what to do about mildew deep inside wood?

[randy miller 14]

some times i come across decks that have never been stained or exposed to the elements for too long and it seems as though the mildew goes deep in to the wood all i know to do is hit it with high pressure and kind and take layers of of wood down to to get it out but thats damaging. some of the decks have been fairly new they just waited too long to have it treated! bleach tends to only get the layer of mildew on top of the wood and maybe they a little beneath! if anyone has suggestions i d like to hear them

[Celeste 341]

First, please add a signature - house rules.

Second - NEVER use high pressure on wood. All you are going to accomplish is ripping the wood to shreds.

What type bleach are you using - ie %

PS - Welcome to TGS :)

Edited January 2, 2012 by Celeste

[John.Harper 14]

if theres mildew i would use bleachh .. high pressure isnt going to get you anywhere .. i would throw some bleach and a little bit of sodium hydroxide on it and see what happens ..

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

1. signature. House rules.

2. promise to read and search and learn before you pick that wand up again.

High pressure and wood do not mix. It is not the way to restore or to clean. There is years of data here. Also if you go to the FAQ there is a section on wood care and chemicals. Study it. We hope it helps.

Beth

[James 624]

Maybe the woods got some stainage on um ? Sum dews leave bad stainage. Mountain dew is very strong. Many ways to tackle that there stainage's. Use sum acidics after bleach'en.

Sum stainage don't go away! Happy new year.

[plainpainter 217]

On another forum, the moderators will kindly tell the o/p to go to the DIY section and then close the thread.

[randy miller 14]

i use hypo clorite with sodium hydroxide works great for most situations but there are the few where the green mildew is too deep beneath the surface of the wood! % wise i dilute 12% by between half and a 3rd then down stream!

[randy miller 14]

i do alot of decks and homes probably hundreds last year alone i wouldn t consider myself a diy 'er i tried to search but didnt find anything

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Well, based on what you wrote, we don't see the experience coming through. You may have been doing this a while, but that doesn't mean yu are doing it correctly. Please do not misunderstand. We want to help but you need to be open to learning the correct way.

You can search in individual forums. There is TONS of info here.....

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Oh, and fix your signature....

Beth

[Celeste 341]

Name

Company

And if you can't find anything about wood on here - you seriously have a problem. This is THE forum for wood care professionals - millions of square feet of wood taken care of. Searching is NOT hard.

Signature please or I will infract you. I'm grumpy tonite.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Maybe the woods got some stainage on um ? Sum dews leave bad stainage. Mountain dew is very strong. Many ways to tackle that there stainage's. Use sum acidics after bleach'en.

Sum stainage don't go away! Happy new year.

Dude Man Jimbo - You crack me up son!

Beth

[Douglas Hicks 128]

oooh boy. you have both of the wimmens upset with you. If you don't get the signature thing fixed, the wimmens will start giving us other menfolk a bad time.

I just looked at the picture of Celeste, she has a tear in her eye. You should be ashamed of your self!

Edited January 3, 2012 by Douglas Hicks

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

oooh boy. you have both of the wimmens upset with you. If you don't get the signature thing fixed, the wimmens will start giving us other menfolk a bad time.

I just looked at the picture of Celeste, she has a tear in her eye. You should be ashamed of your self!

Damn that's funny too!!!

But seriously...if you want to be taken seriously - you need a signature here. Rules are rules....

Beth

[randy miller 14]

ok sorry i didnt read the rules before posting

[bigchaz 157]

Welcome aboard. What leads you to believe its actually mildew deep in the wood?

[randy miller 14]

because its green and it looks like mildew. its not green wood if im wrong and if i could be something else im open to suggestion!

[bigchaz 157]

What kind of wood is it?

[plainpainter 217]

believe it or not a picture is worth a thousand words, helps to post a photo to get quicker more accurate assessments.

[James 624]

You could I suppose And may likely have but I can't be sure with out looking at a photo ? A concentration of copper in that there pressure treat lumber that is green. There ya have it.

Nothing more to do problem solved.

[bigchaz 157]

9 times out of 10 thats what it is if we're talking treated lumber

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Ding ding ding....

Jimbo called it first.

if it's not algae and easily removed, it is pressure treatment.

And for the record, some stains are actually so far into the wood that they cannot be removed.

Just because a stain exists, also doesn't mean it poses any harm to the wood. It depends on what it is.

Beth

Edited January 4, 2012 by Beth n Rod

[RPetry 564]

Randy,

In the past, we ran into "deep", down in the wood stains on older softwood decks. The common link was in the past they had been stained with certain Behr's stain products, the ones that were involved in a costly class action lawsuit. Due to bad/ineffective mildewsides/fungicides, mildew was growing down to the depth of oil penetration.

Due to a leak in a Shurflo unit, I discovered a fix. Overnight, the unit slowly leaked an 8 oz./gal. NaOH mix directly on some mildew stained floor boards. Staying wet that long, the mix had a chance to get deep into the wood. After a wash and brightening, the affected area was a very bright, golden white color.

Not a fix in a practical sense, unless you want help spraying tons of NaOH for 8+ hours all over the wood to keep it constantly soaked. And probably nuking a lot of lignin out of the first 1/4 - 3/8 ths inch of the top wood.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I know what you are talking about and it occurs on wood that has been frequently exposed to moisture like the bottom steps and ground level decks with poor drainage (wood too close together) or cupping.

Ricks way is one but you will have to realize that you are destroying the lignin if you do. Lignin is a binder in wood that keeps the cellulose fibers together. When it is damaged chemically you will see fuzzy wood, when it is damaged by UV exposure, it manifests as cracks and splits in the wood along the grain.

I have used a combination of bleach and sodium hydroxide to attack deep mold stains but I can only get topical results at best.

I then follow with a rinse and then an acid to stop the chemical process and let it dry out a few days.

Some sanding may be required as well but after all, if you create an issue while trying to affect a change in the woods condition, you must correct it.

Rod!~

[James 624]

The only mold i've seen that penetrates deep is a Black Rouge fungus that happens during severe wet periods and is brutal to remove. The only way is with strong sodium hypochlorite and then buffing. I have had to deal with this a couple of time over the last ten years and have helped others around the country to tackle the problem. Most routine molds/mildew stay at the top within the layer of degradation and start building up not into the wood. They will leave stains but I find most stains are from decomposing matter from leaves and other debris that pile up.

[randy miller 14]

thanks to everyone for your input on the subject!