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Help for a US DIY guy. Living in Southern California on the beach I am no stranger to mold. The issue is our construction is slightly different in some ways and the products available to properly address the issue.
I have 3 pics so I will divide the post into three distinct issues. This post addresses killing the mold. Depending on the surface I use a bleach water mix, White Vinegar undiluted, and this product I found in Portugal. Are there any others in Portugal?
I know that mold below caulk in the bathroom and around windows it is best to remove the caulk and apply new caulk. Any suggestions on the type of caulk or just bathroom/kitchen caulk?
I am completely unfamiliar with the block interior walls. We always had wood framing with drywall on the interior. I am very familiar with exterior block walls for waterproofing and painting. I have used the following primer Zinsser-1-gal-Mold-Killing-Interior-Exterior-Primer and the following paint RUST-OLEUM-02704-Bathroom-Paint-White
Are there similar products for fixing my issues in this picture? There is a slight cavity in the block at the bottom right and I am debating between a concrete patch or caulk?
What is the paint on the walls in the first place? I am debating how to match up my touch up work with the existing paint without repainting the entire room. That never seems to work if the paint has been on the walls very long and is a special tint. Hoping everyone in Portugal uses the same white paint that never changes from the manufacturer.
Thought this was the final issue and not really a mold issue yet. The upstairs apartment probably has a slow leak from the bathroom they installed on their enclosed balcony. Our balcony is still a balcony. Then I remembered the leak from their bathroom over our bathroom so I will add another post.
The balcony seems to be similar to a stucco I am familiar with in the states. I figured I would scrape of the loose material and apply some water proofing primer. The apply the rough textured coat and paint. I used Elastomeric paint in the US for all outdoor block walls and stucco block walls. It is a few mm of coating to prevent degradation. Sure it costs 20% more but it lasts almost twice as long and labor is the biggest cost.
Finally, the bathroom leak from the upstairs apartment. Our property manager folks came out and said no issue since it was just blistering. I would normally taer the blisters out and remediate. Then repair.
I have no clue what the ceiling materials are compared to the US drywall. Actually, we used Green Boards in the bathrooms or a waterproof membrane over the drywall.
What would be the best course of action to remediate this corner of the ceiling?
@jonesdn2020 Other than cleaning the surface, is the landlord not responsible for this type of repair and maintenance ?
@jeanne Our landlord has hired a property management company. I did the same for my rentals in the US. I would say "Mileage may vary"! Our experience is unless there is something catastrophic that has a simple fix then there is no immediate concern.
Would love to hear from others on their experience in PT. There is another thread with a member having to break a lease due to mold and a ceiling leaking water. The landlord's solution was to wait for summer.
As a general point, bear in mind that if the water is coming from the wall (above, through, below) then plasticated coatings may trap it, and it may move elsewhere - it won't give up, especially if there is an active source such as a bathroom above.
On your first scenario, what is outside the door shown? One probably cause is inadequate sealant on the outside, leading to seepage in. This is quite common - external caulk should be UV resistant, and needs renewing with some frequency. The other issue is probably differential temperatures leading to condensation, so after cleaning (bleach [I don't dilute] or white vinegar - the fancy products like the one you show don't tend to do more than the basics - that specific one has hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient, so it'll do something, but you could but the raw ingredient cheaper), see what options exist to ventilate, or at least not block in the area. Unless the decor is fancy, it was probably painted with one of the big tubs of white used ubiquitously here - it may have aged, of course, and be less pure white, so you may need to paint slightly more widely.
On the bathroom above the balcony, it looks likely that the caulk around the join between the walls and the floor upstairs may be the main issue - the space was not designed for a bathroom, and may not have been prepared properly prior to conversion. There's likely to be little you can do to solve this, other than cover it up, without them tackling it. If that's a balcony ceiling, then it may be painted concrete or blockwork - if it is/was exposed to the elements, it's unlikely to be plasterboard/drywall (but you never know...)
In the bathroom itself, again if it's an active leak, there's a limit to what you can do. However, what I see is quite common in internal bathrooms, and may be the humidity your own bathroom creates lingering in that corner. Improve ventilation to the bathroom (and to any areas manifesting damp and mould) is always an obvious go-to - mechanical, if natural/cross-ventilation cannot be achieved.
All caveated with limited potential to diagnose from a few photos, and not knowing the place - but hopefully of some help.
@thomasribatejo Many thanks. Yes, the door leads to a Juliet balcony. We have the shudders on all the exterior windows and doors. I am finding the installation of those is the main culprit.
The ceiling in the bathroom looks like a close proximity to drywall. I would normally cut out or patch over that with a drywall repair kit. Is there something similar in Portugal?
I would then paint it with a bathroom paint. I assume they have the same here?
The texture on the ceiling of the balcony is the same material as the exterior of the building which appears to be stucco. Do they spray stucco on the block buildings here or do they use a trowel?
I am sure the apartment is painted in the standard tub of paint. I should be able to find a mold resistant primer and paint for the areas around the exterior doors and windows?
@jonesdn2020 It is possible that the ceiling in the bathroom is drywall/similar (does it have any recessed things - lights, vents, etc - in it, and/or is it slightly lower than other ceilings?) or it may be plaster over concrete/blockwork. In terms of repairing, yes, a decent hardware place should have various options, but best to be sure what you're repairing first, to ensure the right adhesion and durability.
You can certainly get bathroom paints, and mold resistant bits. Personally, I find branded ones do actually work/last better than store brands (not something I find true across the board) - CIN is a reliable brand (although I've not used any paints here for bathrooms, I confess) and their stores tend to have informed salespeople. CIN and Tintas 2000 are brands builders we trust prefer to use, we've found.
That stucco effect is probably more of a sprayed cement - a professional can replicate it quite easily, though it's a faff to try yourself!
@thomasribatejo Yes, the ceiling has been lowered throughout the apartment during the remodel several years ago. There are LED lights mounted in the bathroom ceiling and a fan. Good to know I am dealing with something similar to drywall.
Appreciate the recommendations. We have several stores in the neighborhood so I will check them out.
Living in stucco homes for nearly four decades I am pretty good at patching stucco to look similar.
@jonesdn2020 I may be being cynical, but it's possible they didn't use the right category of pladur for the wet rooms. As you probably know, they are colour-coded, in the event there's anywhere you can tell that from (eg recessed lighting slots)
