Black glue on concrete?Is it dangerous?Can I leave it?

[Mia]

After moldy parquet removal because of water leak the glue was scraped with scraper but still lots of black left. Restoration company did that and they are saying its no mold and can be left like that. You can see there are yellow glue parts and black yellow glue parts where were the moldy parquet removed. Is that really no mold even if its black? Is it dangerous? Should I somehow try to remove it? Thanks!

Edited February 19, 2021 by Mia

[Marc]

That's how it would look even if the parquet had been free of active mold growth, but since there's a history of mold issues, I'd get a mold remediation contractor out there to confirm that the mold issue is gone before you put down new floor finish. Just to be sure.

[Mike Lamb]

It looks like there were water problems at the corner. The radiators were leaking? Make sure there are no ongoing moisture issues with the pavement. Cover the area with plastic taped at the edges and see if you get any condensation underneath. I'm not a big fan of mold testing.

[Mia]

5 hours ago, Marc said:

That's how it would look even if the parquet had been free of active mold growth, but since there's a history of mold issues, I'd get a mold remediation contractor out there to confirm that the mold issue is gone before you put down new floor finish. Just to be sure.

Actually there are yellow light parts (non moldy parquets removed) and black parts (moldy parquets removed) of glue on that floor. So wondering if the left glue affected by mold can still create mold spores and mold exposure. And if it really safe to leave it like that. To me if its still black it must be mold? Thats what i am wondering. 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by Mia

[Jim Katen]

Hi Mia, 

Mold creates black stains that are not mold, but still black. So the black areas might not be mold. Any mold testing company can easily test those areas and tell you precisely what molds are or are not there. But why bother?

• If there's mold there and the area stays dry, the mold will not grow and will never cause anyone any problems.
• If you clean up every molecule of mold and then let the area get wet, new mold will grow again.
• That's why Mike Lamb was telling you to check for moisture. That's *way* more important than obsessing about whether or not the black areas are mold. 

That said, the restoration company did a crappy cleanup job. Mold or no mold, you really want to remove much more of the adhesive residue. If it were my house, I'd use a chemical paint stripper to dissolve it and then scrape up the goo. 

 

[Mia]

30 minutes ago, Jim Katen said:

Hi Mia, 

Mold creates black stains that are not mold, but still black. So the black areas might not be mold. Any mold testing company can easily test those areas and tell you precisely what molds are or are not there. But why bother?

• If there's mold there and the area stays dry, the mold will not grow and will never cause anyone any problems.
• If you clean up every molecule of mold and then let the area get wet, new mold will grow again.
• That's why Mike Lamb was telling you to check for moisture. That's *way* more important than obsessing about whether or not the black areas are mold. 

That said, the restoration company did a crappy cleanup job. Mold or no mold, you really want to remove much more of the adhesive residue. If it were my house, I'd use a chemical paint stripper to dissolve it and then scrape up the goo. 

 

Thank you everyone for responses! 

The moisture is going to be taken care of, its just broken pipe what they going to fix. 

Now someone pointed that there might be asbestos and I am very worried since I want to clean it by myself. Is it possible there is asbestos glue under wood old parquets (condo is from 1970). Partially its yellow-brown and partialy black (where the mold was) glue left, its hard  and dry, not sticky. Do I need to test it? 

[Jim Katen]

Asbestos was certainly used in some flooring mastics, but my recollection is that all those mastics were black. The yellow stuff is more modern. If you want to be sure, just scrape a bit into a baggy and have it tested. The testing is cheap and it'll give you peace of mind.