Clean Moldy Table
 

Anyone have suggestions on how best to clean a moldy table like this? I've tried a sorta rough kitchen sponge with Mean Green but no luck.

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Depending on the matyerial (wood?) I'd sand it with 1400 grit paper, iuse an alcohol based primer ("KILZ"), then finish, perhaps with an epoxy paint.

~60 years ago I was painting inside the forward cabin of our boat. Not well ventilated and obviously often damp. Rolf, a painter at Goodhue Boat Yard taught me this: In a quart of oil based paint, pour off 1/4 inch, add 2 tablespoons of household ammonia and stir. This will thicken the paint, so add turpentine to get it back to proper viscosity (that's why drain some off). Worked well, no future mold, at least while we owned the boat. Covered in one coat.

RMR-86, just used this stuff on my outdoor furniture cushions. The summer humidity caused black mildew on my cushions, this stuff made them look like new. Just sprayed them, no scrubbing!
Very strong, make sure you use it in a well-ventilated area.

Power wash
 

If it’s not wood Power wash it…

Dan

It's a wood table and chairs.

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Exterior or interior?

If it’s on the surface, good old bleach should do it. If it’s under the surface, then I think you would have to sand it.

It's on the surface—I can scrape it off with a nail—but bleach didn't work.

It's on a screen porch.

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When mold spores die, they turn black.
Which is why decks seem to darken up.

Interior, sand... with a mask, and refinish.
Exterior, maybe a chemical stripper, brightener, and then refinish.

You should try to saturate the area with a wet rag and keep it wet for at least 20 minutes and then a good scrubbing.

This looks pretty widespread--not just an area. Too mucvh water for too long will raise the grain unevenly, especially if trhe finish has worn off in some places, and returning th finish to a smooth surface will be very difficult. Also, different wood have different tolerances for water and other treatments.

The varnish failed.

If you're trying to remove all of it and keep a natural finish you'll have to do major sanding with multi grit steps. I'm guessing you don't want to do that unless there's some sentimental value. The chemical solutions won't get it all and will raise the grain which will require sanding anyways. I would follow Descant's advice and paint.

The chemicals shouldn't raise the grain... they are solvents that evaporate quickly and not enter the wood like water does. They usually have a second substance that ''deactivates'' them so that the addition of varnish does not strip away or thin.

You will not have to ''get it all'' as the intent is to refinish with varnish. You only need remove enough to remove the embedded mold. He could do the whole piece if he chose. But even that would only require a light sanding in areas that were not stripped. Wiping down to remove residual dust. Refinishing with another layer of varnish.

We don't sell them, but either of the Big Boxes should have a Minwax products that refinish furniture.

Just using the chemicals in a closed space is not recommended without a special mask that has interchangeable filter cartridges suitable for the job.

Long-shot, but you could try Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with water.

Something to be aware of if doing any sanding is whether this is solid wood or veneer. It’s very easy to sand through veneer, and there’s no easy repair for that.

Had a similar experience with a table in my screened porch. Mine was solid teak or redwood. I sanded it and applied 7 coats of spar varnish, light sanding between coats. It has been 10 to 15 years and it is still going strong. NHskier makes a good point though, if it is a veneer this might be a little trickier to do.


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Ok, I tried a Magic Eraser to no avail, but what DID work was a handled scrub brush after soaking the area with Mean Green. Bleach and that Barkeeper's Friend stuff didn't have any meaningful affect.

There's still a bit in what looks like cracks in the finish, but the table has been in this screened porch for at least 15 years so the real fix is probably to refinish it.

It's a tad wider than I'd like, though, so I may end up building something new for the space.

Thanks for the info, all!

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Bravo
 

Well done. It is always good to get detailed feedback

The active ingredients in Mean Green are alcohol-based and act as a light duty stripper for the varnish finish. It also has a surfactant that acts like a brightener (special class of detergent).

Can you modify the existing unit to use in the space?