Dark Plywood In Attic

The following picture is of a long standing moisture condition in an attic where much of the roof sheathing has turned black.

Dark plywood in attic.

Learn the real causes of mold growth on attic roof sheathing and what you can do to remove it for good. In old houses you ll usually see some spots that are stained dark or black where there was a roof leak at some point in time which was repaired but the stain remains. If the dark surface of the wood smudges it could be mold. This can be caused by the action of fungal growth and molds and the affect they have on the tannins in the wood.

Black mold in attics. There is also a small risk that comes with applying the mold protective sealant in that the sealant can trap moisture in the plywood which will cause it to decompose and decay. Below is an image of heavy 3 dimensional mold growth on the sheathing. After several years of this there may be.

The black attic mold shown here confirms that this attic had a serious venting and moisture problem including moisture from sources lower in the building. When moisture condenses on plywood roof sheathing repeatedly or continuously the wood will turn black. If the wood is soft if it s easily imprinted when you push on it it s probably rotten. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

This latter phenomenon occurs when the house is too humid and the warm moist air seeps into the attic where it condenses and freezes on cold attic areas. While the plywood. Mold spores penetrate the plywood in your attic and it is difficult to completely eradicate it. In many cases the continued wetting of the sheathing will cause it to rot but that may take several years or decades depending on the attic ventilation.

The dark discoloration will remain long after the mold has stopped growing.