Home Advice: Mold Under Tiles

Oct. 11 -- Each week, Good Morning America home-improvement guru Ron Hazelton answers your questions about maintaining and upgrading your home. Click here to submit your own question.

Q: Dear Ron,A house inspector told me I have mold underneath the kitchen vinyl by the refrigerator where the drip pan had been misaligned.

It is not a large area but since it's from the underside, I can't clean the stain that has emerged off the vinyl. One repair person has estimated it is an $800 [job to] take up the old vinyl and replace the plywood flooring and recover.

Another estimates $355 (without materials) to take up only that portion of affected vinyl, see if we can simply scrape off the molded area and fill back in with wood putty, and then lay new vinyl over the whole floor, thereby possibly saving the expense of replacing plywood because the molded area is so small and doesn't seemed to have damaged the wood, at least to the touch, through the vinyl.

Does the $355 estimate seem a reasonable approach and price?

Thanks

— Karin W.Cary, N.C.

A: Karin,

Yes, I think I'd try the $355 solution. If the floor is not "spongy" when you step on it, my guess is that the wood underneath (called the sub-floor) is probably still structurally sound and does not need to be replaced.

Now, if you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, here's a solution that could be even less expensive. Using an electric heat gun, the kind intended for removing paint (you can find these in home improvement centers for about $25-$30), carefully heat the tile from the top.

Be careful not to get the heat gun too close to the surface and keep it moving back and forth — this will avoid scorching the tile. As the tile warms, the adhesive on the back will soften, allowing you to gently pry by working a 4-inch-wide putty knife underneath.

As you work, continue applying heat as needed to keep the adhesive soft and the tile pliable. Take your time and be gentle on the tiles. The first tile is the trickiest; once it is up, the edges of the adjacent tiles are exposed, making it easier to get the putty knife underneath.