Please help fighting dreaded Tiki bar mold...

Here in the perpetually drenched Pacific Northwest, my bar doesn't seem to have a chance. I got mine in this last spring, a 2006 Target model on clearance- what a beauty! (I just don't have the clams for the real thing, so I'll keep dreamin'...) After putting it together in May, I gave it a good thick layer of spar varnish and it was put to great use outside all summer long. As October turned to November, I noticed many sturdy little patches of mold all over the place. I scuffed it out with some soft steel wool, dismantled it an put it in my outdoor shed. (NO room in the house) It's been in the shed for barely 2 weeks and the mold is back big time. I aint to proud to ask for a lil' help here - I know I've gotta finish or spray it, but with what? Any and all help would be great, folks. -Tiki Joe's Pop, soaked.

The perpetual mold problem. I keep my bar outside all winter on my deck. Even though its not very fancy, I made it. I still get some mold problem every winter. So in the spring I just sand it down and fix it up again. A bleach solution will kill the mold. then make sure its really dried out and in a warm place, after the cleaning and drying process I suppose you could wrap it up good and put it back in the shed. I would wait to re varnish until it gets a little dryer. so far this fall has been pretty wet here, at least there's no flooding at my house.
Marine spar varnish is pretty much the best thing for Seattle, sometimes I have to put on about 8 coats. I used a spar varnish that is for bar tops and counter tops when I made my kitchen counter top. I varnished over grass mat wallpaper. only up to 5 coats so far but its completely waterproof. Hope this helps, Ive been dealing with this Seattle dampness for about 18 yrs now and have lost some really cool stuff because i didn't take care of it properly

[ Edited by: Sophista-tiki 2006-11-20 06:53 ]

go to a boating supply store (like westmarine) and get a 2 part clear non yellowing epoxy used for boats. It'll run you around a $100 for a good one. But it does the trick to keep mold out.

Apparently fire kills everything - douse it in petrol and burn the mold! BURN IT! muhahahaha!

Upon further examination, that suggestion is a little counter-productive, and I apologise profusely... :)

Kustom Kahoona* - Tiki and Hot Rod Art by Hewey*

[ Edited by: hewey 2006-11-20 17:47 ]

Thanks so much - I was able to take it apart and get it inside without too much mold damage. Live & loin, I guess. Cheers!

The bleach thing should definitely be done before you use the marine 9or any) varnish.

Good Luck!

...BURN IT! muhahahaha!....

While you may be joking, it is not a bad idea. The idea is to cook the mold off using one of those small cuisine torches. It takes a gentle touch and a lot of careful prep, but it works.......

OR.....

A slightly less invasive method to work on the mold (and mildew) is vinegar. Bleach doesn't really kill the mold, it only bleaches it out of sight. A strong vinegar solution will kill the mold spores and greatly slow down its return. And, no cheating and using the Cider Vinegar because it smells better, that only makes it worse because of the high sugar content.

And, like it has been mentioned, let everything dry very well before applying any finishes.

C&A: You recommend white vinegar? What ratio of water/vinegar do you recommend? I had the Stanley Steemer guy clean my bar last May and it's time to do it again. I have a pressure washer and I was thinking of using that with the vinegar solution.

On 2006-11-24 08:26, GentleHangman wrote:
C&A: You recommend white vinegar? What ratio of water/vinegar do you recommend?....

White vinegar yes. Use the strongest ratio your nose can stand. Most vinegar is already a 10 to 15% solution with water so if you are using a rag or brush you can use it straight from the container.

I don't know what a power washer will take or do, try 50/50 to start?