How To Apply and Use TIM-BOR Wood Preservative

by Phillip Fry, Certified Environmental Hygienist, Certified Mold Inspector, and Certified Mold Remediator. ©Phillip Fry 2011. All Rights Reserved.

►Mold Remediation Strategy. TIM-BOR Wood Preservative treatment is only one of the many steps required for the safe, effective, and affordable removal of indoor building mold growth. Please read the 25 steps for safe and effective mold removal, plus mold expert Phillip Fry’s mold advice ebook Do It Best Yourself Mold Inspection, Testing, Remediation, and Prevention, only US$15 for email attachment to you from Mold Mart at http://www.moldmart.net.

►Mold Remediation Personal Protection Gear. Even though TIM-BOR is non-toxic to humans (unless you eat or drink it in quantity), you should wear proper personal protection against breathing in mix spray, dirt and dust particles, and airborne mold spores. Wear at least a N-95 breathing mask (or better yet, a full face breathing respirator such as 3M brand with organic vapor filters), baseball cap or shower cap, chem-splash eye goggles (no entry holes), Tyvek body suit, or painter’s paper coveralls, disposable vinyl gloves, and paper shoe booties/covers.  You can buy personal protection gear at http://www.envirodetectives.com/remediation_protection_gear.htm.

►Sprayer To Apply TIM-BOR. To spray and apply TIM-BOR, use a hand-pumped garden sprayer or a hand-held electric sprayer (both items are available at large hardware or home improvement store).

►Mix Calculation. Make your spray solution by thoroughly mixing (totally dissolving) one pound (450 metric grams) of TIM-BOR per USA liquid gallon (3.8 metric liters) of hot water. Each mix gallon will spray treat approximately 200 square feet (18.6 square meters) of surface to be TIM-BOR treated.

►Basements and Crawl Spaces. Before doing TIM-BOR treatment, your first step is to find and fix all water intrusion sources that foster basement and crawl space mold growth, such as water penetration of walls, foundations, and floors, plumbing water leaks, and high humidity (above 70% some or all of the time). If any of the wood surfaces in the basement or crawl space is painted, first scrape and sand off the paint to allow good penetration of TIM-BOR in the sprayed wood surfaces. Once you have fixed water entry and humidity problems and prepared the wood for TIM-BOR absorption, then use your sprayer to apply a very wet coating of TIM-BOR as a spray solution on all bare wood surfaces exposed in the flooring, sub flooring, walls, and ceiling. Let the spray soak into the wood and dry naturally.  When the spayed surfaced has dried, do a second wet spraying of the same area. In areas where there are known termite or other wood-boring insect infestations, the wood surfaces can be drilled and the solution or foam injected (in addition to the above-described surface spraying). This drilling and injecting technique is very effective in spot treating for drywood termites.

►Attics.  Before doing TIM-BOR treatment, your first step is to find and fix all attic water intrusion sources that foster mold growth, such as roof leaks, high humidity (above 70% some or all of the time) and direct venting of a clothes dryer or bathroom/kitchen exhaust fans into the attic air. Once you have fixed water entry or humidity problems, then use your sprayer to apply a very wet coating of TIM-BOR as a spray solution on all exposed wood rafters, ceiling joists, plywood, OSB (particle board building material made from small chips of wood and sawdust left over in the cutting of building wood timbers at lumber saw mills), trusses, top-plates, etc. Hopefully, such attic wood is not painted; otherwise, remove the paint by scraping and sanding prior to TIM-BOR spraying. Temporarily remove the insulation so that you can spray beneath and on the sides of areas wherein the insulation is installed. Let the spray soak into the wood and dry naturally.  When the spayed surfaced has dried, do a second wet spraying of the same area. In areas where there are known termite or other wood-boring insect infestations, the wood surfaces can be drilled and the solution or foam injected (in addition to the above-described surface spraying). This drilling and injecting technique is very effective in spot treating for Drywood termites.

