(Belinda Remley is a marketing professional with Lonza Wood Protection. She has been promoting wood and the protection of wood for more than 27 years.)
Mold, because of all the damage it causes, is considered a four-letter word. Mold likes dark, damp, unlit places that are constantly wetted and poorly ventilated. It has the potential to drive people from their homes, to make wood unsightly and undesirable, and to wreak havoc at jobsites with slowdowns because of returns. It can even ruin a builder’s reputation.
Mold and wood. Within 24 to 48 hours of a tree being harvested, mold begins to grow. Even as the tree is taken to the sawmill, debarked, and cut into usable lumber, mold is growing. At first, the mold is unnoticeable, but it does not take long before it truly blossoms on the freshly sawn wood, making the wood ugly and sometimes even unusable.
Wood treated with anti-sapstain protection, can sit uncovered in a lumber yard for a short amount of time before use.
“Some key ingredients that contribute to mold growth – heat, humidity, and precipitation – are present everywhere,” Ken Trainor, Surface Applied Technologies Territory Manager for Lonza Wood Protection. “In recent years we have noticed warmer, longer summers and that change has created a stronger breeding ground for mold.”
This change has caused the industry to stand up and take notice. “During an event I attended recently,” says Ken, “I spoke with several truss manufacturers, lumber dealers, and purchasing agents and all of them expressed concern over the growing issue of mold in the market.”
Mold growth.
Because sawmills know that mold begins to grow quickly, many prevent the growth of mold by kiln drying the bundles of wood to 19 percent or less moisture. Then they store their dried wood under cover so that it does not retain moisture from the elements such as dew, rain, and snow.
Wood not sprayed or dipped with an anti-sapstain product can develop mold on its surface, thus damaging the wood and making it unsightly.
“While that practice is good, the mold does not usually really become noticeable until after the wood leaves the sawmill,” Ken adds. “Even though wood is dry and clean when it is stacked in packs, moisture can seep in, encouraging mold growth that causes unsightly lumber discolorations that result in massive losses in value.”
When wood bundles leave the sawmill on trucks and rail cars they are generally not protected from the elements. The wood gets damp overnight and wet during rainstorms. Lumber wraps can get torn and eventually water seeps into the middle of the lumber packs where it sits on inner boards, providing an excellent breeding ground for mold. Those packs could sit for a while at a lumber yard, planing mill, or treater before they arrive at their final destination, giving mold time to flourish.
Mold is costly.
“In our industry,” says Ken, “mold is costly. When wood shows up at a jobsite where building timelines are always tight, the last thing a contractor wants to do is send the wood back because it is moldy. And, retailers do not want to put moldy wood on their shelves. Consumers won’t buy ugly wood that they deem dangerous to be near their families either in the walls of a house or on an outdoor project such as a deck.
Wood sprayed or dipped with an anti-sapstain product is protected from mold and it looks beautiful, giving confidence to buyers and reducing the possibility of callbacks.
“Everyone in the supply chain has their reputations to uphold,” Ken adds. “From sawmills to retailers to contractors, they all want to be known as the supplier who provides clean, beautiful wood. And, every time a pack of lumber is broken whether at a lumber yard or at a jobsite, those reputations could be in jeopardy. Mold in the middle of the pack means returns and complaints from customers. Costs could mount with every complaint.”
Ken notes that at the bottom of the supply chain is the person who takes final ownership of a project, usually a homeowner. “With the growing number of cases of asthma and allergies, homeowners are educating themselves about mold, the damage it causes, and the hit to their bottom line when it is found in their homes. They want to know that their home is safe with no hidden dangers behind the walls. They want to walk out to their beautiful new deck and see treated wood that looks good.” If a homeowner must do mold removal it almost always requires a specialist and the cost could range from as little as $500 for a crawl space to tens of thousands of dollars for whole house remediation.
Stopping Mold Growth.
Offer customers beautiful, clean wood that has been sprayed or dipped with anti-sapstain protection.
While drying lumber does help mitigate the beginning of mold growth, there is an additional solution that will keep mold from growing on lumber. “Creating a barrier with a mold inhibitor like one from Lonza’s Antiblu® line on the surface of wood stops the mold spores from sprouting and growing. The mold inhibitor removes the wood as a food source, making it nearly impossible for mold to grow. This results in up to 6 months of clean, bright, beautiful wood, continuing to give wood that freshly milled look.”
The simple process of spraying or dipping wood in a mold inhibitor is quick and easy and not very costly, especially when compared to the headache and major costs of moldy wood in a lumber yard, on a job site, or even discovered in a home. It is done almost immediately after the tree has been cut into lumber. This process protects white wood and wood that is being treated for outdoor use.
“The reassurance of knowing that wood is protected across the supply chain is invaluable,” says Ken. “Knowing that you are providing a product that the customer will be pleased with gives a certain peace of mind and increases your reputation for quality products that you may not have without mold protection.” For more information, visit www.wolmanizedwood.com.
