I live in an older heritage house. All the paint in the bathroom is peeling on the ceiling and walls. There is black mould and mildew along the caulking at the bathtub joint and on the ceiling above the shower. The bathroom is equipped with a 50-CFM fan, which we do use regularly. Is there anything we can do to limit the peeling paint and mould?

Here are a few suggestions that may help. First, consider installing a much larger 90 or 110 CFM fan. For you own convenience, inter-connect this fan to a timer so you can leave it running after a shower or bath and not have to come back to shut it off. Let it run for about 10 minutes each time. This fan will help reduce the humidity quickly, which in turn reduces the opportunity for mould to grow and paint to peel.

Next, wash the areas where mould and mildew are growing with a mild solution of bleach and water (up to 1 part bleach 2 parts water). Dispose of any cloth or paper cleaning towels in a plastic bag to avoid spreading the mould and mildew. Then scrape the peeling paint from the walls and ceiling, “prep” these surfaces for fresh paint and wash the walls and ceiling with TSP cleanser. Re-paint with a good quality oil base paint. Finally, remove the old caulking from around the tub / shower enclosure and re-install a type of caulking designed for this application. There are several tub caulking compounds available at hardware stores. If you use the new fan consistently, this should go a long way to eliminating this problem. You could even go one step further and inter-connect this fan to a de-humidistat and your bathroom timer. This $60 item can be set to turn on your new fan automatically when there is too much humidity in a room or throughout your house. De-humidistats come with instructions on appropriate settings for each season, so you can adjust the setting to best suit the outside weather conditions.  

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This article was written by Steven Cannon, a Registered Building Official and partner in Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, British Columbia. It originally appeared in The Nelson Express.

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