Building with green lumber

[Geret]

Hi all,

I have a similar question as the one asked by Junglesteader in an old thread from 2013 (under "Milling and Saw Mills"). My partner and I want to build a small "garden house" less than 30 square meter. We have a deadline and we are using fresh cut green lumber for the outer facade, all around the house (the structure beams and floor are all professionally dried or seasonedwood). The order came 3 weeks ago and it was already moldy with dark green, black and some yellowish and some white mold spots. We are airing the boards outdoors in our garden as best as we could, considering the very rainy weeks we're having.... :/ We're covering the airy stacked piles of boards with some waterproof simple plastic covers - to keep them from getting wet by the rain...

We've gone through all the boards, one by one, with a hand broom and dusted off all the mold we could. It is coming back slowly after a few days again :/
And we need to start covering the walls with these boards tomorrow and finish by the end of the week - we have a deadline.

Any experience with molding green lumber while building a place to live it? I hope someone can tell me that the mold will go away with the air, also nailed around the house, and won't create a health problem indoors.


Oh, we also have a "Parotech" cover that allows air to flow but acts like skin - and is very water resistant - we will cover that with the boards on the outside all around.. will that allow the mold to air out and dry?

Thanks for this forum

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I understand you may be under a time crunch, but you are just setting yourself up for failure. I would never build with green lumber. It is going to shrink and warp, and will lead to fastener failure as well.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

I have framed with green lumber fresh from the mill for 30 years. Yes, you will see all kinds of fungal blooms on the boards. Once the structure is dried-in the lumber dries out and the fungus dies. It's in the wood, not the same as black mold and no health threat. It won't continue to rot the wood.
I wouldn't use any such lumber for finish work. It's going to shrink and split and it won't take paint or stain. If you plan to paint it and you can let it dry, you can prime it with a shellac based exterior primer to prevent the mold stains from coming through the finish coat.

edit: I am note sure what you meant by facade. If it's a bat and board siding you can probably get away with hanging it if you don't nail too close to the edges. lap siding will curl. Trim and fascia will have big gaps at the joints once it dries.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

It would help to know what variety or species of tree it is, as well

 

[Geret]

It would help to know what variety or species of tree it is, as well

We're using pine

 

[Geret]

I have framed with green lumber fresh from the mill for 30 years. Yes, you will see all kinds of fungal blooms on the boards. Once the structure is dried-in the lumber dries out and the fungus dies. It's in the wood, not the same as black mold and no health threat. It won't continue to rot the wood.
I wouldn't use any such lumber for finish work. It's going to shrink and split and it won't take paint or stain. If you plan to paint it and you can let it dry, you can prime it with a shellac based exterior primer to prevent the mold stains from coming through the finish coat.

edit: I am note sure what you meant by facade. If it's a bat and board siding you can probably get away with hanging it if you don't nail too close to the edges. lap siding will curl. Trim and fascia will have big gaps at the joints once it dries.

Thank you, for now if it's only an issue of stains, that isn't bothering us too much, but we'll see how we think about it later.. I guess I meant the exterior wall of the hut/house. Yes it's a bat and board siding. Thanks for the tips

 

[Geret]

Another issue we're having is that we're attracting a lot of these beetles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondylis_buprestoides . So far we capture them every day and bring them to another woody area that's away from our place.. But we fear they have layed their eggs in our fresh wood. Any knowledge or tips about dealing with them and their eggs in the wood?

 

[Seachaser]

Another issue we're having is that we're attracting a lot of these beetles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondylis_buprestoides . So far we capture them every day and bring them to another woody area that's away from our place.. But we fear they have layed their eggs in our fresh wood. Any knowledge or tips about dealing with them and their eggs in the wood?

I mix diesel and cheap motor oil then paint both sides of raw pine. Seems to work and gives it a stained look.

 

[Mad Professor]

They timberframed green for hundreds of years.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

That pine will dry very fast if you can sticker it up in a sheltered area. You can remove the mildew stains with oxalic acid but I would wait until it dries. If you absolutely must hang it immediately, I would say hang all the boards first with HDG screws, giving the batts as much time to dry as possible.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

As for the bugs, you should get on this fast. If you are eco conscious, they make a lot of repellents with things like rosemary or peppermint oil. The best insect repellent is permethrin, which is made from marigold seeds. When I was a kid we would paint things in creosote, copper green, shingle oil, etc. Personally, I would avoid anything with lasting toxicity. My grandpa died convinced that his cancer was caused by copper green.
edit: That's his saw in my profile pic, btw.

 

[Bill G]

They timberframed green for hundreds of years.

HUGE difference there. How about I come build you a house and use fresh green studs?

 

[poleframer]

Yep been there. I had a lot of pine I milled on site for a project for a customer, and didnt sticker and dry it for a week or two, grew black mold. I sprayed it with bleach (using a pump sprayer), and let it sit in the sun for an hour, then washed it off with a hose, came out fine. If the mold is left too long it goes deeper, and results in black specking, but usually still salvageable if caught in time.
Green wood is actually preferable for building, if too dry, it splits easily nailing or screwing, too dry and you may have to drill to prevent splitting.

 

[Bill G]

Yep been there. I had a lot of pine I milled on site for a project for a customer, and didnt sticker and dry it for a week or two, grew black mold. I sprayed it with bleach (using a pump sprayer), and let it sit in the sun for an hour, then washed it off with a hose, came out fine. If the mold is left too long it goes deeper, and results in black specking, but usually still salvageable if caught in time.
Green wood is actually preferable for building, if too dry, it splits easily nailing or screwing, too dry and you may have to drill to prevent splitting.

What did it look like structurally in a year?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Wow, thats... really bad... say it was green when you built it...

 

[Mad Professor]

HUGE difference there. How about I come build you a house and use fresh green studs?

My house is 1700s, built green.

Mostly chestnut.

Wow, thats... really bad... say it was green when you built it...

Standing dead ash/green.

EAB hit the ash here hard. I have few that survived/may be resistant. Letting all them grow

 

[Mad Professor]

My house is 1700s, built green.


Standing dead ash/green.

EAB hit the ash here hard. I have few that survived/may be resistant. Letting all them grow

Tradtiotional layout. No squares , tapes....just a compass/divider. plumb bob, chalk lines/pencil. 100% accurate compared to modern crap. You can see markings in picture.

People today are befudled on how to do that layout. They use crutches: squares, tapes, rulers , now lasers, ....

I did shouldered mortise and tenon on the bottom so the post holds the full load of firewood. Those are 24" splits, almost stacked to the ceiling. kindling on top




I forgot, all the wood was ash from my property I harvested/ milled myself, From trees.

My CSM does a good job, those beams are rough cut

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Squares and levels aren't really that expensive...

 

[Bill G]

My house is 1700s, built green.

Mostly chestnut.


Standing dead ash/green.

EAB hit the ash here hard. I have few that survived/may be resistant. Letting all them grow

I trust you but interesting building design and windows for 1700's

 

[Mad Professor]

I trust you but interesting building design and windows for 1700's

View attachment 1102600

Bill, will have the 52 running soon.

Will You come by to operate? I'm busy....
I need a worker to run the rotary cutter.

The crap ass criminal aliens the NYC ****** mayor is sending us, via FJB, can't "hablo ingles"

The chicken coop is vacant now and clean, You can bunk there with the illegals. er MIGRANTS!!!