If you are working with wood that has been treated with Timbor, you would use the same PPE that you would need for sanding and other woodworking. Ideally, you would treat lumber with Timbor or another borate wood treatment after final cutting has been done for best protection: Timbor is absorbed about 1/4 inch into the wood where it is applied.
Tim-bor Professional can be used on new wood for prevention of wood boring insects and fungi/decay.
It is fine and very common to add a spray indicator dye to Tim-bor or similar wood treatment products before spraying. This helps to keep track of what wood has been treated, and it does not interefere with the efficacy of the Tim-bor. Keep in mind that the spray indicator will not fade on the wood and will be visible permanently. Timbor is a borate solution.
According to the manufacturer, you can use mild soap and water to clean up any residue left behind after applying Tim-bor Professional. After cleaning with the soap and water mixture, be sure to rinse the area with clean water so there is no soapy residue left behind. This may have to be done more than once.
No, Tim-bor Professional can only be applied to raw, untreated wood that has not been painted, stained or has any type of sealant. Any finish needs to be removed by sanding down to the raw wood, or you can drill holes and inject the Timbor directly into the wood.
Tim-bor Professional can be mixed with water only. Once the area is dry you would then paint.
Timbor is intended more for protecting new wood only, or wood that you know does not have any issues. Timbor will only penetrate the outer layer of the wood (about 1/4 inch) so it is more for protection or for treating the surface of the wood. If you have an active infestation of powder-post beetles or wood borers deep inside the wood then Timbor would not make it through the wood to kill these insects. We would recommend that you use Boracare instead, as it will penetrate completely through the wood. You can purchase these products directly from our website by clicking the links above (in blue), or you can call us at 866-581-7378 to place your order by phone.
Once mixed, Timbor should be used or discarded within 24 hours.
If the new wood for your porch was pressure treated/pre treated wood, then you would not need to apply either product. Powder Post Beetles will emerge whenever it is time for them to progress from the egg stage in the wood, to larvae and then a beetle. The eggs can lay dormant in the wood for up to 30 years and there isn't a way to know how many there are or where they are in the wood. Even if you treated the porch with Boracare (the more appropriate product for your needs), you would still see some of the beetles emerge whenever that life cycle happens. The Boracare helps make sure that any that emerge die as they ingest the treated wood, and no new beetles are able to infest the wood going forward. Boracare would be the more appropriate product than Timbor, since Timbor can only penetrate 1/4 inch into the wood and will leave a white powdery substance on the surface of the wood, and Boracare will penetrate all the way through the wood and dry clear.
Tim-bor Professional needs to be applied only to raw wood surfaces in its bare state to be effective. If there is a stain, pain, or any type of sealant then the Timbor will not be able to penetrate thus making it ineffective. Any finish that has been applied to wood should be sanded off so that you can apply the Timbor for it to be effective.
Timbor does leave a white powdery film on wood surfaces so if you will be staining, painting or sealing the wood surface BoraCare would be a better option as this dries clear.
Tim-bor Professional cannot be applied to wood that is already finished with a stain, sealant, or paint. If the wood is pressure treated, there is no need to treat it with the product, however if you still would like to ,Boracare would be the product to use and expect it to absorb and dry slower than on raw untreated wood.
Timbor and Bora-Care are not labeled for carpenter bees.
For carpenter bees, we would recommend using our Carpenter Bee Kit. It has everything inside of it to do a complete treatment for bees.
Please also check out our Carpenter Bee Guide for wonderful tips on how to treat and prevent them in the future.
Timbor is labeled for the treatment of wood destroying insects only and will not kill fleas. Please take a moment to look over our article on How to Get Rid of Fleas for more information on products which can successfully be used to control fleas.
No, Timbor is only used directly on wood.
It is recommended that you use something like Termidor SC or Taurus SC to inject into the ground. This product will last for up to 10 years in the soil once applied. Please check out our Termite Guide for tips on how to treat and prevent termites in the future.
Tim-bor Professional or Bora-Care can only be applied to raw wood. Painting, staining, sealing etc can be done after the application has completely dried. If the wood cannot be sanded to original form and treated, you may want to look into fumigating the furniture in your area.
Tim-bor Professional will only penetrate ¼ inch into the wood so it would not be recommended to treat active infestations, only for prevention. Boracare is a better option, as it will penetrate deeper and will dry clear when applied as directed.
We would recommend that you apply Bora-Care to the raw wood or have the furniture fumigated by a local company for the best treatment for powderpost beetles.
