Does Kilz Kill Mold? 

Mold grows on surfaces that have more than 55% humidity. To contain mold, some people paint their walls with Kilz thinking it will remove the mold already there. But does Kilz kill mold?

If you have a fresh and clean surface, you can use Kilz paint to prevent the growth of mold in it. However, you cannot use Kilz paint to kill mold. It is not designed to do that. If you want to remove mold or prevent it from infesting your home, you may need the help of a professional mold removal service.

Kilz paint, such as the Kilz Max Clear, is not made to be applied to a surface where mold or mildew is already present. This means you should not use it to cover mold. You first have to wash the surface using a mold remover. Then rinse it with water and allow it to dry before fully coating it with Kilz paint.

Read on to learn more about Kilz paint, if you can use it to kill mold, how you can properly use it, and how you can eradicate mold in your home.

Does Kilz Kill Mold?

Kilz Can Only Prevent Mold and Mildew Growth

The simple answer to this question is no. Kilz paint cannot kill mold. It can only prevent mold and mildew growth if the surface it is applied to is fresh and clean. If the mold and mildew situation in your home is severe, you need the help of a professional mold removal service.

If you rely on Kilz paint to get rid of mold, you won’t be able to do it. Kilz is not designed to do that. For instance, you cannot apply Kilz Max Clear on a surface infested with mold and mildew. You can’t cover the infestation with this paint.

Wash and Clean the Surface with Mold Before Applying Paint

What you need to do is first wash and clean the surface with mold. After washing, give it time to dry completely. Only then can you apply Kilz paint over the surface. This will prevent future mold and mildew growth on that surface.

Open the Windows and Doors During Application

Be aware that Kilz paint is toxic. If you inhale its fumes, you can get sick. Accidentally inhaling Kilz can induce dizziness, drowsiness, and respiratory system irritation.

Don’t use Kilz paint unless you have cross-ventilation in the area where you apply it. That means the windows and doors should be open during the application and drying of the paint.

Kilz Only Act as a Primer

Kilz only acts as a primer. This means you have to paint over it. It can bond and cover porous surfaces. So, after applying Kilz, you must apply surface or finishing paint over it. It will deteriorate over time if you leave Kilz without a top coating.

How Long Does It Take Kilz to Dry?

After applying Kilz, you must allow it to cure and dry before applying a top coat. It should dry in about 30 minutes, at 50% relative humidity and 77°F.

You can safely apply the top coat of oil-based or latex paint in about one hour. If you apply it at lower temperatures and humidity, the drying time will be longer.

Again, does Kilz paint kill mold? Kilz cannot kill mold and mildew. It was designed to prevent their growth. Of these two types of fungus, mold is more dangerous to your health.

Kilz Paint Can Prevent Mold from Forming

It is also much more difficult to remove once it has settled in your home. That’s why it’s important for mold not to get a foothold in your home. This is what Kilz paint is for – prevention of mold and not their eradication.

Why Kilz Cannot Kill Mold

Now, you know that Kilz paint cannot kill mold. But why? First, you have to understand what mold is. It is a fungus. Mold likes wet surfaces. If your place has high humidity, mold will likely grow because such a condition is conducive to its growth.

When you see mold on your walls, it will make them ugly since it is usually black. It leaves black marks in spots and places where it grows.

1. Not Designed to Kill Mold

You should not think that painting mold over with a primer like Kilz will kill it. On the contrary, it will only hide the mold. The mold spots will continue to grow and increase in size.

To kill mold, you must correct the condition that makes it grow. This means solving the humidity problem in your house.

Kilz is only good at preventing the growth of mold. Its manufacturer designed it to kill mold already present in your house’s highly humid sections.

2. Does Not Address the Source of Moisture

Kilz is not concerned about the moisture source of the surface already infested with mold. Its primary use or function is to prevent mold growth. If mold growth is already on that surface, it can’t do anything about it.

What you need to do, if you don’t want mold infestation, is to address the problem of humidity in your place. One way you can do that is to use a de-humidifier. This is a machine that reduces the humidity in high humid areas.

