relatively inexpensive test kits that can tell you whether or not you have a dangerous problem. You can find 'Test Kits' for purchase at the 'My Mold Detective' website. If you want to put your mind at ease, test the mold before you attempt to clean or remove it.

Make sure you understand the precautions you need to take before proceeding. Review all the information on the EPA website. People have become very sick from breathing airborne mold. We do not want you or your family to be among them.

Mold is an indication of a moisture problem. A leak or some sort or seepage will cause mold. In addition to drywall mold removal you will need to address the problem that caused the mold. Fix the leak at the same time.

Drywall Mold Removal - Information

A contractor will charge you for the amount of work involved to remove and repair the drywall. This is called Mold Remediation and only specialty contractors are licensed to perform this service. Depending on the level and size of the area, these types of repairs could run hundreds perhaps thousands of dollars.

Drywall mold removal can take you into some difficult projects. Taking precautions also adds to the level of work involved.

A small moldy area that is restricted to the surface may be treated with a mold killing solution. There are some that are commercially available. Bleach, diluted with water serves as the main ingredient in most of them.

You can get sick if you breathe a dangerous kind of mold. Wear a mask or respirator. Try not to disturb the mold. Use a solution to disinfect the mold before proceeding with repairs. Quarantine the area until you have the problem solved. Use plastic or keep doors closed with a sign on them to segregate the area.

Drywall Mold Removal – The Steps Involved

When it comes to dealing with mold you have to basic choices. The first is to remove or disinfect the mold on the surface where the mold is occurring. If the mold has not penetrated deep into the wall, this can be effective. You will likely use a cleaner that contains bleach and other chemicals to accomplish this.

For instructions and information, see the article 'Disinfecting Moldy Drywall'. This article has guidelines and some information on what type of products can be used.

For mold that has penetrated deep into the drywall, you will need to remove the drywall. This is a much bigger job, since you will have to repair the drywall that has been removed. See the article, 'Removing Moldy Drywall' for a discussion on what to do and how extensive the project will be..

Summary

Drywall mold removal is a potentially dangerous repair. Take precautions and deal with the problem quickly. To the degree possible you should try not to disturb the mold. Put it in plastic bags and dispose of it properly. Make sure you solve the moisture problem or the mold will come back.

All drywall repairs involve some work. Don't despair they are not that difficult once you know a few basics. Hopefully your drywall mold removal project has gone well. You can move on to other home repair projects.