Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 4/9/2009

Question
Problem" ground floor condo exterior bedroom wall;inside carpet dark dirty edge and draft along part of inside wall. Inpected, no mold accumulation. Wall draft, dirt, some mulch from outside bedding, light filtration and small pieces of carpet tucked under carpet strip (carpet installed by builder) 9 years ago. Referred to by enviromental inspector as ghosting, structural and airflow problem. I have been trying to solve this with my condo association and management company since 2006 with no results. What is the problem and how can it be fixed?
Thank you in advance for your reply.  

Answer
Hi Mieke, It sounds like you just need to caulk the inside joint where the wall meets the floor.  And if you can get at if from the outside I would caulk it out there also.  Use a good urethane or polyurethane caulk.  Pull your carpet back and try to seal the bottom of the wall if you can get behind the tack strip.  If you can't get behind the tack strip with your caulking gun then you may need to pull the tack strip, caulk then replace the tack strip and carpet. I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com