3. Not Meant to Replace the Work of the Professionals

Addressing the mold problem may not solve mold infestation completely if you will not cut off the mold’s food source. A professional mold removal service is the best person to investigate the food source of mold in your area.

By yourself, you can start by getting rid of building materials or sections in your property that are water damaged or soaked in water. They are the favorite breeding grounds of mold.

If you have already done this and the mold is still there, you need a mold removal service to trace where it is coming from.

What Is Kilz Paint

Masterchem Industries LLC Produces Kilz Paint

Masterchem Industries LLC manufactures Kilz paint primer. The primary product of this company is paint primers. These primers are made to prevent many types of mold, including black mold, mildew, odor, and stains on walls and surfaces of structures, buildings, and properties.

Available as a Regular and as an Aerosol Spray Paint Primer

Kilz is available as a regular paint primer and as an aerosol spray paint primer for mold and mildew. The regular primer is designed for bigger surface areas that are easily accessible, while the aerosol spray primer is for smaller areas that are hard to reach.

Water-based Primers

These primers are all water-based. Acting as primers, sealers, and stain blockers, they are good for surface structures that are more likely to be attacked by mold and mildew because of their proximity to areas with high moisture and high humidity.

Offer Good Adhesion on Both the Interior and Exterior Surfaces

Kilz paint primers offer good adhesion on both the interior and exterior surfaces. As a paint primer, they can provide good anchors for top and finishing coats of paint.

What Kilz Can Do to Molds

Kilz can’t kill mold because they are not made to do so. So, what can it do to mold that will help you enjoy a better and healthier indoor environment?

Kilz Prevents Mold Growth

The primary purpose of Kilz is to prevent the growth of mold. If mold has already infested a certain surface, there is nothing Kilz can do to reverse this condition. But in preventing mold growth, Kilz is topnotch.

Does Kilz Kill Mold on Drywall?

So, Kilz is best used on fresh and clean surfaces. This primer can keep them clean and fresh.

Does Kilz kill mold on drywall? The answer is no because the best use of Kilz is on newly constructed walls and structures. You can’t use it in already mold-infested homes and buildings.

Protect Your Walls from Mold and Mildew

We all know that prevention is better than cure. Kilz works according to this principle since it is better to protect your walls from mold and mildew than to deal with them.

Again, does Kilz kill mold? Kilz can prevent mold and mildew, but it cannot kill mold. To get rid of mold infestation, you should contact professionals.

Can You Put Kilz Over Black Mold?

No, you are not advised to paint Kilz over mold and mildew. You will only cover the surface of the area and hide the mold and mildew activities that will continue because they are still alive.

You have to address the presence of mold and mildew first before trying to cover their presence with paint. This means you have to eradicate these fungi before trying to cover their tracks.

The moment all of these fungi are removed and you have made the necessary measures that will prevent them from coming back, that’s the time you can cover the formerly infested surface with Kilz.

If you apply Kilz to untreated surfaces, these fungi will continue multiplying. And the bad thing about that is that you can’t see what’s going on underneath the painted-up surfaces.

You may have a larger mold and mildew infestation in your home. That will result in more expensive structural repairs later on.

What Products Prevent Mold Growth

Some products in the market can prevent mold growth in your house. Here are two of the best-recommended products you can use for this purpose:

1. Zinnser 287512 Mold Killing Primer

Click here to see it on Amazon.

The manufacturer of this product claims that it is a mold-killing primer. It is recommended to be used on metal surfaces.

The Zinnser 287512 Mold Killing Primer is white and has a matte finish when dried. It comes in 13 fluid-ounce cans, with one pack containing six cans.

This primer is safe to use as it is EPA registered. It can block mold, mildew, and other foul-smelling bacteria without requiring extensive cleaning.

One can of Zinnser covers 8 to 10 square feet. This primer also dries up in just about 5 minutes. You then can recoat the surface within 30 minutes of drying so you can complete your project quickly.

