Re: BluWood - A step in the right direction?

[Guest guest]

Wouldn't it make more sense to keep wood dry and away from water?

Or to use building materials that don't need to be treated with chemicals to

be 'safe'?

Humans have been using plain wood, stone, etc. for a long time, we know that

they are safe.

The important issue is keeping them dry. But using colors in woods is done

because they want

people to realize that those woods are different. They do that because they

are all moderately

or very toxic.

Keep that in mind, its not some kind of magic bullet. Those treated woods

are for limited use in

very specific applications, like fence posts, door stops, etc. Places where

there is a wood/dirt

interface where moisture for long periods of time is unavoidable. If a

particular location seems

to require lots of it, don't you think that perhaps there shouldn't be a

house there?

[Guest guest]

oops, I'm sorry, actually I made a mistake that was addressed in the post..

Yes, I agree with him in that all moldy drywall should be removed and

replaced.. the promotion seemed to be a fairly good one.. again,

sorry, everyone..

[Guest guest]

That's OK livesimply,

I do that too, and we probably all do, however I do agree with your first

post, and in fact the very first post I made about bluwood was what kind of

toxins are in the chemicals to prevent mold and kill insects. If it kills mold

and insects, it probably isn't good for people either. I've always thought

about building a house and using a good oil based sealer and finish on every

board that goes into the construction, but I don't know how any such experiment

could be tested other than just doing it. It may be an exercise in futility...

However, the fact that someone somewhere is trying to do something to defeat

the mold is recognition in the building industry that there is a growing

problem, that is a step in the right direction.

Here is the real problem, all the contractors and carpenters across the

country have been trained in frame work construction, and to replace wood with

something else overnight, you would have to retrain an entire industry on new

construction techniques. Add to that the years of building and finding flaws

that lead to the development of codes, and with a new building technique there

are sure to be some things to learn.

I'm still in favor of solid wall construction, Adobe, clay based dirt with

something mixed in, maybe concrete that can be covered with stucco or something

for preservation and elimination of erosion, Log Cabins, something. to eliminate

the hollow wall construction. The dark chambers in todays construction can

carry dark secrets, and it isn't always easy to tell when there is water

intrusion.

I remember several years ago, some new expanding foam and they would blow up

a large kind of half balloon then spray this foam stuff on it, and 24 hours

later you could cut holes in it to mount doors and windows and it made like a

large Igloo type house. I don't know about the chemicals in the foam or if the

foam is mold resistant, but there are possibly some alternate construction

techniques for the future that could eliminate our current techniques that just

seem to create recesses all around the house as moisture traps and mold

cultures.

For now, I'm waiting for a log cabin at a camp ground, we are next on the

list. Nothing to hide there.

Dan

Dan & Carmella

[Guest guest]

>

> That's OK livesimply,

>

> I do that too, and we probably all do, however I do agree with

your first post, and in fact the very first post I made about

bluwood was what kind of toxins are in the chemicals to prevent mold

and kill insects. If it kills mold and insects, it probably isn't

good for people either. I've always thought about building a house

and using a good oil based sealer and finish on every board that

goes into the construction, but I don't know how any such experiment

could be tested other than just doing it. It may be an exercise in

futility...

>

> However, the fact that someone somewhere is trying to do

something to defeat the mold is recognition in the building industry

that there is a growing problem, that is a step in the right

direction.

>

> Here is the real problem, all the contractors and carpenters

across the country have been trained in frame work construction, and

to replace wood with something else overnight, you would have to

retrain an entire industry on new construction techniques. Add to

that the years of building and finding flaws that lead to the

development of codes, and with a new building technique there are

sure to be some things to learn.

>

> I'm still in favor of solid wall construction, Adobe, clay

based dirt with something mixed in, maybe concrete that can be

covered with stucco or something for preservation and elimination of

erosion, Log Cabins, something. to eliminate the hollow wall

construction. The dark chambers in todays construction can carry

dark secrets, and it isn't always easy to tell when there is water

intrusion.

>

> I remember several years ago, some new expanding foam and they

would blow up a large kind of half balloon then spray this foam

stuff on it, and 24 hours later you could cut holes in it to mount

doors and windows and it made like a large Igloo type house. I

don't know about the chemicals in the foam or if the foam is mold

resistant, but there are possibly some alternate construction

techniques for the future that could eliminate our current

techniques that just seem to create recesses all around the house as

moisture traps and mold cultures.

>

> For now, I'm waiting for a log cabin at a camp ground, we are

next on the list. Nothing to hide there.

>

> Dan

> Dan & Carmella

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dan,

Could foam you are referring to be Icynene? I've seen it sprayed into

frame and excess scraped off. It seems it would leave no room for air

movement. Only negative I can see is I can't see how you can ever

repair or run new wiring in house, or repair plumbing as I believe

wiring and plumbing is foamed into place.

