The only product that we carry that will treat both fungus and mold on wood is Bora-Care with Mold-Care. You can use this product on any raw wood or other cellulosic material (without paint, stain, finish, etc.).
View the BoraCare Mold & Fungi Bulletin for more information.
Tim-bor Professional can be used on raw, untreated wood to prevent wood destroying insect infestations and decay fungi if used as directed on the product label. As long as you wait until the application has completely dried to use the sauna, there should be no problem with treating the exterior. Do keep in mind however, that this product leaves a white powdery coating after applied.
If you are want the wood to look like its original state, you may consider using Bora-Care instead, as it dries clear. It is also advisable to apply a water sealant after applying a wood treatment for wood that is exposed to the elements, if the sauna is outdoors.
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.
Per the product label, you can inject or dust Timbor at a rate of 0.5 oz per square foot when treating wall voids for insects such as carpenter ants. If you are mixing Timbor in water and creating a foam with a foaming solution and foamer, then you would use 1.5 oz of Timbor per gallon of water and use a high expansion foam. Keep in mind that drilling into and injecting a product like Timbor into all your wall voids is a tedious and labor-intensive application that is often best left to professionals. We have a great Carpenter Ant Treatment Guide here that may better assist you.
The dry time for Timbor honestly is dependent on the ability of the wood to absorb the product and how heavy you treat it. It could be a few hours before the surface of the wood is dry or even a day.
Yes, Tim-bor Professional will leave a white residue once applied. However, it can be easily removed if needed.
Timbor Professional does not treat mold or prevent mold from growing. Mold is a surface issue caused by excess moisture and will continue to thrive as long as conditions are favorable for it to thrive. You will either want to give more air between the stacks if possible, or treat the wood with Boracare with MoldCare rather than Timbor to treat and protect it as much as possible. You can apply Boracare with MoldCare to freshly cut wood, but the more moisture in the wood with it being fresh/green the slower it will absorb into the wood. The wood doesn't have to be completely dry, but if you can give some dry out time after cutting that would be ideal before an application.
When treating a log home for protection against termites and wood boring beetles, you would want to spray the raw unfinished wood with Boracare rather than Timbor. Timbor can leave behind a white powdery residue on the wood that you may need to remove prior to staining or sealing the wood after treatment. Timbor also does not penetrate into the wood as far as the Boracare would which is another reason the Boracare would be the superior product for your needs. No matter which product you choose to apply, plants around the home would need to be temporarily covered to protect from overspray as the ingredient in the products could damage a variety of plant types.
If Timbor Professional is being applied to raw wood within a structure such as studs, beams, or floors, it would be protected from the elements and would not need to reapplied after the initial treatment to the wood surface.
Once carpenter bees have made their holes, it is best to dust them with Delta Dust Insecticide & then seal up the holes 2 weeks later. You can also apply a product such as Demand Duo Insecticide before they make their holes to try & prevent them. All products needed for proper carpenter been prevention & control can be found in our Carpenter Bee Control Kit.
Tim-bor Professional would not be recommended to treat any active infesations of wood boring insects as it only penetrates up to 1/4 inch. It will also leave a white residual behind. In most cases if a wood destroying insect is found within the frame of a piece of furniture your options are as follows:
Option 1- Strip down any stain or finish on the wood down to its raw natural state and apply a product like Boracare to the raw wood surface and then you can refinish as desired once dry;
Option 2- If stripping the finish off isn't an option then you would need to drill holes in the needed places of the furniture and insert a product like Jecta. Both the Boracare and Jecta absorb into the wood so that as the insects inside it eat the treated wood they consume it and die from it. Both products also last for the life of the wood to protect it;
Option 3- If neither of those are an option for you then you would need to hire a company that has a heat treatment or fumigation treatment chamber to put the furniture within to kill all the insects within it without doing any damage to the item.
Tim-bor Professional should be mixed at a rate of at least 1.5 pounds to one gallon of water to achieve a 15% solution.
Timbor should only be used on raw wood that ideally is new. Timbor is not water-repellant and it will not take care of any rot or mold on the wood. Timbor will only penetrate 1/4 of an inch into the wood and will leave a visible white residue on the surface. Boracare or Boracare with Mold Care are your other options. As with Timbor, the Boracare will need to be applied to raw natural wood but it can be old or new. The Boracare will penetrate all the way into the wood and will not leave a visible residue on the surface. If the wood is going to continue to be exposed to the outdoor elements, you will need to seal it with a stain or finish of some sort to protect it. If you do this, the Boracare will last for the life of the wood. Boracare will treat and prevent (depending on the rate you use to dilute it) for wood destroying insects such as powderpost beetles, termites, and carpenter ants, as well as wood-destroying fungus/rot. The Boracare with Mold Care will cover all of these same preventative measures and it also kills and prevents mold. You can also reference our article on How To Treat For Dry/Wood Rot.
