Photo: Felicity Tai

What can I spray on wood to prevent mold?

There are some chemical treatments that can be applied to bare wood that will kill existing mold colonies and prevent the growth of mold for several months. One of the more commonly used products is didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, commonly referred to as DDAC.

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Mold and mildew (actually another name for mold) are colonies of living organisms that can grow on the surface of many materials including wood. Their color may range from white to black with just about every color in between. If the discoloration is green, it is most probably algae, a plant, since molds and mildews do not contain green chlorophyll. Like most living organisms, molds require air, water and a food source for survival. Bare wood is quite susceptible to mold growth since the porous surface provides lots of places for spores to germinate and many of wood's nutrients are available as food. This is especially true for newly harvested wood that still contains a high sugar content. In addition, bare wood absorbs water, thus supplying the moisture these organisms require.

Combating Different Molds

Although it is fairly easy to remove mold from bare wood surfaces (Wood ReNew does an excellent job), preventing its growth on green logs in particular can be somewhat of a challenge. Thanks to the internet, one popular misconception is that borate treatments will prevent the growth of surface molds on wood. This is NOT TRUE! Although the presence of borates will inhibit the growth of some types of surface molds, there are other types that actually thrive on borate treated wood. Borates are quite effective against wood decay fungi, but surface molds are very different from decay fungi and it takes other methods of control to prevent their growth.

Best Methods to Prevent Molds

When it comes to preventing the development of mold on wood, the best and most effective approach is to provide a dry environment. Molds cannot survive in dry conditions so if the logs are stored under cover with lots of air flow around them chances are that mold will not grow on them. But as we all know there are occasions when ideal storage conditions may not be practical so in those cases how can the formation of mold be prevented. There are some chemical treatments that can be applied to bare wood that will kill existing mold colonies and prevent the growth of mold for several months. One of the more commonly used products is didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, commonly referred to as DDAC. It works well and several years ago we used to sell a brand of it named Britewood XL. However, one downside of DDAC is that it is corrosive to skin. Another chemical used for killing and preventing mold growth is chlorothalonil. At low concentrations it is commonly used for preventing fungal growth on peanuts and potatoes as well as being a fungicidal additive to paints and stains. Sostram Corporation makes a chlorothalonil product named CLORTRAM that inhibits surface mold and stain causing fungi growth. Neat chlorothalonil is very toxic to aquatic life.

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