I started this summer buying boards and reclaiming pallets in order to make some of the awesome projects here (So far I have made the day bench and spa bench). I have a pile of wood in my garage of diferent kinds and sizes that I'm pullin from for my projects, but I was not aware until this summer that the humidity in our garage is way too high. A week ago I went to get some boards from the pile and found that those at the bottom had mold. Completely sealing our garage will cost thousands of dollars that we don't have so I would like to know if there are any sugestions on things I can do to prevent my unfinished boards from getting mold. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
anawhite (not verified)
Fri, 09/03/2010 - 12:35
Hi Arddwyn, the best I've seen (and we've stored lumber outdoors at our lakehouse for years under a tarp) is to put stickers between the boards so there is airflow between the boards. Keep the boards elevated off the ground. Here is a good resource http://www.wwpa.org/moldff2.htm . Also, there are mildew and mold sprays, but that does add additional chemicals to your wood. Anyone else have any good tips?
Tsu Dho Nimh
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 12:53
Replying very late …but I used to live in a really soggy climate.
1 - Put concrete blocks on the garage floor to be the base for each lumber stack. They should be close enough together that the boards will lay flat, not sag.
2 - Stack the lumber on the concrete base blocks, with short skinny scraps (these are the "stickers" Ana was talking about) lying crosswise to the stack to leave air gaps for ventilation between the boards.
Make sure the stacks are square and flat, because boards will take a twist if they are stored any other way. The scrap should be the same thickness between layers.
3 - If you can, keep air moving through the garage by having cross-ventilation openings.
emme
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 08:22
Try running a dehumidifier in the garage and empty it out every other day (or when its full).