Mold on stickered planks

[Mikecutstrees]

I checked my shed yesterday and found alot of mold on my planks. On the 3/4 oak and alot on the 8/4 hickory. The planks seem to be drying and are not checking badly but there is alot of green dusty mold. Is this a problem? will it discolor the wood once it is planed? Am I drying too slowly? It has been quite dry here the last month but wet before that. Thanks in advance for any help. Mike

 

[Nikko]

You need to get some air circulating. If you have power, a small fan on a timer works well - run it for an hour a few times/day an leave a window open a crack (do allow the humidity in the shed to migrate outside). If it's in a shed with no power and that's not heated/cooled, cut in a low grate and a high one either side/end of the building. This will promote convection throughout the day as the shed heats/cools inside.

I'd brush off the mold and the spray on some diluted bleach to kill what's left.

When you finish-mill the stock remember the mold, use dust collection and a good mask to avoid inhaling any of the spores.

Nikko

 

[Mike Van]

Mike, you aren't too far from me, and you're right - It was a wet rainy summer until the last few weeks. How wide were your stacks? I used to do some 6' wide, but found it too much - Most I'll put up now is 4'. Like Nikko said, you have to get air moving through it - Early on, when it's the wettest. Once that sufrace moisture is gone, you shouldn't get mold. It should plane off when dry, the deepest could be where the stickers are.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

The hickory is about 18" wide boards and they are stacked all alone. The oak is stacked about 4 feet away and is stacked together with some spalted maple and some other maple. The oak and maple is stacked in two stacks. The shed is two stories and I thought air would flow well. I opened up the rear window and the front door today though and soon I will spray some 50/50 bleach. Thanks guys for the input..... Mike