Mold in Walls & Drywall in Lawrenceville, GA

What pushes water into Lawrenceville walls

Lawrenceville, the Gwinnett County seat about 27 miles from Atlanta, sits in the Yellow River watershed. Gwinnett County stormwater staff reported that the heaviest rain of the September 2009 floods fell near Lawrenceville, with roughly 19 inches over eight days in parts of the watershed, and NWS gauges on Pew Creek, Shoal Creek and the Alcovy River went above flood stage on September 21 of that year. Walls that took water then and were closed up before they dried can still hide old growth.

Most wall mold here has a plainer cause: a slow drip at a supply line, a shower valve, or an ice maker line that runs behind a kitchen wall. Summer thunderstorms also find gaps around window trim, and lower-level rooms built against damp red clay pick up moisture through the foundation.

Surface cleaning or cutting the wall open?

Early warning signs

• A tide-line stain under a window or along the baseboard
• Paint that peels in sheets or wallpaper seams that lift
• A musty closet on an outside wall
• Baseboards that swell or pull away from the wall
• A spot that comes back a few weeks after you scrub it

Timing and permits

Late summer, when the air is most humid, is when wall stains and odors usually show up, and a moisture meter gives the clearest picture then. Do not wait for cooler weather if a pipe is leaking; EPA says wet materials need to dry within 24 to 48 hours to head off mold. When the drywall goes back up, rebuild work inside city limits runs through Lawrenceville Planning & Development, which takes applications through its online Licensing, Permits, and Plans portal. Ask the contractor whether your job needs one.