A leak from an upstairs shower in a Levittown home ran behind the bathroom wall and under the floor tile, reaching a bedroom on the lower level. Once the damaged materials started coming out, the crew found mold in multiple locations.
When a shower leaked in the upstairs bathroom of a Levittown, NY home, the water ran behind the bathroom wall and under the floor tile, affecting the bathroom and a bedroom on the lower level. K.O.S. Restoration, an IICRC-certified water damage and mold remediation company serving Long Island since 2006, took moisture readings and began removing the damaged materials, and the crew found mold growing in multiple locations. They set up containment and protective floor coverings, removed and discarded all damaged building materials and insulation, took up the bathroom floor, HEPA vacuumed, and enzyme sprayed and hand cleaned all surfaces. Drying and dehumidifying equipment is in place, the crew has begun mold encapsulation in the bedroom, and moisture levels are still being monitored.
A shower leak can do its damage out of sight. In this home, water got behind the bathroom wall and spread under the floor tile. From the bathroom, the tile and the wall covering gave little sign of how far it had gone.
Moisture readings show where water has traveled and help decide what needs to come out. Here, the leak upstairs had also affected a bedroom on the lower level, so the job covered both rooms.
As the damaged materials came out of the bedroom, this water job also became a mold job. The crew found growth in multiple locations.
In one wall, the paint above the opened section looked clean, while the drywall and insulation right below it told a very different story.
The insulation inside the wall was an older foil-and-paper product, with the words "Alfol Aluminum Foil House Insulation Blanket" still printed on its facing. Layers like these can hold moisture inside a wall cavity, where it has little chance to dry on its own.
Removing moldy materials disturbs them, so the work area has to be controlled. The crew put up plastic containment at the doorways and installed protective floor coverings.
Furniture that stayed in the bedroom was wrapped in reinforced plastic, and the floors were covered.
All damaged building materials and insulation were removed and discarded. In the bedroom, that opened sections of the walls down to the framing and sheathing and exposed the joists, plumbing and wiring above the ceiling.
With water under the tile, the bathroom floor had to come up. The crew took up the floor tile and removed the bathroom floor, which exposes the layers underneath and lets drying air reach them.
With everything exposed, the crew HEPA vacuumed all surfaces with mold to capture loose spores and debris instead of blowing them around. All surfaces were then enzyme sprayed and hand cleaned.
Bleach isn't part of the process. It whitens mold on the surface but doesn't remove it, and its water content soaks back into the wood. The IICRC S520 mold remediation standard calls for physically removing the growth and the materials it ruined, cleaning what stays, and fixing the moisture that caused it.
Once the surfaces had been cleaned, the crew began mold encapsulation in the bedroom. In protective suits and respirators, they sprayed a white mold-resistant coating onto the exposed framing and sheathing. Encapsulation doesn't replace removing and cleaning mold. It's the step that comes after them.
Taking out wet materials doesn't dry the structure behind them. The crew placed drying and dehumidifying equipment in multiple locations to pull moisture out of the framing and the air, including in the bathroom where the leak started.
The damaged materials and insulation are out, the bathroom floor has been removed, and the surfaces have been HEPA vacuumed, enzyme sprayed and hand cleaned. Mold encapsulation has begun in the bedroom, the drying equipment is in place, and the crew is continuing to monitor moisture levels.
If you'd like to compare, our East Quogue case study follows a different upstairs bathroom leak, a failed toilet supply line that reached three levels of a home. For another Nassau County mold job, see our attic mold remediation in Glen Cove.
K.O.S. Restoration handles water damage restoration and mold remediation in Levittown and across Nassau County, including nearby Hicksville, Wantagh, East Meadow and Seaford.
If you've had a shower or bathroom leak and aren't sure what's behind the wall, call (631) 560-8999 any time, day or night. We're IICRC-certified, we've served Long Island since 2006, and we'll check how far the water went before anything comes down.
The things people ask when they're looking at the same problem.
Yes. Water that gets past a shower can run behind the bathroom wall and under the floor tile, then follow the framing down into the room below. The tile and painted walls can keep all of that out of sight. In this Levittown home, a shower leak affected both the bathroom and a bedroom on the lower level.
Tile doesn't show what's happening underneath it, and it slows drying. When water has run under the floor, taking up the tile exposes the layers below so the crew can see the damage, remove what can't be saved and get air moving across what's left.
Wet insulation holds moisture against the wall cavity and keeps the framing behind it from drying. Paper facing can also feed mold, and foil slows drying. Removing it lets the crew reach the framing and sheathing to clean them and lets the drying equipment do its job.
Encapsulation is a mold-resistant coating sprayed onto framing and sheathing that have already been cleaned. It's the last step of remediation, not a substitute for removing mold. On this job, the damaged materials were removed and the surfaces were HEPA vacuumed, enzyme treated and hand cleaned before the crew began encapsulating the bedroom.
Bleach whitens mold on the surface but doesn't remove it, and its water content soaks into porous wood and drywall. Enzyme cleaners break down the organic residue mold feeds on. The IICRC S520 standard calls for physically removing the growth and the materials it ruined, then cleaning what stays.
It often does when the mold results from a sudden and accidental leak that's already covered, but policies vary and many cap mold coverage at a set dollar amount. Damage from a slow leak over a long time may not be covered. K.O.S. documents the damage with photos, moisture readings and a written scope to give the adjuster what they need.
Yes. K.O.S. Restoration provides 24/7 water damage restoration and mold remediation in Levittown and across Nassau County, including nearby Hicksville, Wantagh, East Meadow and Seaford. Call (631) 560-8999.
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