Hi. On the first floor of my house, my plywood subfloor smells like basement (the basement is located underneath it). Before I install cork floor, is there any odor sealant I can use on the plywood subfloor? Can I use "AFM Safecoat" or "Caliwel Industrial Mold and Mildew Inhibitor"? Which one would you recommend in my case? Thank you. SAMPLE - Caliwel Industrial Mold and Mildew Inhibitor Paints & Primers

Question

Hi. On the first floor of my house, my plywood subfloor smells like basement (the basement is located underneath it). Before I install cork floor, is there any odor sealant I can use on the plywood subfloor? Can I use "AFM Safecoat" or "Caliwel Industrial Mold and Mildew Inhibitor"? Which one would you recommend in my case? Thank you. SAMPLE - Caliwel Industrial Mold and Mildew Inhibitor Paints & Primers

Status: Open Aug 20, 2023 - 11:42 AM

1answer

Answer

Aug 21, 2023 - 03:39 AM

AFM Safecoat SafeSeal will seal VOC odors but not mold or mildew odors. Caliwel will block mold and mildew but not VOC odors. It sounds like neither of these odors are the reality here. Perhaps improving the ventilation or adding an air purification system in the basement will help reduce the basement odors coming up. Finally, adding a vapor retarder on the bottom of the floor joists (if you have an open ceiling with no insulation or drywall) might also be helpful.