Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | May 16, 2009 12:52am | #1

   I would clean it with a dilute bleach solution (10% or so, though some would say much stronger) and then dry the boards before using/painting them.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   frosty1 | May 16, 2009 01:28am | #2

   Hi Forestgirl,

   Thanks.  Any opinion(s) on planing and/or sanding?  I'd think the dust is pretty unhealthy.

   Edited 5/15/2009 6:28 pm ET by frosty1

1. 
   forestgirl | May 16, 2009 03:49am | #3

   I'm always careful with spalted maple, you're facing a similar situation.  Do you have an air scrubber in your shop??  I would wear long sleeves and a respirator, take the clothes off outside and bundle up and into the wash.  Once I planed the lumber, I don't think I'd worry about the underlying wood being a problem.  But I always use dust collection hooked up directly to my random orbital sander.

   Leave the air scrubber running for 45 minutes or so.  All that may not be necessary, but it can't hurt.

    forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   RalphBarker | May 16, 2009 05:13pm | #4

   Without actually examining the boards, it sounds like this is surface mold, rather than ingrained like spalting. If so, the bleach solution and rinse should remove most of the nasty stuff. That's not to say there might not be some hiding within the pores, however. So, a high-quality respirator and running the air scrubber would still be a good idea, I'd think.Edited 5/16/2009 10:21 am by RalphBarker

   Edited 5/17/2009 12:01 pm by RalphBarker

1. 
   frosty1 | May 17, 2009 05:33pm | #5

   Thanks Ralph.  It does, by all appearance, seem to be surface mold.  I'll try the chlorine solution and then plane some of the material.  To play it extra safe, I'll do the planing outdoors.

   Edited 5/17/2009 10:34 am ET by frosty1

1. 
   RalphBarker | May 17, 2009 07:02pm | #6

   "I'll do the planing outdoors"Up-wind from your least-favorite neighbor, I assume? ;-)

2. 
   frosty1 | May 18, 2009 10:17pm | #10

   I never thought I'd get even with that neighbor - 'til now.

2. 
   forestgirl | May 18, 2009 06:45am | #7

   "...it sounds like this is surface mold, rather than ingrained like spalting."  Just to be clear, that's why I said "...you're facing a similar situation" -- in reference to the microscopic organisms in the air.  Wasn't implying there was spalting, as his original post didn't sound like there was.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   RalphBarker | May 18, 2009 03:30pm | #8

   Understood. I wasn't taking issue with what you said, but rather simply expanding on that idea.

2. 
   forestgirl | May 18, 2009 05:29pm | #9

   Good to hear, Ralph.  It's sometimes hard to tell if, in typing, I actually say what I mean, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)