John McGuiness
07-17-2015, 05:25 AM
Hi guys,
The attached pictures are from an 1890’s Victorian in Upstate NY. The attic roof deck showed severe discoloration of the wood planks in several areas with the staining being very black (almost the color of charcoal). The insulation and ventilation was minimal which would generally send me to the direction of mold. It should be noted the original slate roof was recently replaced approx. 3 years ago with architectural shingles. Could this discoloration be more indicative of moisture issues possibly associated with the older roof and rusting of nails and/or some chemical reaction in the wood from the moisture and possibly wicking of some of the slate materials (an older roofer buddy said he often sees staining from slate)? I was also informed by the selling agent that the slate roof was actually installed over an original tin roof which was problematic for the slate in terms of consistent maintenance. The attic was full with cardboard boxes which did not show any signs of mold/mildew which I would think would be the case if the problem was active from possibly warm moist entering the dwelling in the winter months and condensing on the attic ceiling. When touching the staining I would get a very faint black residue on my hands. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John
The attached pictures are from an 1890’s Victorian in Upstate NY. The attic roof deck showed severe discoloration of the wood planks in several areas with the staining being very black (almost the color of charcoal). The insulation and ventilation was minimal which would generally send me to the direction of mold. It should be noted the original slate roof was recently replaced approx. 3 years ago with architectural shingles. Could this discoloration be more indicative of moisture issues possibly associated with the older roof and rusting of nails and/or some chemical reaction in the wood from the moisture and possibly wicking of some of the slate materials (an older roofer buddy said he often sees staining from slate)? I was also informed by the selling agent that the slate roof was actually installed over an original tin roof which was problematic for the slate in terms of consistent maintenance. The attic was full with cardboard boxes which did not show any signs of mold/mildew which I would think would be the case if the problem was active from possibly warm moist entering the dwelling in the winter months and condensing on the attic ceiling. When touching the staining I would get a very faint black residue on my hands. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John