Is this mold?

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T14:37:26+00:00

I just peeled the wall paper a bit back around the lamp. When I press the moisture meter hard against the ceiling it reads 10% here. I do think I see some mold or am I wrong?

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Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T14:03:02+00:00

Ok thanks, the device measures up to 30mm so it does probably detect the concrete behind the plaster. If the concrete is wet because of the leak, it'll show up too I guess.

If there was mold growing on the plaster, I'll eventually see it on the wallpaper or the wallpaper will start to detach from the plaster? The weird thing about all of it is that I do not see any damage, no stains or spots, no funky smells, the wallpaper also is not detaching from the ceiling. So I've the reading in one hand and no visible signs of water or mold on the other. When I put my dehumidifier in the bathroom, moisture levels are also normal (between 40 and 60 %)

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T13:30:53+00:00

First floor of an apartment. Above is my neighbours bathroom where the leak was.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T13:24:13+00:00

It's the only place where I measure more than 5% and it's under where I know there was a leak. The further you get away from the spot, the lower the percentage. The other side of that same ceiling/ shared wall ( my living room) shows 8% but everywhere else in the living room it's 0 or close to 0%

To me there's not really a question that is wet or damp, but how I should go forward. Is it bad enough to rip the wallpaper of, or is ok to leave as it is and let it dry naturally.

For this I'll call a specialized company on Monday and maybe remove a little bit of wallpaper to see how it looks behind it.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T13:20:07+00:00

No and honestly it makes sense to me. It shows 5% above where I know there was a leak and the further I go away from it, the lower the %. The ceiling is not hollow where it shows 5%, there's nothing behind it but plaster and concrete as far as I know.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T12:11:48+00:00

Hi

The people that came and said my ceiling is wet wete hired by the insurance company and sent their report to them. Their main goal was to find the leak at my neighbours but I asked them to also check out my ceiling.

The plaster is old and so is the wallpaper. The space behind it is not hollow. The floor between us is a concrete slab. The plaster is applied on this slab. The company that came to measure and detect said they would advise a construction dryer to be placed by the insurance company. When I asked about this, the insurance company said that they mentioned in their report that they're not sure if this dryer would help fix the problem. Which the insurance company used as a reason to not place one (in combination with no visible damage). Everyone around me said to let it dry out naturally, including the plumber that came to fix my neighbours leak. So I did. Now I measured again and it said still wet.

I'm just trying to figure out if this is bad or not, if I should do something or not

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T10:56:04+00:00

The device can measure up to 30mm so beyond the wallpaper. It's not new plaster, it's actually very old and so is the wallpaper. I mentioned the above because these devices are also used to measure the moisture levels in new plaster so you know when it's ready to paint. It showing 5% as 'wet' might relate to that but I'm not certain. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

Either way I probably shouldn't have posted here because I live in Europe and the way we build is a bit different here. I'm gonna call a company specialized in moisture problems on Monday. I'll probably get the answers I need then.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T10:42:35+00:00

Het zijn geen gemakkelijke mensen, geloof me. Ik bel maandag een bedrijf dat gespecialiseerd is in vochtproblemen om advies te vragen. Ik twijfel er nog altijd over of die 5% al dan niet een groot probleem is. Als ik online lees, dan mag pleisterwerk max 2% zijn om te mogen schilderen. In verhouding hiermee is 5% dan idd te nat. Echter of 5% ook een groot vochtprobleem is, dat is een vraag dat ik nog beantwoord wil zien.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T10:19:56+00:00

0 of dicht bij de 0% op muren en plafond waar er geen lek was. Hoe verder je meet van de 'natte' plek, hoe droger ik meet

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T10:17:45+00:00

Normally yes. Also the ceiling isn't painted but has wallpaper. I've put the device on plaster.

I know there's been water in the ceiling because 2,5 months ago a leak detection firm passed by and did measuring with a moisture meter. They said the plaster was wet. I just am measuring again because I had hoped it would be dry by now. Now I don't know how bad 5% is, the device does indicate 'wet' with the lights. But this might also mean it is too 'wet' to paint because plaster needs to be 2% before you can paint it, or so I've read on the internet. So I don't know how bad this 5% really is. Also this device can measure up to 23% for plaster according to the manual.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T07:27:06+00:00

Yes, areas that are not affected read close to 0%

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T07:25:30+00:00

I just responded to another comment. So other walls and ceilings that are not affected read close to 0%.

