Category: Repair & Remodeling

How to Replace Baseboards

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How to Replace BaseboardsBaseboards, beautiful work that’s ignored when done correctly.  Baseboards create a seamless appearance in your home by giving a smooth gradient between floor and wall.  Without baseboards, the harsh corner between carpet and wall would look tacky and unappealing.  Baseboards are also one of the first things to sustain damage during flooding or a mold infestation that spreads too far.  So whether you’re remodeling for appearance or repairing damage sustained from a flood or pest invasion, it’s helpful to know how to replace baseboards yourself.  Especially since replacing baseboards is a simple endeavor that can go a long way to sprucing up your home.

How to Remove Baseboards

The first step in replacing baseboards is to remove the old ones.  Now, if this is part of a larger remodel, either because you’re having to replace the wallboard or are building an addition to the room, removing baseboards is easy since you’re removing part of the wall anyway, but if you simple need to replace the baseboards, you’ll want to do your best to avoid damaging the wall behind the board.

To remove baseboards and trim, all you’ll need is:

  • Utility Knife
  • Hammer
  • Trim Puller

Very carefully use the utility knife to cut through any caulk that exists along the trim.  If your baseboards do not use caulk and the trim is just butted up against the wall, then you can skip this entirely.  Place the trim puller firmly against the wall with the wedge pushed between the trim and wall.  Hit the top of the trim puller with a hammer to knock it in between the baseboard and the wall.  Use the trim puller to leverage the base board free of the wall.  You can see how easily this works in the video below:

Installing Baseboards

The main thing to remember when installing new baseboards, it to double check all of your measurements.  Since installing a baseboard is as simple as gluing or nailing the boards into place (just be sure you’re nailing the boards into a wall stud and not just sheetrock) you’ll want to make sure that the length of baseboard is long enough. Before finishing all of your cuts.

If you’re concerned with getting a clean corner for your baseboards, we recommend following the advice seen below:

Be sure to keep any sections of baseboard that you don’t use.  You may find yourself wanting to replace small sections of the board over the life of your house and having a run of the same type of baseboard on hand is useful.

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How to Clean Up Mold

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How to Clean Small Mold InfestationsTo start, if you’re dealing with a mold infestation that’s greater than a square foot (a sizeable infestation), you should always call a professional.  Large mold infestations are usually deeper than you realize and can permeate ventilation systems, storage containers, carpet matting, and insulation inside your walls.  But, small infestations of mold and mildew can be cleaned up easily, but it may take a little sacrifice along the way.

Preparation

First, you need to know where the mold is, and make sure that the problem isn’t larger than you expect it to be.  Examine the surrounding area and see if you can figure out why there’s mold growing.  Is there a water source nearby or has it simply been extremely humid due to a rainstorm?  Be sure to take steps to remedy the problem while you’re working on cleaning up.  Fix any leaks or purchase a dehumidifier for when it rains.

You’ll need to get supplies together for dealing with the mold itself.  Always wear a mask and gloves when dealing with mold.  Contact with spores can lead to skin irritation and breathing in mold spores is hazardous to your health.  You’ll also want a bucket of warm, soapy water or some kind of cleaning solution.  Use a dish detergent, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or baking-soda solution when cleaning up small mold infestations.

Make sure that the infected surface is something that can be cleaned.  Porous surfaces are going to be difficult to clean out.  Sheetrock, wood, and insulation are all going to need to be replaced.  If you are going to clean the surface, make sure it’s a tile surface or a non-porous plastic.

Cleaning

Distilled white vinegar is a great solution for dealing with mold.  Filling a spray bottle with vinegar, a mix of water and 3% hydrogen peroxide, or a mixture of baking soda and water (do not mix all three) will create an effect anti-fungal treatment.  Simply spray the surface thoroughly and wipe away the mold.  After you’ve cleaned the surface, repeat the process to make sure you’ve removed all of the mold.

The process is the same for dish detergents.  Use warm, soapy water to clean away the infected area.  Allow the surface to dry and repeat the process.  Any fabrics or clothes should be washed separately from other clothing.  Use warm water and detergent, then allow the fabric to dry.

Be sure to ventilate any rooms where mold was found and keep the room as dry as possible.  Clean up any water spills and use a desiccant or dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the room.  Monitor the area closely for the next week to make sure that the infestation doesn’t return.  Finally, if an item does not appear salvageable, toss it immediately.  Holding onto a mold-ridden item that you can’t save will only allow more spores to spread.  It’s better to sacrifice one item than to lose everything when the mold infestation spreads to your walls and other belongings.

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How to Waterproof Your Basement

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How to Waterproof your BasementWe all know that the best way to fix something that’s broken is to keep it from breaking in the first place.  So the best way to clean up your house when it comes to water damage and mold is to prevent it from ever becoming a problem in the first place.  We know that’s not always possible.  And for the events where, despite your best efforts, storms and burst pipes have damaged your home, RestoPros Inc is always ready to go when you need someone to help clean up and restore your home after a disaster.