►Interior Living Areas. Before doing TIM-BOR treatment, your first step is to find and fix all water intrusion sources that foster indoor mold growth, such as plumbing leaks and high humidity (above 70% some or all of the time) and direct venting of a clothes dryer or bathroom/kitchen exhaust fans into the walls rather than directly to the outdoors. Once you have fixed water entry or humidity problems, take the following steps. For surface-growing mold such as on wood timbers, wood decorative wall paneling, or drywall wall and ceiling surfaces, use the mix and a hand-held bristle brush to try to scrub off the mold growth to a visibly mold-free condition. Remove and discard moldy wallpaper (mold likes to eat wallpaper and wall paper paste); mold often grows hidden behind wallpaper.  If repeated scrubbing cannot get rid of the mold growth, that means the wood growth has grown too deep into the surface. For drywall or paneling, that means remove, discard, and replace the drywall and/or paneling. If you remove drywall and paneling, you will then be able to do thorough mold inspection and mold remediation (including TIM-BOR treatment) inside wall and ceiling cavities. For wood timbers, that means to use more aggressive mold remediation steps such as hand and power planer, wire brush (e.g., a rotary wire brush attachment on an electric drill), and sander. Since you cannot remove the paint from drywall or the decorative surface of paneling, it is ok to spray TIM-BOR onto painted drywall and wood paneling. For other wood surfaces, where possible, scrape and sand off any paint prior to TIM-BOR treatment. After the above steps, use your sprayer to apply a very wet coating of TIM-BOR as a spray solution on all surfaces cleaned and prepared in the above steps, plus spray at least four feet in all directions horizontally and vertically beyond the cleaned areas, or preventively spray all ceilings and walls totally. In areas where there are known termite or other wood-boring insect infestations, the wood surfaces can be drilled and the solution or foam injected (in addition to the above-described surface spraying). This drilling and injecting technique is very effective in spot treating for drywood termites.

►Exterior wood siding, stairs, and wood decks.  Use a high pressure water sprayer to remove all dirt, deposited/landed mold spores, and debris from the exterior wood surfaces to be TIM-BOR treated. Scrape and sand off wood sealants and paint that could undercut the application and absorption of TIM-BOR. The areas to be treated should be both clean and dry with no standing puddles before the TIM-BOR spraying. Nearby shrubbery and other plants or ornamentals should be covered with plastic or other material so they will be protected from TIM-BOR. Then use your sprayer to apply a very wet coating of TIM-BOR as a spray solution on all surfaces (top, sides, and bottom) of exposed wood. In areas where there are known termite or other wood-boring insect infestations, the wood surfaces can be drilled and the solution or foam injected (in addition to the above-described surface spraying). This drilling and injecting technique is very effective in spot treating for Drywood termites. Allow the TIM-BOR treated wood to dry at least 48 hours before applying a water sealant sealing coat, varnish, or paint containing one cup of TIM-BOR per US liquid gallon (3.8 liters) of paint. This waterproofing sealant process will protect TIMBOR from diffusing out, and ensure long lasting protection against both future mold growth and wood-boring insects.

►Ongoing Preventive Maintenance. With each additional, future spray treatment of TIM-BOR, the TIM-BOR penetration into the treated wood will increase, resulting in even greater protection against mold and wood-boring insects. Up to four treatments of TIM-BOR may be made for optimum wood protection, with a several months interval between treatments. If there are moisture problems that may have led to past mold and termite/wood-boring insect infestations, or may encourage future infestations, those moisture problems must be taken care of now. Examples of such moisture problems are roof leaks; plumbing leaks; improper drainage of rain water away from the home or building foundation, basement, and crawl space; water standing in the crawl space; inadequate basement, attic, and house ventilation, collected debris in crawl spaces, and high indoor humidity (solved by running air conditioning and/or programmable dehumidifiers set to keep indoor humidity to no more than 60 percent).