I touched it and it feels like efflorescence, I realize efflorescence should not be growing on Lumber which makes me think I should mention it as possible mold growth in my report, but I don’t want to be alarming if not necessary. Can somebody help me with this? It was on maybe 6-8 consecutive joists but not this bad. The Washer and dryer was in this area nearby
Possible “microbial growth”. We never, ever use the word mold.
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Thanks, I like your usage of words
I wonder why it is just on the joists and not the sub floor? Any thoughts on that
Wood does not effloresce.
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Possibly due to temp differences/condensation. Possibly due to handling/storage/exposure during construction - it may be old and not be a current conducive condition. Possibly the board was used for a form or something during the construction process and that is simply residue. I don’t see anything similar where it laps the other joist over the beam. It appears isolated to that one board. It does not have the appearance of wood that has been subjected to a chronic excess moisture condition.
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I do … If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck …Its a duck.
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Just a though. Contractors typically utilized foundation or other concrete form lumber building homes up until the early 1960’s. The opposing connected floor joist is clean. Again. Just a though
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I hear ya Roy. Spent years with an international restoration company. Legally we couldn’t call anything “mold” because it couldn’t be mold unless it was lab tested etc etc.(insurance companies & attorneys… go figure)
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I agree!! See this many times, usually has been used elsewhere before
You can offer to test it. We had an InterNACHI Inspector call out white caulking in the garage attic and black spots on a 2x4 from sweating pipes as “mold”!! It was a house I restored with my daughter (Glitter and Grout), so we had to hire a specialist to do a test to prove the false claims of “mold” as he put in his report. The specialist was confused about what to test. Cost us $200.00 for a swab on caulking and a burnt spot on a board. Just sayin’.
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I wouldn’t have made that mistake.
You have to be smarter than what you are dealing with.
Some ass took advantage & stole money from a buyer.
Many times I’m asked about the “horrible mold” on the tub/shower tile wall/caulk.
Other areas can have organic dust/debris that mold will attack if the area becomes damp.
I tell them to have the owner clean it up!
Mold is not growing on that stuff, it’s growing on an accumulation of soap scum, dead skin cells, etc… eeeeewwwww.
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Well I made my decision with what I was comfortable with and recommended it be tested by a specialist. I recommended this just because I know it’s not normal and I don’t feel like guessing on it so I took the safe approach. My only concern is will the seller and his agent get upset with the decision and then I have to explain myself.
If I feel I need a better look at something from Fridays inspection who should I call to get back in to get another look, I never felt this way before about wanting to go back but I feel I need to get a better look in the crawl space.
Could it be a treatment for termites? Possibly a Boric Acid residue from a liquid spray application. Way back in the day when we did insulation. We were hired to remove the floor insulation batts in a crawl space (dropped to the ground) Then an exterminator applied a boric acid treatment, then we reinstalled the fiberglass batts. That looks very similar to what we saw after the termite guy left.
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It very well could be, I did not see any suspicion of termites or is the spray meant to prevent termites before they show up?
I did a DWT treatment Thursday.
We treated the exterior infested area with Premise. Then preventive fogged the attic with Bora Care.
So usually you would not see an over spray in the attic like that unless you fogged the hell out of it too much, sprayed way too much.
The basic rule is if “this much” will control the target pest, why use more.
Just extra expense & possible contamination when the overage does not adsorb into the wood fiber. 
It felt like efflorescence because it is efflorescence. Likely deposited as the board was being used as a form board for concrete (probably the footings) The board was repurposed as a joist in order to save money. No deposits on sub-floor as those boards were not utilized as forms.
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I’m having a difficult time seeing how conditions that would lead to something growing on that board face would not lead to something growing on the sheet it support. There is nothing, anywhere on the surface visible in the pic. It just seems odd.
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