The Causes of Mould on Timber

Mould spores and pollen from multiple sources travel easily through the air and land on your timber. Once there, they are fed by organic material (like the timber in your cladding) and residue from dust and debris that’s naturally found in the outdoors. Furthermore, weather conditions that rapidly go from extreme temperatures in our region (from 25-35 degrees to 5-15 degrees) can also elevate rapid growth of mould.

This why it is important to keep the oil or stain on your timber cladding (be it cedar or larch etc). topped up to the surface to protect them.

The dark grey and black spots and streaks reveal mould buildup on this timber cladding.

Two points that will help keep mould spores from attaching to your timber

1. Keep the oil topped up to the surface of the timber, this will not only protect the drying out of your timber but also not allow the mould spores to grow. Most oils like Wood X CD50 and Drydens have an anti mould additive in their product to eliminate mould growth, However if your oil drys out from UV sunlight and time you are more or less inviting the pollen and mould spores into your timber.

2. Wash your house down at least a couple of times a year (we wash our cars more and they are not the same value as our houses). By washing your house down you are going to notice how your oil is looking and also wash away any potential mould spores that may be on your timber ready to grow.

Removing mould can be time consuming, especially if the mould spores have already rooted into the timber. Choose a non toxic cleaner that is environmentally friendly and one that does not contain caustic or sodium hypochlorite (bleach). Follow the instructions and do not new tempted to over compensate the amount of cleaner as that will cause more damage by stripping the oil back. Once clean, make sure you wash all the cleaning product out of the timber before applying your oil.

Timber Care Maintenance Plan

If you are doing your own maintenance make sure you keep a record of when you applied and cleaned etc . If you have someone else looking after your timber make sure they have a maintenance plan they can offer you that has all information like product, colour, and what / when it was done noting when your timber needs attention next. Put this in your calendar as it will remind you to get ahead of the problem of mould.

Making sure you remove the mould is essential before adding more oil as that will embed the mould into the timber. And if all this is too much for you, give us a call and we will help you sort it out.

Get a Quote