Why does mold keep growing back after I paint over it?
Scraping and painting over mold does not stop it from returning because the underlying moisture issues remain. Poor ventilation in older homes causes walls to sweat during showers, trapping dampness even after the room is aired out. Without the money to fix the structural ventilation, people are trapped in a cycle of regrowth that leaves them feeling constantly sickly.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1scraping off the visible moldDid this help you?
- 2painting over the mold with standard paintDid this help you?
- 3repainting with special anti-mould paintDid this help you?
- 4Using a standalone fan to keep air moving after showersDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The house is old. I know the ventilation sucks. I don't have money to do anything about it but still looking on what to do, and hope I can do something in the future.”source ↗
“The walls also sweat during showers and leaves evidence of such after the bathroom is aired out and dried.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11How to stop mold and bad smells in front loader washers
- 3How to stop mold in a shower drain that pools water
- 3Why do outdoor dog beds mold in deck boxes?
- 24How to clean mold on furniture after rain gets inside
- 7Mold on things from a storage unit
- 4Dealing with severe mold in a rental when management won't act