Black and damp wall when removed kitchen sink

[RatsAndHounds]

Hi Folks,

I had an old, peeling, filthy kitchen ripped out and the sink was the last thing to be dismantled as the plasterers needed water. Now it has gone, the wall behind is black, I am not sure if it is mould or dirt, and the dirt wedged into the corner behind the sink seems damp and gungy, it won't hoover away.

What should be done before the new units are installed?

The outside of the house is not damp, perhaps there is a leak somewhere in the pipes, but even when that is remedied, what is the best thing for the wall before new units are put against it?

I can't upload a photo from my hard drive, the SF forum demands a URL.

Thanks!!

 

[ElecCEng]

Most likely water leaking from the sink through badly sealed worktop, or from the plumbing underneath. Use a quality mould spray (eg HG). Black is normally mould and you’ll see it dissolve as soon as you spray it.

Wear gloves and scrape as much of the black stuff off as possible. Then use the spray. It might take a few goes and there will be some staining and black spots left. The main thing is to make sure you’ve removed as much as you can and sprayed everywhere to kill the mould.

Make sure you open a window and don’t breathe in too much of the spray. Your hoover now has mould in it unfortunately, so you’ll need to give it a clean with the mould spray.

For full belt and braces you should remove the wall finish (plaster etc.) wherever the mould remains and replace it, but you should be ok with just the spray.

The other possibility is that it is some kind of sealant. But that’s unlikely if it’s “gungy”.

 

[RatsAndHounds]

Thankyou very much ElecCEng, offski to procure some HG mould spray I go! Less invasive than replastering and the wall itself doesn't appear damaged, it's seems to be surface blackness.