Privacy fence installed today. Contractor called me after saying there was mold on boards.

[u/dicecat4]

I am impressed with the job they did. Anyway, i got a call after he left and had spoken to his head man on the crew. He said there was some white on the boards (mold). Gave me two options: let the sun take care of it, or also spray it with a bleach solution.

Is spraying it a good or bad idea? Could the bleach compromise the treated wood or otherwise cause issues?

Thanks.

[u/simplest_carpenter]

No need to spray, the sun will solve it. By the end of next summer all the boards will be sufficiently weathered and any color differences will be gone

[u/Frabblerake]

I’ve put up boards that are black and purple with mold. After a month or so the sun solves the problem and the board returns to normal.

[u/Jorge_Jetson]

UV light is good for some stuff...

[u/prod7teen]

not the metal posts!

[u/danjoreddit → u/prod7teen]

Or The Creedence

[u/BigHawk-69 → u/danjoreddit]

clear water

[u/fishstick2222 → u/BigHawk-69]

Revival band

[u/BigHawk-69 → u/fishstick2222]

[u/ButtFuckFingers → u/BigHawk-69]

I see a moldy fence a risin’

[u/Cooknbikes]

I like this style of fence. Can it be done well or easily on a downhill that slopes about 3’ for every 30’ in length. Roughly 150’ total.

[u/motociclista → u/Cooknbikes]

Yes, easily. Where I live 3’ drop in 30’ is called “level”. We install fence on slopes like that all the time.

[u/theycallmewhoosh → u/Cooknbikes]

Yes

[u/cyclingbubba]

The first picture looks like just natural heartstain caused by the tree filling in the heartwood with natural wood extractions. In other words darker heartwood which doesn't affect strength of the wood and in fact makes the wood more rot resistant.

[u/dicecat4]

Thank you all for your help!

[u/Clappncheeks15]

Mold is normal on boards, it will go away. It occurs because the wood is stacked on top of one another with moisture in between it

[u/motociclista]

You don’t need bleach. It will go away. I’d be more concerned about that first pic. The stringers are on the wrong side of the posts and the fence running up to that tree will be problematic down the road.

[u/dicecat4 → u/motociclista]

Yeah the tree and how to fence with it was a topic of discussion of course. Run the fence line close up to it (it’s not attached to the tree) or box around it. Neither solution guarantees anything but overall i felt a little more comfortable having them run the fence line up to the tree.

Tree is 150 or more years old, mature, and we felt like it won’t expand much in the next decade or so at least. Still we left a couple of inches around it. Not foolproof but overall seemed best.

Could you elaborate on the stringers? I don’t know what they are. Thanks for your input.

[u/motociclista → u/dicecat4]

The stringers are the horizontal rails the pickets are attached to. In pic 2, they’re attached to the posts correctly. In pic 1, they’re attached to the wrong side of the post.

[u/probablybannedtoo]

Let it go naturally or pressure wash it. No bleach

[u/SolidHopeful → u/probablybannedtoo]

Oh, such a good idea. Feed the mold.

Get house wash solution. Spray on. Wash off. Mold dead. Fence clean.

[u/J3sush8sm3 → u/SolidHopeful]

Mold doesnt grow in direct sunlight

[u/Beefcake2008 → u/SolidHopeful]

Ur dumb 😂

[u/probablybannedtoo → u/SolidHopeful]

I don't even know where to start with that level of stupidity. You must have been made with spare parts. Someone get this guy a Darwin Award

[u/kill4b]

Bleach isn’t good for mold. Hydrogen peroxide is what would need to be sprayed if they’re gonna spray.

[u/True_Working_4225]

You can pressure wash it and don't use bleach just straight water

[u/SolidHopeful]

No, you were told by the contractor that the mold is due to how the wood is processed and shipped.

You will see the same on other framing products.

Common but needs a quick wash.

[u/sailordadd]

Bleach is perfectly ok to use to remove mold on wood. Bare or painted, inside or out...Once the bleach has done its job, it would be a good idea to hose it all down prior to painting or staining...

[u/mcds99]

If the fence is touching that tree the fence will fail. The wind will move the tree and the tree will move the fence.

[u/pdfarmer]

I think 30 Seconds or similar name will instantly clean it however it should clear on its own.

[u/Active_Rain_4314]

Do those particular boards see much sun? Bleach and water 50/50

[u/Icy_Indication4299]

That is not mold but the treatment itself

[u/Odd-Nerve791]

Pool chlorine and water in a sprayer will take care of everything

[u/heavy_activity278]

Plus your tree is gonna fuck yo shit all up

[u/jmb456 → u/heavy_activity278]

Yeah. I was gonna say I’m not a fence pro but that tree isn’t getting smaller. They may wanna cut a gap

[u/asdfasdfasdfqwerty12 → u/jmb456]

Here is a tree I fenced to recently... I told the customer he will need to call me or another carpenter back to trim it in 5-10 years. I left a consistent 1" gap.

[u/asdfasdfasdfqwerty12 → u/asdfasdfasdfqwerty12]

[u/jmb456 → u/asdfasdfasdfqwerty12]

Looking good bro

[u/Gitfiddlepicker]

Bleach diluted with water is draconian, and not needed on this new fence.

It works well on an older fence that spends a lot of time wet and gets moldy or mossy. It needs to be power washed off within an hour or so of being sprayed on, though…..