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St. Bernard Project
Summary of rebuild training with St. Bernard Project
by Jimmy Kelly
Day 1
8:30-9:15 Orientation
The Orientation to the St. Bernard Project by its Co-Founder Zach Rosenberg was very big picture and over-arching mission oriented. He spoke about the project revolving around the client or homeowner, and to think about treating the houses we work on as if they were our Grandparents homes. After the meeting concluded he picked our brains about Cedar Rapids and the potential of transferring the St. Bernard Project model there.
The Cedar Rapids VISTA field crew poses for a group picture in Louisiana. From the back: Blake C., James K., Phillip C., Curtis D., Katie F., Mike A., Alex L., Ashley H., Rhonda F., Danielle S., Diego S.
9:30-3:30 Overview of Mold Remediation with Nathan
We were met at the house off Muenster St. in Meraux, LA by Nathan, an AmeriCorps State member who had just finished up his 10 month commitment of service and was sticking around to continue to work with the St. Bernard Project as their mold guru. First, he took us to a house that was ready to be tested for mold and explained to the different steps of the mold remediation process. He emphasized the fact that each one must be done and done well. The steps of mold remediation are as follows:
Step 1: Wire brush all exposed wood surfaces to “activate” or awaken the mold. Individuals brushing and later applying Shockwave would wear P-100 respirators, as the mold individuals may come in contact with could be harmful. During this step it may be helpful to have someone go around and clean up the areas of any left over debris- insulation, wall materials, and pull all nails form studs and ceiling joists. The technique consists of brushing each wood piece in three directions- horizontally, vertically, and in a circular motion. After an area- stud or other piece of wood- has been brushed, it should be marked with an X using either a sharpie or metal edge of the brush. In St. Bernard Parish, 12 feet of water sat for two weeks causing nearly all areas of one story homes to be under or near the flood waters. That being said, the St. Bernard Project wire brushes the ceiling and roof joists and in some cases all of the paneling used to hold the roof together. There are many difficult areas to get to with a wire brush but the more thorough the job, the more likely it is to pass the mold test.
Step 2: Wipe down the areas which were brushed with the Shockwave chemical solution. Shockwave is a hospital grade disinfectant, which when diluted with water serves as a mold killer. After the mold is active or awake, wiping down the studs or wood areas with the Shockwave solution acts to neutralize or kill the mold. To mix the solution, add one pint to four gallons of water. To apply the mix, fold industrial grade shop towels 3-4 times, dip in the solution and start wiping, making sure to apply the solution to all areas of the wood. Because the chemical is caustic, latex gloves on each hand should be used whenever someone is applying or mixing the solution. The area need not be saturated with the mix, but noticeably wetted. As the sides of the rag become dirty, fold them over to expose a new, clean side of the rag. When the rag has lost its moisture or is too dirty to use, throw it away and get a new rag with more solution. Never double dip your rags because dirt can contaminate the solution. After a stud or area of wood has had Shockwave applied to it, circle the X that was previously made after the brushing.
Step 3: Apply Kilz. Kilz is a brand of paint used on the studs and exposed areas of wood in an effort to cover or trap any existing mold. The paint is white and serves as a base coat and when applied to the wood areas, creates a seal, trapping the remaining mold in the wood areas. A single layer of Kilz is sufficient, but it must be assured that all parts of the wood are covered and the paint is allowed to seep into the holes and cracks between and within the wood. To be safe apply the paint so that you can only see white when you look at the wood. Do not be shy about applying too much or applying it unevenly, because the areas where Kilz is applied will be covered with wall and ceiling materials at a later date.