I am considering it to seal my attic off from house below. There is

no plumbing up there but I have old tube and knob wiring in house that

goes through attic that I will have to rewire with updated wiring

first, so delays my doing it right away.

I would also wonder about house built with wood coated with chemicals,

how safe that would be to breath 24/7.

Log cabin sounds good. Are you going to rent it long term? Is it in

Colorado? Are you still there?

--- In , " Dan & Carmella " <moldstory@...>

wrote:

>

> That's OK livesimply,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Barb,

No, I don't think Icynene can be used for dome construction. I think

Icynene is a softer foam, more like a sponge type when it sets up. The stuff

used in dome construction is a polyurethane foam core, that is then sprayed with

a cement + Fiberglass coating both inside and out to make a sandwiched wall,

(with no air gaps), then it is coated with a waterproof finish. The domelike

structure is nice, no rain gutters, no place for standing water. Of course

landscaping techniques should still be observed with a slope of at least 1/4

inch per foot, slopping away from the home at least 15 feet out on all sides.

This allows run off away from the dwelling, prevents puddling around the house

which can breed both mold and mosquitos. I've seen a lot of houses that

actually have an inward slope on at least one side of them which is rediculous

given the mold considerations. There is a web site showing the construction of

these dome structures as built in Australia:

http://www.domeshells.com.au/technology.html

I checked out the Icynene web site, it sounds like good stuff, they claim no

gass emmitance once it cures and the specs look good, but I wonder if they have

tested it thuroughly in moist closed spaces like mold finds within the hollow

wall structures. Their site said nothing about mold resistance.

As far as wood coated with Chemicals, My consideration has not been

chemicals pe se, but something that is either Tung Oil or Linseed oil based.

most shellacs and Laquers are actually tung oil mixed with a reducer that for

the most part evaporates off. Your wooden furniture is likely finished with one

of these ingredients as are hardwood floors and Log cabins. Tung Oil and

Linseend oil are natural oils from plants and trees. Most tree's in their bark

and in their sap, contain anti fungals which helps them to not rot while

growing. After they die, the production of the antifungal discipates aloowing

mold to recycle the old wood into nutrients for new growth. The oils also

contain some of this antifungal property as well as being a sealer to prevent

the actual cellulous from getting wet. Many classic car and truck restorers

with the wooden bed pick-up trucks, like the old '50's Fords and Chevys, will

put new flooring in, then coat them well with hand rubbed linseed oil, and the

wood stays shiny and fresh looking for many years. Some wooden flat bed

commercial trucks use linseed also.

Last but not least, yes we are still in Colorado and so is the campground we

are on the waiting list for. The campgrounds can have mold issues in their

bathrooms and laundry rooms, though it has not been a predominant issue in our

travel, but at least your not living in that moldy environment. We can keep the

hits to a minimum until we can either get our own log cabin or find a mold free

RV.

Dan

Dan & Carmella

[Guest guest]

Dan and Carmella,

Good luck on everything. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes looking for a

place to live on the road like that.

There must be a lot of people who are in that situation.

I wish I could help in some way.

[Guest guest]

Since we are all looking for relatively mold-free places to live, it

would be great if we could save information like this to a file of

some sort. Is one in existence already??

Re: chemicals. I was referring to bluwood, assuming it is chemically

treated??

--- In , " Dan & Carmella " <moldstory@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi Barb,

>

> No, I don't think Icynene can be used for dome construction. I

think Icynene is a softer foam, more like a sponge type when it sets

up. The stuff used in dome construction is a polyurethane foam core,

that is then sprayed with a cement + Fiberglass coating both inside

and out to make a

[Guest guest]

Hi Barb,

I don't know if anyone else already has one going, but I am primarily

interested in mold free contruction techniques and am in the process of building

a small database of this type of information.

I've also written another email to Bluwood to inquire as to any studies they

may have perfomed to study any chemical emmitants their bluwood may produce, in

light of the arscenic that was emitted by previously treated lumbers.

I have not heard back from them yet, but it hasn't been that long,

Dan

Dan & Carmella Dunkin

[Guest guest]

Dr Rae, doctor of Dallas Environmental Clinic, has a book out

on " Optimum Environments for Optimum Health " or something similar that

deals with similar topic.

http://www.ehcd.com/books/home_building_designing.html

KC, shall I add a folder and add some content about safe building

suggestions??

--- In , " Dan & Carmella " <moldstory@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi Barb,

>

> I don't know if anyone else already has one going, but I am

primarily interested in mold free contruction techniques and am in the

process of building a small database of this type of information.

>

[Guest guest]

There is a folder called " Green Building info " with some

websites.You can put it in that folder.

Thanks

KC

> >

> > Hi Barb,

> >

> > I don't know if anyone else already has one going, but I am

> primarily interested in mold free contruction techniques and am in

the

> process of building a small database of this type of information.

> >

>