×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Fibrous growth on underside of 3" wood decking

Fibrous growth on underside of 3" wood decking

Fibrous growth on underside of 3" wood decking

(OP)

This morning I inspected a steel-supporting building with 3" wood decking that was constructed over a mill race about 75+ years ago.

Anyone care to speculate on the nature of the fibrous growth on some of the wood decking - see the related pictures.  It is very "feathery" and dry and scrapes off quite easily.  The wood surface below it seems reasonably solid.  At some point in relatively recent years the roof started leaking and water was able to collect on the floor above.

BTW - the floor consists of a concrete topping over the 3" wood decking.

Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

RE: Fibrous growth on underside of 3" wood decking

Looks like somebody went crazy with the aerosol spray in foam.

Probably some type of mold - or the Black Plaque of Calcutta??

Hit it with some bleach.  If that kills it, then it is probably mold.

Wear a respirator!!

RE: Fibrous growth on underside of 3" wood decking

I'm no biologist but it looks like it is definitely a fungus, not unlike shelf fungi that grow on trees.  I've seen this on old timber buildings before.  

I would definitely take an ice pick and check for dry rot while you're at it.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources