Phenolic resin faced plywood

[JimP in Oregon]

Hi folks,
I have a smaller shop these days shoehorned into a damp basement. Mold grows quickly on MDF or wood. I would like to try using phenolic resin faced plywood, in hopes that it would be less susceptible. The problem is, I can't seem to find any sources here in the US. Well, I did find one, but they didn't list shipping costs on the website. Does anyone have an online source for 2'x4' or 2'x2' panels of 3/4"? And does anyone have feedback as to it being less hospitable to mold growth? I am building a modular portable work table system that uses folding saw horses as the base. Thank you.
Jim

[Frank S]

battling mold can be like trying to shovel a hole in the ocean. The same hold true to trying to find quality inexpensive plywood of any kind in the USA. It seems here the plywood manufactures have learned the art of making the lowest quality construction grade plywood then selling it for 3 times its worth if one wants to buy what is now called cabinet grade finishing plywood the cha-ching on the cash register doesn't stop until you need to take out a loan from the godfather. Phenolic faced plywood can be bought online at a number of places even Walmart lists it but the price is akin to trying to pay for your first born's college tuition. While I was in the middle East we used it in concrete forms that was how cheap we could get it imported from eastern Europe of from Asia.
Anderson plywood is probably one of the Chief importers here in the USA of Phenolic Plywood. They get their products from where? You guessed it Finland or the Baltic countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, etc. https://www.andersonplywood.com/
Now for battling mold cancle your home owners ins. call the local fire department inform them you would like to hold a live training day at your location take 1 gallon of gasoline douse the basement cut a wire to a light switch bare the insulation wrap the ends in a soaked rag step outside and turn the power back on. wait 10 minutes and call in the training exercise OH you might also need a burn permit from city hall as well.
OK seriously short of going to that extreme and believe me I have been tempted at several houses I've lived in in the past.you first need to figure out an economical way to lower the humidity to well below 50%. 50% is the threshold where mold can either be dormant or begin to grow. If you want to kill the spores you need to get the humidity down to below 20% and keep it there for a long period of time depending on how prolific the infestation has become. Wear a full hazmat suit with a divers tank on your back then spray every organic surface down with vinegar more than once. then scrub everything clean that you can, Remember mold grown in cool damp and warm moist but not in cold or hot dry. wood stoves are good for drying out the air as well as de humidifiers .
I managed to kill out a mold infestation in a add on room in my house by tearing out all of the dry wall the insulation and removing the ceiling and roof then leaving the room exposed to the elements for a whole year. It was drastic but not as drastic as either tearing the whole room down burning the house of suffering the probable health issues it would have caused. You know you have a bad problem with mold when you break off a chunk and it weighs 10 lbs.

[ranald]

like Frank S says get the humidity down as low as possible. Quality "Form ply" here is quite expensine (about $100 for 8' by 4' sheet) and helps ward off water & mould.
A good temperory solution (excuse pun) is Eucalyptus oil (probably cheaper there than here as with most exports from Aus). There are varying diluted versions that are like buying glyphosate diluted and simply not worth it. make sure you attack the endgrain if using "form ply".

Also Eucalyptus oil is great for chicken/bird lice that has infested timber coops/averies;- only safe thing I found to eradicate the pest. We certainly dont want to use a class 6 and never a class 7 poison as many poor old farmers & nurseryman have done.

[bvd1940]

you might try getting an ozone generator but make sure you don't have any way for the ozone to migrate upstairs as it kills every living thing!!!
Set the generator in a high spot in the basement and remove all pets from the area, place a dehumidifier in the basement and leave for the day or weekend.
Upon return make sure your flor and walls are clean and dry, apply epoxy floor coating but prime it first with an epoxy primer.
If you are diligent your problem should be fixed.
lota work but better than mold

[ranald]

Some years back I worked for a natural spring water company and an international soft drink maker would buy truckloads of the water provided ozone was added first. If the ozoned water ( within a day or two of the inclusion of the additive) was put in a car's radiator it would rust out very quickly i was advised. The ozoned water was contained in large s/steel vat like containers for a couple of days before shipment. Is it the ddt of tomorrow?
Thanks for posting

[pfredX1]

I've bought pressure treated plywood in the past. I don't know if they still make the good stuff today though? The good old poisonous copper arsenic kind. If it isn't hazardous thrn it doesn't perform well in real life either. That's my take on things at least. I had a problem with squirrels chewing their way into a place I lived at so I replaced the soffit with some pressure treated plywood and that fixed that. Squirrels ain't so stupid after all. Or they just died trying. I donno. Copper arsenic kills everything, so even mold will die trying to live on it. That's why pressure treated wood works. I think if you get ground contact wood that's still the good stuff? It needs the deadly green hue to it. The yellow pressure treated stuff is garbage.

Or failing that I suppose you can get some kind of germicidal paint. I know, everyone hates to paint. But sometimes ya gotta do what you gotta do. I wonder if you can just buy copper arsenic today? Hey you got any of this in a 55 gallon drum?

Mmm so pretty http://npic.orst.edu/images/ccabnr.jpg

[ranald]

Yeah, our old stuff didn't have a colorcode and was designed and used for concrete formwork. Makes really good slippery router table tops etc. Guess they used formaldahide in the process as white ants, rot etc leave alone. I bought a 7 by 4' trailer in early 70's and replaced the floor almost annually as my dad (& I) carried lots of fresh chicken and cow manure. Dad loved his fresh manure more than his neighbours I guess. I used form ply after about 15 gal & zinc floors and it lasted about 20 years despite steel rakes & shovels scratching the surface & it was stored outdoors in all weathers. [I] have a work bench made of the stuff, but have to use bench dogs to hold items securely
cheers

[thevillageinn]

What I'm familiar with which is also often used for concrete forms and signs is MDO plywood. It's not cheap but is very durable with moisture in my experience and has a nice smooth surface which is a pleasure to work with.

Also, are those little heater bars used to combat humidity in closets and other relatively small spaces useful against what you are experiencing? I'm guessing the humidity or damp is just too much for them.
Welcome to Dampp Chaser
Moisture King™ - humidity control - dehumidifiers for piano, organ, closet, basement, boats, planes, gun safe and so much more!.

[bvd1940]

Ozone gas is short lived and neutralizes farly quickly and I use it often and have NEVER had Anything rust????
forget I said anything.

[Paul Jones]

Ozone gas is excellent for cleaning my pool water (http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/c...5142#post81245 ). I have used the system for more than 20 years and have made several modifications. When the tiny ozone bubbles are used in combination with a pool chlorination system there is nothing that can live in the pool water for very long. The ozone is very active and bounds with organic impurities before reaching the water surface. I also have a way to remove the phosphates from the pool water (phosphate comes in after a good rain storm) and it is the phosphate that help the algae grow. When there is no or extremely low amount of phosphate there is zero algae. Using shock to kill the algae only helps to dissolve the dead algae and return the phosphate to the pool water for the next crop of algae.