I have a friend who has an armoire given to him by his parents. It is made of teak and is about 45 years old. They got it in china many years ago. My friend had it in storage for a while, and upon getting it out of storage, he noticed it had mold growing on it. He scraped off most of it but says its still in the grain. He wants to be very careful with the finish which is some type of oil finish, but would like to know how to get rid of the mold.
Thanks for your help!
Replies
A chlorine bleach solution kills mold, though to remove it from pores probably requires some vigours scrubbing with a solvent. It any event, the oil finish is likely toast and will need renewing--it may even have contributed to the mold problem to begin with since linseed oil is a particularly attractive food source for mold. But once the mold is out of the pores renewing an oil finish is pretty simple, and needs to be done periodically anyway, most or no mold.
Liberon make an oil they sell as suitable for outdoor sheds and similar. As far as I can make out from the label, it is made of the same ingrediants as their Finishing Oil with an anti-fungal element added.
It might be possible to rub in such an oil, which could both renew the existing finish and perhaps kill the mold.
But would it remove the (dead) mold? Probably not.
Lataxe
On framing lumber I use scrubbing bubbles....
Drew
The mold will only grow in very high humidity and, as stated, it was probably only on the finish, not in the wood. Once the piece is brought into a drier space, the mold will stop growing, it won't need to be killed with anything.
A spray cleaner, like Simple Green, and a soft scrub brush, even a toothbrush, that can get down into the pores will probably remove the remaining mold without risk of damaging the wood. If the mold has actually attacked the wood it will be hard to completely hide the damage.
An oil finish can be renewed with a coat or two of any common wood finishing oil. If the finish was a glossy film, then it isn't an oil finish and repairing it will be more complicated.
John White
Yestermorrow School, Waitsfield, Vermont
FWW Experts column contributor
One thing we boaters learn is that the linseed oil in "teak" oil is dessert for mold. A closed, dark and damp location will promote mold growth. As said, a dilute solution of chlorine bleach will kill it. You may have to brush but do it judiciously and lightly. Teak has soft wood between the grain lines and aggressive brushing can remove this material leaving some aggressive sanding to smooth.
What I would probably do is to make up some of my own oil/varnish by mixing equal parts of boiled linseed oil, varnish and mineral spirits. Apply it to the whole section using 3/0 steel wool and rubbing in the direction of the grain. Let it set and then wipe off all the excess. Let it fully dry overnight. The next day, assess the finish. If it looks OK, you can declare victor. Or, you can do one of two things to improve the protectiveness of the finish. One is to do the same thing a second time. More protective is to wipe on a couple of coats of a thinned wiping varnish but this would have to done to the whole piece to have it look even.
If, after removing the mold and going through the first application of finish, the area is noticeable, you will have to remove the finish from at least that area and bleach with the chlorine bleach. Then resand and see if the area looks OK. Now go through one of the finishing process outlined above.
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