The black attic mold shown here confirms that this attic had a serious venting and moisture problem including moisture from sources lower in the building.
Black stains on plywood in attic.
Notice the dark staining in the first picture.
The following picture is of a long standing moisture condition in an attic where much of the roof sheathing has turned black.
I have surface mold on the sheathing in my 1982 vintage 12 6 pitched attic.
Some spots are just patches here and there and others are big areas.
This summer i cleaned the portion of the black stain with a dry mop as much as i could reach from the hatch opening.
In old houses you ll usually see some spots that are stained dark or black where there was a roof leak at some point in time which was repaired but the stain remains.
In this photo of very dark mold in an attic in a wet attic mold which we found to be brown in the microscope looked black on the plywood.
If the wood is soft if it s easily imprinted when you push on it it s probably rotten.
Black mold in attics.
This can be caused by the action of fungal growth and molds and the affect they have on the tannins in the wood.
Attic feels excessively hot or stuffy attics should feel breezy if they are properly ventilated.
While the plywood remains largely unaffected.
First let s look at the source.
Last winter i took a look into the attic and noticed black stains and water marks on a portion of the sheathing material.
You can remove small amounts of mold covering 10 square feet or less of attic sheathing yourself but if the mold growth covers more than 10 square feet you should contact a.
If the dark surface of the wood smudges it could be mold.
I m aware of the cause poorly vented bathroom fans and not well sealed fan fixtures lights wires etc.
I have obvious moisture stains in the attic and the roof.
While the black stains are either mould or just black dust from attic insulation settled on the.
Dark black staining on wood surfaces if the wood in your attic shows any black discoloration the problem has moved beyond moisture.
This type of mold growth will not smudge or wipe off.
You have mold that should be removed.