Mold on wood framing — new construction
Mold can get on the framing due to initial arrival of wet or moldy lumber, or growth from rain wetted wood during construction.
I plan to spray on a “disinfectant” (Foster 40-80) to kill any obvious mold or mildew prior to insulation and drywall. I spoke with the manufacturer and they indicated it should not harm common construction materials (copper, porcelain, galvanized parts, polystyrene, polyethylene, PVC, paint, caulk, HVAC ducts and insulation cover (outside surface of ducts only).
I would appreciate comments on this from anyone who has used the product. I don’t want to destroy new construction materials while attempting to eliminate mold.
Is there a better way (other than better timing) or a better product?
The mfg. did indicate the product was bad for CPVC. What is the jacket material for Romex wire? A web search indicates only that its “polyvinyl”. I don’t know specifically what this is or if its a problem for the mold spray. Anyone know?
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Replies
I believe romex is pvc, not cpvc
Is this really widespread? Is there a serious mold issue in the family?
Have you considered boric acid? pretty low impact
No, not wide spread. Mainly in one upstairs room on 2x8 ceiling joists. I think I got a load of wet or moldy lumber when the framer did this. I will be using borate spray on the downstairs exterior sheathing (inside surface) for termite control.
the borate spary for termites (aka Timbor or similar) is different than boric acid
the borate salt sprays are only a perservative, they can't kill active mold
also IIRC the borates salts only prevent wood rot, not mold; the ones that do prevent mold have a chemical additive
just google on any home pest store and you should find a section of mold killers/remediators
something like lysol hospital strength could work didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
bob is right, boracare or similar might do for both purposes.
most mold is not harmful for most people[penicillin is bread mold] but if someone has a reaction to molds, whoah.
you could probably wash the wood with any number of things and once the wood is dry and stays dry, it would be fine.
mold on framing lumber is pretty common, mostly people don't notice....
The sub has quoted Bora-Care (the borate salt---Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate) for a termiticide , but also indicated that it is "a wood fungal inhibitor........helps to control mold growth".
I did notice that none of the borate treated sill plates have any mold on them.
But, Bob, I think you are saying Bora-Care won't kill current mold or prevent future mold----right?
The sub also offered up MoldCare to add to the borate treatment (no details on this product yet).
[note: mixing and sprayig borates is fairly easy and much cheaper DIY; you can't really hurt anything with it except cosmetically possible]
borate salt (DOT) is basically salt, it can't kill anything
pests don't like to eat or be on wood soaked in it, and it is a preservative like salt preventing wood rot
it DOES NOT prevent mold or fungus, except that which might be attracted to rotting wood
they do add mold prevenatives like the mold care product to it, but it is still prevenative only
common additives are [break out your chemistry book]
didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
Oleic acid
chlorothalonil (used on food crops)
tetrachloroisophthalonitrile
i don't know which one 'mold care' has
you can google the 'blue lumber' that you can buy pretreated to see what they put in that, its borate plus something,
you should be able to google for products that remediate mold/fungus, although you might need help to identify exactly what type of infestation you have and what works best. you don't want to make yourself sick cleaning it or infect other items
a look around a home pest care product web site will give you brand names and MSDS sheets to get the ingredients
recently i used the Lysol IC, the hospital version not sold in stores. [rats had gone to town above a drop ceiling ;( ] its active ingredient kills viruses so it was the cheapest way to get it concentrated. i was scrubbing small spots, not sure you can just spray it. not a recomendation, but an example.
and if we are trying to be green, appropriate application and protection measures should be considered. most the mold preventatives will decimate aquatic life with a little bit of runoff, and the cleaners won't be very helpful either depending on dilution
and one last idea, i've mixed in some pest repellants to borate spray in certain areas, although it wasn't a 'green' thing to do, but i make an exception for bugs.
John, you are exactly correct. Our company (HomeWood Solutions, LLC) specializes in products that can help with your exact situation. Moisture is often an issue for lumber pre and post-construction and as anyone in the building industry knows, an all to common side effect is mold. Additionally, although there are many products available on the market that can effectively help treat the mold, they can't actually help prevent and protect the lumber from future issues down the road. I would highly suggest you check out our product, UltraBan. It was designed for this very purpose. After application it's invisible film will not allow mold to grow on its surface and helps protect the wood from issues in the future. It's also a builder's choice because it is an environmentally conscious product that contains no harsh chemicals such as Ammonia or Bleach and unlike most other products, it will not leach VOCs back into your home. You can learn more here: https://www.rhinohide.com/ultraban and as always, contact us any time to speak with a real human for advice. All the best!