Borax for Wood Treatment and Preservative | Stops Fungus, Insects, Wood-rot

[@iJay073]

Thank you. Short clear and pragmatic.

[@ImALefty08]

Can you apply paint on the treated surface?

[@myronplatte8354]

Borax, if it's pure, isn't that toxic. Salt is more toxic. I used to drink a little in water as a boron supplement. It's also good for putting under apple trees if they're deficient in boron.

[@joshdobs9772]

Foliar *leaf based* application is best for agricultural applications as boron CAN be toxic to root systems. Boric ACID is best as it reacts with the Potassium in plant biology rather than making the reaction more complex with the sodium ions in regular Borax. Boric acid is antibacterial antiparasitic and antifungal. Helps with all kinds of rot/funk.

[@randallmarsh446]

Have you applied gypsum to the apple trees? My grandmother used to grow apples out here in hte desert southeast.. when no 0one else could..

[@Cyallaire]

I found your video due to already having wood rot on the porch and facade of a 130 year old house we are living in. I got an old wooden screen door from the Preservation Station in town, since the front door here is huge. I’m trying to restore the salvaged screen door, and discovered it has a hint of wood rot, too. I saw elsewhere that a combination of borax and glycol can treat wood rot. I didn’t have glycol, just the borax. But I had hand sanitizer, and thought fungus wouldn’t like that stuff, so I mixed the hand sanitizer with the borax and I’m letting it dry. And plan to paint the door tomorrow. It was after I made this concoction that I saw your careful method of using Borax - which I’ll follow on future projects. I like that it deters mold, too, so I’m guessing it might be a good solution to apply to insulation. Thanks for demonstrating the method so clearly.

[@buildinginmexico]

Hi Cynthia, thanks for the message. That's an approach I haven't heard of before, but as we all know, it's not rocket science, so there's a lot of legitimate approaches. I don't see any reason that won't work.

[@Cyallaire]

@@buildinginmexico Thanks for your encouragement.

[@artifactartstudio107]

Awesome tips! Thanks so much for the content.

[@snowmaninhellschance]

Thank you for the informative video. How long should you let the lumber dry before using it for a project?

[@buildinginmexico]

Hi David, The application of the borax mixture will be dry in about 24 hours depending on the humidity level in the air. If your weather conditions are high-humidity you can dry out the air with a gas or electric heater. Otherwise it might take a couple of days in those conditions.

[@eileendavies5426]

I found this and my husband is thrilled to find a solution to protecting his woodwork . Thought the video was very informative . regards Eileen

[@jeffcarpenter5818]

Enjoyed the video just wondering how well it works on large beams and con it be sprayed on?

[@DR-sx3wk]

said in video that spraying cools it down and too much borax comes out of solution

[@relaxsleeplearn]

What about mixing borax w glycol (antifreeze) and boric acid. Trying to deal with fungus / rot

[@Nilhilustfrederi]

there are several common glycols and you want propylene glycol not ethylene. that's a solvent and carrier, alternative to boiling water

[@burtreynolds3143]

good luck getting them to mix

[@alexlindekugel8727]

@@Nilhilustfrederi but propalin glycol wont kill bugs like ethylene glycol will. works great on fungus and silverfish.

[@daniellerobbins3875]

Does this Borax cleaning method work if the wood is more textured vs smooth as shown in the video?

[@Brinsoninnica]

I live in Nicaragua so we may have similar issues with termites that are almost comando level termites 😂 If I milled my own lumber from local trees would you recommend this treatment or a soaking bath for the lumber to later set for drying. Thanks

[@neobailey5268]

Just spray it on brother

[@nukestrom5719]

I heard this does not work as it doesn't get absorb. However, if you want to treat termiteb you have to use Bora Care.

[@poprockit9309]

Would you stain the raw wood first then treat with borax or vice versa? Thank you!