Still, a lot of damage for homes comes in the form of a flooded basement.  The very best way to prevent that is to have your basement waterproofed, protecting it from possible flooding.  Most waterproofing should have been done when the basement was built.  Fortunately, there are still things you can do even now.

Outside

As good as your basement and foundation are, constant water flow over time will erode the structure away and lead to eventual flooding.  The best thing you can do is channel and direct water away from the foundation.  Make sure that all gutters and downspouts are clear and clean.  The best way to test this is to pour water into the gutter and make sure it is draining properly.  You want water to be carried at least five feet away from the house.

Take a look at the ground around your leading up to the edge of your home.  It should always be slanted away from the home.  If the slant of the earth causes water to pool against your foundation, it will soak into the earth and eventually lead to foundation damage and basement leaks.  You should also stay mindful of plants that are growing too close to the edge.  You want some clearance between the wall and any flowers or shrubs, since you want to avoid roots growing into your basement or places where water can pool and work its way in.

  • Sloping Ground
  • Downspouts and Water Channels
  • Plants too Close to Foundation

Inside

Moving inside the basement, you’ll need to conduct a visual inspection of the walls and ceiling.  If your basement or cellar does have a window, make sure that it’s sealed properly.  Once your inspection is completed, you’ll need to repair any cracks in the walls with a cement patch.

Of course, fixing large cracks isn’t all you should be doing.  Using a sealant and waterproof paint on the inside of the walls will help to limit any water that does manage to trickle into the cement wall, without allowing it to damage items on the other side.

Waterproofing your basement means taking precautions for when water does manage to get into your home.  Conduct an emergency test of your sump pump.  Have someone monitor the outflow line outside and pour water into the sump pump well.  Emergency pumps should start almost immediately, while manual pumps will need to be turned on first.  Make sure that all of the water is being pumped away from the well and out past the foundation.  If your pump is malfunctioning, have it replaced immediately.

As a final task, if you’re worried about excess flooding, you can have a professional contractor inject hydroclay around the basement.  This substance absorbs water readily, holding it until the ground dries out and preventing water from assaulting your basement walls directly.

  • Fix Cracks and Holes
  • Waterproof Paint/Sealant
  • Sump Pump Installation/Repair
  • Hydroclay Injection

Again, preventing a basement flood, or any water damage from flooding and burst pipes, is cheaper and easier to do than fixing things when they break.  But, when water damage has become a problem, which can happen, you can rest easy knowing that there are reclamation teams, like those at RestoPros, who are readily able to help deal with extensive water and mold damage.

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What to Do After Mold Remediation

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What to do AFTER Mold RemediationDealing with mold is never fun.  While smaller infestations can be taken care of simply, large spreads of mold and mildew require professional remediation services.  But what happens after you’ve spent a day or two having the mold cleaned out of your home?  The infestation is gone, the damage is done, and it’s time to rebuild.  What’s the next step to make sure that this doesn’t happen again in the future?  While uncontrolled flooding and hidden leaks can cause mold in unseen places, there are actions you can take to help prevent a recurrence of mold.

Remove Source of Humidity

The fight against mold truly starts and ends with humidity.  The first thing you should do (often from the moment you find mold in your home) is determine where the moisture it’s thriving in is coming from.  A leaky pipe or roof, basement flooding, a damage water heater, or even a drip from the condensation line in your HVAC unit can be the source of moisture that’s feeding your mold problem.

Before you finish replacing the carpets, drywall, and insulation that you’ve had to replace, find what damaged them to begin with.  That way you don’t have to repair a wall twice if the source is a leaky plumbing fixture.

Regulate Overall Home Humidity

Again, humidity is key to preventing mold growth.  Install a thermostat with a humidity sensor.  Ideally you want your home to maintain 45% percent humidity at most.  If your air conditioner isn’t drying out the air to that level, or you find that the basement has a higher humidity level than the rest of the home, consider installing a dehumidifier to dry out the air in other rooms.  After all, a dehumidifier is inexpensive when compared to home repairs.

Monitor Likely Mold Growth Spots

Not all sources of mold growth are directly visible.  In many cases, mold grows in places that you won’t be expecting or looking at on a daily basis.  Roof leaks, drainage issues, leaky plumbing or hidden condensation points inside your walls are all prime real estate for mold.  Mitigating damage from mold is about early detection.  It’s important to take the time to inspect your home and monitor trouble spots for future mold growth.  If you catch it early, it will be much easier to clean up.

Use HEPA Filters

Cleaning up after an infestation is difficult.  When we clean a home, we’ll isolate the room cycle the air out through a HEPA filter.  High-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filters are designed to trap the smallest airborne contaminants, and that includes mold spores.   IF you deal with mold on a regular basis, consider upgrading your home’s filter to a HEPA filter.

Additionally, if you’re cleaning up a room after a small mold infestation (one that’s only a few square inches of growth), be sure that any vacuuming done is performed by a wet/dry vacuum that has a HEPA filter installed.  Standard vacuums will only stir up and distribute mold spores throughout the room.  Cycling out the excess spores (there will always be some left) lowers the concentration of mold spores, leaving you with cleaner air and fewer possibilities for mold growth in the future.

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