Ring ring ring…Santa Barbara Stone Masters, this is Skip how may we help you today? Hello Skip, we have a lot of mold on our front entryway marble stone and it’s been here for a long time and I was wondering if there was anything that can be done to fix it?
We’re getting a lot more calls like this here in our Santa Barbara community these days. We had a lot of water this past winter in the form of good ol’ fashioned rain and thank heavens we got it!
But even a little bit of rain (or moisture from over-spray of sprinklers or the use of hoses) that saturates natural stone (or other sub-straight), in a predominantly shaded location, and you will have the perfect growing condition and medium for mold growth, namely: Constant moisture and lack of sunshine. It’s unsightly and even destructive. So how do you fix it? Pour some bleach on because bleach kills everything and the mold goes away right?
Nope.
Bleach is Not the Best Option
Bleach (active ingredient is Sodium Hypochlorite) is very effective in removing the discoloration of mold (it bleaches it) but does little for mold remediation.
In the majority of instances, the microflora that enable the mold to return in exactly the same spot when conditions are right are not killed. As an example, have you ever had to clean the same spot of mold on your bathroom tile month after month? Now you know why.
The mold has never been killed – it simply goes clear and then returns. Bleach will not kill the mold but a good biocide, or anti-microbial, applied correctly, will.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, no pun intended, the resolution for this marble stone entryway was we properly applied the correct treatment solution, did a little stone restoration work because the mold affected the stone surface, and extracted and mopped. Then we just waited until the trusted moisture meter indicated below 5% moisture content and then sealed it properly.
Do pictures tell a thousand words?
If you have a situation like this, or something similar, and want it returned to “like new” please give us a call and we are happy to meet with you and provide a no cost written estimate. It’s what we do and how we do it that makes you happy.
See our other blogs for hints on the upkeep and maintenance of your natural stone!
Recently SBSM was introduced to Designrulz and an article on Entryway Bench Ideas for a Stylish and Organized Home. We thought our readers might find their ideas as beautiful as we did and if you are restoring your natural stone in your entry… you might as well go all the way and add some style!