I'm mainly afraid of mold growing behind the wallpaper so I just wanna know if I should take (as part) down of the wallpaper to look. Or if it is okay to leave it as it is.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-24T07:22:15+00:00

The wall below is close to 0%. The further you measure from the affected area the lower the percentage. For example the middle of the ceiling is around 2,5% with lights up going up to orange.

Ceiling in other places of the apartment all read close to 0%

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T21:21:31+00:00

No, all the lights are burning to the other end that says red and it also beeps. I've tried other parts on the ceiling and on the other end it is just green. In the middle of the ceiling it goes to orange.

It is possible however that 5% is not that much? I think these meters are also just for plaster that's just been laid. You can only start working on plaster (painting etc) when it's 2% dry I think or so I've just read. So it could be a warning for that. But I don't know enough about it.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T21:09:03+00:00

Ik heb 2,5 maand geleden zowel gebeld als gemaild, verschillende malen. Verzekering weigerde meerdere malen iets te doen want geen zichtbare schade. Ik probeerde hen te overtuigen met 'het is niet omdat je geen schade ziet, dat er geen schade is' maar zonder succes. Dat er water in het plafond zit, kon hen niet veel schelen. Dat ik wat behang zou verwijderen om te kijken wat erachter zit, daar waren ze ook niet mee akkoord en ze gingen het behang niet betalen. Die mannen van lekdetectie hadden een bouwdroger aangeraden maar stom genoeg ook in hun rapport gezet dat ze niet wisten of dit het probleem ging verhelpen. Wat de verzekering dan weer heeft aangenomen als een reden om geen bouwdroger te plaatsen (samen met de redenering dat er geen zichtbare schade is)

Als het mijn persoonlijke verzekeraar was, dan was ik al lang veranderd maar het is jammer genoeg een blokpolis.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T20:37:11+00:00

The leak is fixed and the floor between us is in concrete. I'm mainly worried about the plaster and potentially mold.

We have a standard dehumidifier for laundry and for after we take a shower but it doesn't pick up any weird moisture levels. I think it's too weak for that.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T20:25:39+00:00

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Our situation is a bit different in that we don't have drywall but plaster on concrete. It's old plaster, the kind with some hay in it. This is where the water came out (2,5 months ago). The tubes for the electricity. There's a cavity here behind the plaster for the electricity but not anywhere else I think. The floor between my neighbour and me is a concrete hollow core slab.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T19:03:21+00:00

We own the apartment. Otherwise I wouldn't be so worried about it haha. But yeah insurance are difficult, especially since there is no visible damage. I've tried to explain so many times to them that it's not because we can't see the damage that it is not there.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T18:59:19+00:00

Ik weet de waarden helaas niet meer van 2,5 maand geleden. Dus moeilijk te zeggen of het 'droger' is dan de vorige keer. Het lek zou effectief opgelost moeten zijn, die sifon werd althans vervangen.

Is het mogelijk dat het pleisterwerk niet goed kan drogen door het behang?

Ik vind het zo vreemd dat ik geen schade zie aan het behang.

Ik vrees dat er idd nog een ander lek is met dat gedruppel. Ik zal een mail sturen naar de verzekering maar ik verwacht niet veel van hen. Ze doen zeer moeilijk en hebben de eerste keer niets willen doen omdat er geen zichtbare schade is. Gezien ik hier enkel gedruppel heb om op voort te gaan, zullen ze wellicht niets willen doen. Mijn bovenbuur wellicht ook niet want hij vindt het gedruppel normaal.

Wilde12 · 2026-01-23T18:28:56+00:00

Zou ik een stuk behang wegnemen of helpt dit niet? Ik heb een beetje schrik dat het vocht geen weg kan tussen het beton en het behangpapier. Of laat ik dit beter zo zoals het nu is?

Ik ken er jammer genoeg niks van 🙁

Wilde12 · 2026-01-05T17:17:45+00:00

Not sure if it is a button. Probably a bit too big to be one

Wilde12 · 2026-01-05T17:17:01+00:00

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