Mold on wood

[rjwolfe3]

I have been having a problem with mold growing on some wood while it was laid out drying. I also had a burl that I was fumigating in bag (ant problem) that is now covering in mold. What is the best and easiest way to get rid of this or is it harmless? I'm not real big on mold especially since I have a finished basement that I don't want it growing in, lol.

 

[marcruby]

Make sure you wear a mask when cutting it up -- mold and lungs don't get along.

 

[rjwolfe3]

I was thinking of bleaching the wood to kill the mold but would it also kill the color?

 

[el_d]

Would that be the same mold that causes the spalting???

 

[Darley]

I have been having a problem with mold growing on some wood while it was laid out drying. I also had a burl that I was fumigating in bag (ant problem) that is now covering in mold. What is the best and easiest way to get rid of this or is it harmless? I'm not real big on mold especially since I have a finished basement that I don't want it growing in, lol.

Brush it with some boiling water then let it dry out side under cover above ground, have you seal the ends? put your burl in the freeze ( better to leave it in the bag unless you want ice cream ants:biggrin: )

 

[Rifleman1776]

Your wood is obviously in a damp area. Probably won't dry well in that setting. If possible, take outside and let the sun at it for a couple days.

 

[rjwolfe3]

I hope it's not in a damp area, it's sitting right next to the biggest dehumidifier that I could buy. The maple that molded was very, very wet and I tried latex paint for the first time so that might have something to do with it. But regardless, how do I get rid of it now that I have it? I especially want to save the burl.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Rob,
This doesn't answer your question but might be of some help in the future.

Unless you are in a big hurry take the wood you are trying to dry and place in a pile of sawdust. We use five gallon buckets and will put them in there and forget about them for a while. Also use a good quality moisture meter to check it from time to time.

Mike

 

[rjwolfe3]

Mike, are those buckets lidded or open to allow moisture to escape?

Also, do you think I am introducing the mold spores when I bring the wood into my workshop or is the mold there already? I ask this, because we spent a lot of time and money getting rid of mold and moisture when we bought the house awhile ago and I thought it was all gone. I haven't seen it on any other pieces of wood down there other then some willow that was drying and that maple.

Also did it make a difference that I debarked the maple? Should I have left the bark on while it was drying?

I know the burl molded from being in a trash bag but is there a better way to kill off the bugs? It had an ant's nest in part of it and we put some potent bug killer in the bag and closed it up.

I want to use more free wood rather then buy a lot of blanks but I really can't stand mold. I don't even like looking at it. I'm tempted to just burn this burl up rather then save it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Dario]

Mold spores are everywhere and they are air borne. Most likely the wood already have it even before you got it. Some people love spalted wood (me included) ...and mold/fungi causes/creates that.

Best thing to stop them from growing is controlling moisture. As long as you keep it below their "ideal" moisture level, you will be fine. The problem is, different mold have different "needs". I've read that some only need air humidity to grow...others need a lot more. That said, our lungs have the ideal moisture for a lot of them to grow so be very careful.