Step 4: Clean and prepare the home to be fogged. Sweep every room to collect dust and dirt, use a shop vac to collect any dust or dirt around to floor boards, and comprehensively vacuum all the floors and other areas of concern. Once the area is sufficiently clean, the fogging can commence. Fogging is the last step in the mold remediation process and is usually performed 12-24 hours before the home is to be tested for mold. In fogging, a paint sprayer is used with a mixture of the Shockwave solution- one pint per 4-5 gallons- to lightly mist or fog the home in an attempt to kill any remaining mold that may be in the air or on the wood. Approximately 20 gallons of the solution was used on the home we observed. Since the Shockwave chemical is caustic, it is necessary to wear proper personal protective equipment when fogging an area, which includes a full face respirator, latex gloves and a tyvek suit. Each area was misted over 4-5 times and every area of exposed wood should be touched. It is not necessary to dampen any areas, but apply a light misting over every region with wood or studs. Once the home is fogged it is ready for inspection, or testing, where the air quality in the home is compared with the air quality of the outdoors. Since the St. Bernard Project implemented this method of mold remediation they have been very successful in the mold tests, thereby allowing the next steps of the rebuilding process to begin.
During the overview and orientation to mold we visited a site where a group of volunteers were brushing, wiping, and kilzing . We even got a chance to do some hands on work with the Shockwave solution. We also helped Nathan prep a site before he fogged it and then watched him set up for the fogging and do the actual fogging.
Day 2
When I arrived at the office of the St. Bernard Project I was informed that instead of going to a house to install drywall, we would be going to a house that needed to be treated for mold. Nathan wanted us to get some hands on work with the techniques we had discussed the previous day. It was a great hands on opportunity to apply what we had leaned. Two NCCC members from the Sacramento campus who had been working with mold remediation for the last month met us at the site. They took us through the steps again and let us get going. For the first two hours we perfected our wire brushing techniques. Then we applied shockwave to the area that had just been brushed. After lunch, we applied Kilz to the areas that had brushed and wiped with Shockwave. The rest of the day was spent applying Kliz .It was a great experience to be able to go through all the stages of mold remediation because it gave us a firm grasp on how long each step takes and the supplies required to complete them.
Day 3
We arrived at the Mascair house on 320 Genet St. in Arabi, LA at a little after 8am and were greeted by some unusually chilly weather. At about 8:30 our site supervisor, Marcia, showed up and we got to work. She started out by explaining some of the basics of hanging drywall and took us all through how to hang a ceiling. We measured, cut and hung the pieces, with only a few people working while everyone else was observing. Once we all felt confident with the basics we got started hanging dry wall. We quickly discovered that doing a though job hanging dry wall is very time consuming.
At the end of the day we went to the St Bernard Project office and met with Zack Rosenberg (co founder of St Bernard project) to discuss the possibility of implementing their project model in Cedar Rapids. Zack was interested to find out some of the similarities between St. Bernard Parish and Cedar Rapids and about our role within the flood recovery. The next step is for people from the St. Bernard to visit Cedar Rapids to discuss how incorporating the St Bernard project model.
Day 4
When we awoke on Thursday we were greeted by a common sight in Cedar Rapids but incredibly rare in Louisiana: snow. At 8 it was falling steadily and did not let up until around 10:30. Another surprise at the worksite was Lucky the neighbor hood chicken, who was not afraid to peck at people and was interested in following us into the house. Despite snow and our new friend Lucy, we picked up right where we left off on Wednesday hanging drywall. Marcia got us all together and went through an extensive training on how to finish the dry wall by mudding and taping. I soon discovered that Mudding is a skill that requires a lot of patience and a steady hand. We worked until the last mudding tool was clean and got ready for a night out in New Orleans filled with food, fun, and frigid temperatures.
Day 5
On our last day of training with the St. Bernard Project we got an early start and were able to apply second coats of mud to a lot of the areas we had gone over the day before. The team was able to practice mudding, hanging, and patching techniques but also our. Before we concluded the day we thoroughly thanked her for her teaching style and her patience working with us. She reminded us that we were a great group to work with and she was confident we would be able to help out a lot of Iowans with the skills we learned during the week. After we cleaned up and said goodbye to Marcia we headed out to a welcome home party for a homeowner in Violet. We were informed there would be food at this event and that information did not disappoint for when we arrived there was a line out the door and plenty of gumbo and cake to go around. After we all loaded up on food we said our goodbyes before packing into the van for the start of our 15 hour journey back to Iowa.