Black Spots On Plywood In Attic

This can be caused by the action of fungal growth and molds and the affect they have on the tannins in the wood.

Black spots on plywood in attic.

Walls that are improperly insulated may develop mold because they will absorb moisture from outside. Black mold in attics. When moisture condenses on plywood roof sheathing repeatedly or continuously the wood will turn black. If the dark surface of the wood smudges it could be mold.

The following picture is of a long standing moisture condition in an attic where much of the roof sheathing has turned black. I did some investigating this august and sure enough i noticed a few black mold spots on the inside of the plywood. In the attic the most common places to find black mold are the places where water is likely to be a problem. If you re not sure what you re looking for here s a picture of mold in an attic.

Roof leakage can often be seen as dark black stains concentrated and radiating out from one or more individual locations. In this photo of very dark mold in an attic in a wet attic mold which we found to be brown in the microscope looked black on the plywood. It usually appears greenish black and streaky. These are commonly seen underneath roof vents plumbing stacks vent hoods.

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 wood is soft if it s easily imprinted when you push on it it s probably rotten. Based on the reading i ve done on this site i have learned that the double stud wall system can cause condensation problems on the inside of the plywood sheathing. 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.

However there are many different types of mold so if the mold in your attic looks different that does not mean you don t have a problem or don t need to worry about it or take action. The mold itself may have a cottony texture but can also be velvety leathery or. Mold usually causes a musty odor and may cause staining that may be black brown gray white yellow or green.