Sneezes, Floors and Sniffles.

[Dallas]

Since we got our old PD4103, (MCI Guy's you wouldn't understand), Cat and I have had no end of sinus and allergy problems.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade for the world, unless the Lottery numbers came up.
Well to make a long story twice as long, we have a conversion that was done in the 60's and wasn't updated until we got it.
Leaky Vents, leaky windows, leaky water lines, and leaky waste pipe.
It also had the most horrendous carpet a person could ever select. It's saving grace was that it covered dirt well because it looked like vegetation, rotting vegetation.
Today I got ticked off enough to do something about it. I thought, "lets get rid of that nasty stuff", plus the blueishy stuff I laid down over it so it would at least look clean.
Considering it's a 54 yr old bus, she's in pretty good shape for her age, but the company that put down the carpet, used the very bestest of glue they could find.
and the carpet was foam backed.
We worked and scrubbed, and scraped and..... finally gave up.
Now I've started removing the plywood to put in a new temporary floor
I'll post more pictures later of our travails.

[NCbob]

Ah, how well I remember that old carpet.  My parents decided to surprise me, upon my return from service overseas, by removing the antique room sized rugs and do wall to wall carpet...which was the rage...but it was cheap foam backed carpet (Bless their hearts) and all they could really afford... over beautifully varnished hardwood floors.  Theirs wasn't cemented down but after a few years it stuck like glue and to get rid of the residue we had to sand those beautiful old floors.  My heart goes out to you and your wife.

If you hadn't tackled it at some point (now's as good as any) it would have bugged you into near insanity.

The only saving grace is that once done...you'll never have to face it again. 

And on Judgement Day you will be thanked for being a "Good and Faithful Servant" by the Bus Gods!

NCbob

[FloridaCliff]

Dallas,

Reminded me of my sticks and staples.

Right after I bought it i decided to tear out the nasty carpet and put in a wood parquet floor.

I almost died when i found out that they put the carpet down and built the whole thing on top of it.

Talk about a nasty mess.

Good luck

[Ednj]

We worked and scrubbed, and scraped and..... finally gave up.
Now I've started removing the plywood to put in a new temporary floor

If you are removing the floor plywood be very careful.
The floor in the GM is structural...

[DrDave]

Be careful, I had to get completely out of my RTS due to wind blown water leaks after the hurricanes.
The mold gets rooted inside stuff and just changing the carpet is usually only an effort in vain...

It gets into the a/c, ducts, blowers, walls, insulation and the list goes on forever. The only true way
to get rid of the problem is complete gutting of everything and start over after a good steam clean
with harsh chemicals.

I got so sick that I ended up with pneumonia and in the hospital. I am now so sensitised that if I even think
I smell musty or moldy stuff I head for a handful of antihistamine and get well clear of the odor. I smell that
stuff for days now. Bad news...

I have learned again that unfinished oak cabinets and even that nice oak and birch plywood will soak up mold
in a heartbeat and its almost unstoppable. You should stain and seal all woodwork long before it ever gets too
much humidity or worse yet gets wet for any reason.

Particle board ... A disaster waiting to happen.. A sponge for water and mold spores, Yoy can't clean it or seal it once
the damage starts. If you use stuff like Chlorox Cleanup the smell stays in the material forever and you will eventually
get sensitized to that..

If it smells bad.... You probably should rethink what you are doing.... The Nose Knows !!!

[phil4501]

I am at pulling up the old rotten carpet up off the floor and walls, (1975 conversion), on my PD4501. I found that a painters mask seemed to help.