2. Kilz 20000 2 All-Purpose Multi-Surface Stain Blocking Latex Primer

Click here to see it on Amazon.

This product can block mold and mildew from any surface you want. It is also a water-based paint primer that comes in 5-gallon cans.

The Kilz 20000 2 All-Purpose Multi-Surface Stain Blocking Latex Primer comes in white and can be used on interior and exterior surfaces.

This primer can block mild to medium stains made by felt markers, pencils, ink, grease, and water. It can dry to the touch in about 30 minutes and will be ready to recoat in just about one hour.

This product is made by Kilz or Masterchem Industries LLC, which has been in this business for more than 40 years. Kilz was awarded the distinction of Paint Brand of the Year in 2015 by the Harris Poll EquiTrend Rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may have questions about the ability of Kilz to kill mold and mildew. Here are some answers to the often-asked questions about Kilz that may help you better understand it:

Can Kilz Kill Mold?

No matter what others may think about it, Kilz will not be able to kill mold. It is not made to do this. Kilz was designed to prevent mold and mildew growth. If the surface is already inundated with mold, mildew, and other kinds of fungi, there is no way Kilz can eradicate them.

What Is Kilz Made For?

The manufacturer of Kilz, Masterchem Industries LLC, says that it is made to prevent mold and mildew on surfaces. It is not made and cannot be used to kill mold and mildew.

What Can Kill Mold and Mildew?

The best way to kill mold and mildew is to get to the bottom of the problem. Cleaning and removing mold and mildew growth is just part of the solution. You have to go to the root cause of the problem. And that is to investigate why mold and mildew grew on the surfaces in the first place.

The primary reason there is mold and mildew on a surface is moisture and high humidity. This means mold and mildew grow on surfaces that are near areas with high moisture and high humidity.

If you remove the sources of moisture and humidity in your place, you’ve got the problem solved, right on its roots. Just cleaning the infested surfaces won’t do the job. Go down to the source of the problem to eradicate it.

Can Kilz Kill Black Mold?

No, Kilz cannot kill black mold. You can’t apply it or cover the black mold with it. What you need to do is to clean and wash the infected areas with a mildew remover. Then rinse it with water and allow the areas to dry before coating it with Kilz.

You will cover the mold if you don’t clean the area before applying Kilz. It will still infest the area and will even increase the infestation. The next thing you need to do is trace the mold’s source and remove its food source.

Can I Paint Over Kilz?

Yes, you can certainly paint over a coat of paint over Kilz because it is a primer. It offers a solid anchor for proceeding paints to hold on to.

Kilz will help in the bonding and covering of a porous surface. It is applied first to the surface before another coat, or another paint coat is applied.

Is Kilz Toxic to Breathe?

Yes, you should be careful when working with Kilz. It is harmful when inhaled. You can experience dizziness and drowsiness, and can experience respiratory irritation if you accidentally inhale its fumes.

So, use it in areas with cross ventilation, where a door or a window is open, so the airflow exchange is free.

How Long Does Kilz Take to Dry and Cure?

Once Kilz is applied to a surface, it will take about 30 minutes to dry. You can apply a coat of paint over it in about one hour. It will stop smelling in about 48 hours.

How Long Is the Shelf Life of Kilz?

If unused and kept in its original container, a can of Kilz can be viable for up to two years.

In Closing: Can Kilz Kill Mold?

You can’t kill mold by covering it with Kilz paint primer. You can use it to prevent mold from forming on a fresh and clean surface. But if the mold is already on the surface, you can’t paint it over with Kilz to kill it. It is not designed to do that.

Kilz paint, such as the Kilz Max Clear, is not meant to be applied to surfaces already infested with mold or mildew. In other words, you should not use it to cover mold. Mold will keep on spreading in that area if you do this.

The best thing you can do is rinse the surface with water and then allow it to completely dry. You can only apply Kilz paint to prevent mold from infesting that surface again.

At any rate, if your mold problem is that serious, you need to ask the help of a professional mold removal service to get this problem behind your back.