View Full Version : Removing mold from veneer
Myk Rian
02-26-2010, 12:55 PM
A friend gave me many sheets of veneer that has mold on it.
What is a good way to remove it without bleaching the wood to a lighter color?
I've taken a brush to some of it, but that didn't help much.
Myk Rian
02-26-2010, 7:14 PM
Nobody at all?
Mike Archambeau
02-26-2010, 7:29 PM
A little bleach, a little powdered laundry dtergent, and a little tri-sodium-phospate mixed with water. You can spritz it on with a spray bottle and brush it with a scrubbing action. If you wet both sides evenly, it will minimize warping.
Glen Butler
02-26-2010, 7:31 PM
Chlorine bleach may not bleach it as much as two part wood bleach, and will kill the mold.
Chip Lindley
02-27-2010, 1:37 PM
Try chlorine bleach ONLY on the mold. A soap mixture will require lots of water to remove, which is not veneer-friendly. Plus, there will be finishing issues later.
Experiment with chlorine bleach and also oxalic acid (wood bleach) Not sure of oxalic's mold-killing properties since it only used to lighten wood stains.
Myk Rian
02-27-2010, 1:53 PM
Looking at it, seems more like mildew.
Thanks fellas. I'll try a couple things on small pieces and see what happens.
Frank Drew
02-27-2010, 2:09 PM
Myk,
Any chance the mold or mildew is shallow enough, and the veneer thick enough, that finish sanding will remove it?
Myk Rian
02-27-2010, 2:17 PM
I'm really not sure, Frank. It seems to be in the pores of the wood. I can brush it with a nylon brush and it gets most of it out, but I'm afraid it will compromise any attempt to glue it to a substrate.
Being as veneer is so thin, it won't take much to go through it.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.