With Felix Benítez
In this video we take a quick look and how to simply and easily apply a treatment of Borax to protect your raw wood. Borax is most widely known for its use as a laundry additive due to its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. You can find it in your local grocery store in the laundry section or order it online. We chose it because it's non-toxic, and not dangerous to work with or apply and is water-based.

Borate wood preservatives are composed of naturally occurring minerals that protect wood from fungus, termites, and other wood-decomposing organisms. They are recommended for use in damp conditions and high-humidity. They are often used where, even though above ground, they may be subjected to standing water.

Wood preservatives come in three categories; oil-based, water-based, and fumigant. There are also three types of exposure for wood; Earth contact, air contact and water contact.

With this project we're dealing with air-exposure and water exposure (mainly from high humidity in the air), so we have the option of using the lowest toxicity solutions such as borax, a water-based application. There are both advantages and disadvantages as with any wood treatment solution.

The advantages of boron-based preservatives are the absence of hazard from fire or explosion; after treatment the wood surface is still clean, paintable and devoid of objectionable odors and off-gassing; it's safe for interior applications; it is leach-resistant.

However, borax and other boron-salts do not protect the wood from extreme weathering, so they are best used in more protected applications such as interiors.

It might also be of interest to note that there are boron applications and solutions for existing wood that is experiencing water and/or insect infestation damage. There's an item called a BOR8 Rod -- glass-like solid rods that contain a water-diffusible borate wood preservative. Holes are drilled in the area of damage and the rods are inserted. When the wood has reached a moisture content that will result in decay (about 25%), the rods dissolve and the borates diffuse following the path of the moisture which stops further decay and protects the damaged wood from termites or other insect infestations.

Another solution for already damaged wood is a copper and boron mix (i.e Hollow Heart CB Concentrate) which is applied by injection, sprayed on or brushed on.