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In addition, building materials have changed. Builders are using more recycled materials, which are often a composite mix of wood fibers held together with adhesives. Mold grows easily on the adhesives as well as on the wood fibers (cellulose) that have been broken down and are not protected by intact cell walls as they would be in solid lumber, according to Joseph Lstiburek, a principal engineer at Building Science Corp., Boston, and an expert on moisture-related building problems. Damp particle board, waferboard, medium-density fiberboard, and paper-covered gypsum board are especially welcome homes for fungi, which use cellulose as their primary carbon source. Lstiburek writes about how leaky windows were not such a problem more than 100 years ago. Back then, windows were more likely to be framed by heavy timber that was sheathed on the interior with plaster on metal. These materials resisted mold growth because they would dry out. |
| UPDATE | 02.04 |
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