This morning I noticed something strange on the upstairs bedroom ceiling. Since we are moving our office into that room while work is being done on our den, I have been spending more time in the extra bedroom upstairs. Upon closer investigation I realized it was mold!

Still in my pajamas, I began pulling down the paper that covered the plaster ceiling and found more mold…which led to pulling the paper off the wall and discovering even more mold. In an old house one bad thing always leads to another…

We had a substantial water leak while our roof was being replaced over Halloween. At first I thought we had lost the ceilings in the rooms where the water rained in but later realized it was paper covering the ceilings that was coming down and that the plaster may still be salvageable.

I decided I had better check the kitchen and discovered mold growing between the paper and the plaster ceiling and on part of the wall. Both the downstairs half bath and upstairs bathroom, which had also gotten wet, appeared to be fine.

The paper covering the upstairs bathroom was backed with burlap and I guess that allowed the plaster to breathe and dry out. The paper in the kitchen and upstairs bedroom are backed with a substance that closely resembles parchment paper. The parchment paper backing didn’t allow the wall to breathe so moisture was trapped between the parchment backing and the plaster allowing mold to grow. This is one of the best arguments I can think of for not covering plaster walls with wallpaper!

Armed with a facemask and my pink sunglasses to protect my eyes, I climbed on a ladder and began scrubbing the mold with hot water mixed with Clorox and a little dish soap. After I got the visible mold off with a wet rag, I scrubbed the area again with a brush and the bleach solution.

When the paper was pulled down lots of dust and little chips of paint – most likely lead paint – fell down, too. This had to be cleaned up with a shop vac with it’s Hepa filter. All the surfaces had to be wiped down with a wet rag and the floors had to be mopped.

What a way to start the day.