Can You Remove Mold From a Drywall Surface?

Mold on drywall requires removal of the wall surface.

Drywall, which composes the primary surface of many areas of modern homes, is porous, with a paper-like material over top that gives it a smooth, flat feel and appearance. However, this porous surface creates a serious issue when mold comes into play.

Plain Drywall

There is no surefire way to remove mold from a drywall surface. Due to its porous nature, the drywall absorbs moisture and mold spores, and they grow both inside and out. If you were to spray the surface with a mold killer such as bleach, it would also be absorbed into the drywall. This extra moisture would essentially saturate the surface, causing it to crumble. Because you can't simply ignore the mold, as it causes serious health risks, the only way to remove the mold from your home is to completely remove the infested drywall.

Painted Drywall

If your drywall is painted over, you may be able to remove the mold from the painted surface. Depending on the type of paint used, the paint may have soaked into the surface, meaning that the mold was unable to penetrate any more than the paint layer itself. You can clean mold from paint with a simple bleach solution or a professional mold killer. However, if the moisture problem is behind the drywall, simply killing the surface mold will do no good, and the problem will return. In this case, you have to remove the drywall.

Drywall Removal

If done carefully, you can remove drywall yourself. Locate the studs of the wall and use a sharp utility knife to cut through the drywall where it does not connect to a stud. Because you have to dispose of the drywall anyway, it doesn't matter how many cuts you make, or if the piece comes off intact. Whenever you work with moldy drywall, wear a protective respirator and goggles to prevent infection from the mold. Dispose of the moldy material directly in a garbage bin or dumpster. If in doubt about your ability to remove the drywall, contact a professional for assistance.

Fixing the Problem

When you remove and replace drywall, you must fix the moisture issue. If the mold developed due to surface moisture, such as condensation from a bathroom or dishwasher, consider running a dehumidifier in the room to draw excess moisture from the room. For moisture problems occurring from behind, you must seal off the source of the moisture, whether it be a leaky pipe or a hole leading to the outside humid air. If you do not fix the source of the moisture, the mold will grow back and ruin a new set of drywall. Consider painting the drywall with mold-resistant or moisture-resistant paint as an extra layer of protection. However, even that will not help if you do not fix the overall issue.

References

• "North Dakota State University"; Remove Mold for a Healthy Home; Kenneth Hellevang; April 2009
• The Mold Removal Guide: Cleaning Mold from Drywall
• Acme DIY: How to Remove an Intact Piece of Drywall