[@bestseedorchard1107]

The problem with Borax to preserve wood is , it washes away if the wood gets wet. Some people place chunks of borax into holes in wood and plug them , if the wood stays dry the borax does not enter the wood and does no good if the wood gets wet it washes away. Borax is not very useful for serious wood preservation unless the wood stays dry. It can be helpful if the wood gets damp only like a Rim joist on a house.

[@kandjlumber]

What if you put a coat of sealant over the borax treatment?

[@somebodyelse4786]

Oh, wow! Great video, very useful! Much appreciated! Can I ask... Can you use this on, say, unpainted wooden doors and windows that are already in place? Can you paint the wood afterwards? How long does its protection last? Many thanks.

[@buildinginmexico]

You can use and paint afterwards. As with any wood application avoid drips and runs. They will leave a drip stain on the wood.

[@somebodyelse4786]

@@buildinginmexico Thanks, man!

[@Terrakis]

I believe the borax only goes into "suspension' and not solution in water - thus the white powder residue. The water goes into the wood but the borax drops out on the surface. To get the borax to penetrate into the wood you would a propylene or glycol solution - like boracare.

[@burtreynolds3143]

I believe you are correct. It would appear They've waisted their time .

[@kiyannareynard-eu7ph]

Borax dissolves into: 2 Na, 1 tetraborate, it's a salt and it dissolves

[@SemenPenis]

@kiyannareynard-eu7ph is correct. The chemical reaction is: \( \text{Na}_2\text{B}_4\text{O}_7 \cdot 10\text{H}_2\text{O} ightarrow 2\text{Na}^+ + \text{B}_4\text{O}_5(\text{OH})_4^{2-} + 8\text{H}_2\text{O} \). Warm water facilitates this process.

[@SemenPenis]

@@kiyannareynard-eu7ph Borax does dissolve in water to form sodium and tetraborate ions

[@gerrycasiello3808]

@@kiyannareynard-eu7ph borate treatments leave a white residue and crystals on the surface of the wood. If the water carries the salts into the wood it would be good. The water or any type of glycol eventually get absorbed or evaporate leaving the salts behind. Drips show up as white residue. If left uncoated in a moist environment, like outside, they'll just wash off. The wood needs to be coated to retain the salts. Glycols dry much slower. They're used to allow the salts/solution to penetrate more deeply, theoretically having more time for the mixture to soak in. Borax is a cleaning agent. Borate is an acid used as a pesticide. They both contain Boron but one is basic and one in an acid.

[@kalingansampath8946]

Hi sir thankyou very much

[@jacquelinelunsford8467]

Thank you for this video! I've been trying to find a sprayer that won't clog with a Borax solution to no avail. Could you please tell me what type of brush that is you're using? Just a regular paint brush? Need to treat a cabinet I received that has powderpost beetles! Thanks in advance:)

[@jeffb587]

This is so interesting! I was thinking of applying borax to the joists in my basement to prevent mold. If I use this method, I don't have to go back and remove the borax dust right? I could just leave it on there after I'm done?

[@buildinginmexico]

Hi Jeff, yep you can leave the borax dust on the wood - additional surface protection.

[@fredrickvoncold]

I would like to treat an old house floor joist and all underneath . I guess it wouldnt go well with a pump sprayer , or are there any other easy application methods ?

[@buildinginmexico]

You could use a pump sprayer with a metal tank instead of plastic, and duct tape a hot plate to the bottom to keep the borax in suspension.

[@otrotland5377]

have you considered using sodium hydroxide to heat the water on site

[@profmj7630]

Do if the wood has wet rotted? Do I remove the damage area than apply boric acid mixture?

[@buildinginmexico]

Yep, eliminate the source of the water damage, carve out the rotten wood and do the Borax treatment.

[@burtreynolds3143]

boric acid and borax are different

[@profmj7630]

@burtreynolds3143 thanks for letting me know

[@andrewsmyth6027]

Isn't borax harmful to aquatic animals and dogs?????????

[@nw8000]

Ooooooo Borax does not give you wood...

[@AmericanDogRehab]

Does this Borax cleaning method work if the wood is more textured vs smooth as shown in the video?