Wood treated with Bora-Care will appear darker than normal for a few days until the chemical dries. Typically it only takes 24 - 48 hours for the product to dry and not be sticky. If it is not drying within this time frame, it usually means that too much of the product was applied to the wood. You could lightly sand the wood to remove the stickiness and then apply your finishing oil.
If you know that you have termites or carpenter ants in treated wood, then we would recommend spot treating with a non-repellent insecticide that will transfer throughout the colony, such as Fuse Foam. Fuse Foam is a ready-to-use product that has a foaming agent to help it expand and fill galleries. You would need to use the kickout holes as a guide to drill into the termite/ant gallery so that you can get at least some of the product in direct contact with the live insects. The product then works slowly enough to get transferred throughout the whole insect colony and cause collapse. If you prefer a Borate product, then we recommend the ready-to-use formulation of Boracare called Jecta. Jecta is designed for spot treatments.
Bora-Care should only be applied to raw wood that does NOT contain epoxy, sealants, varnishes, paints, stains, etc.
Boracare should not be applied to food contact surfaces. If there were overspray on sinks, countertops, floors, etc., then you could wipe up the excess with a disposable cloth and then clean the area with warm, soapy water. To prevent contamination in the future, it is recommended to cover non-target surfaces with a tarp or drop cloth before applying Boracare indoors.
When treating for powder post beetles, it is important to know that you may still see some beetles emerge even after you've treated with Bora-Care. This could be because the product may not have reached the center of the wood yet, or because there were still some dormant beetles at the time of application. With Bora-Care, the powderpost beetles do have to consume the wood in order to die. If you are still seeing activity, this means they are consuming the wood and dying. Any wood treated with Bora-Care, however, will be protected from any new damage. There is no need to treat again.
Bora-Care cannot be used on trees or plants. It is for cut lumber only. Borates will kill any living plant, shrub, grass or tree. Termites do not attack live, healthy trees. If you have termites in a tree you would need to treat the nest directly by drilling holes into the dead parts of the tree where the colony is infesting. This can be done with something like Dominion 2L or a foam like Termidor Foam.
Per the manufacturer, yes, Boracare can be applied to wood that has been treated with a concrobium product.
For any left over mixture of Bora-Care, we recommend that you contact your local city or county sanitation department for proper disposal instructions in your area as they can vary. Your brush can be washed with soap and water or you can dispose of it as well.
Bora-Care is only available in the gallon size. Unfortunatly it does not come in any smaller quatities.
Bora-Care is too thick of a liquid to be used in any type of fogger. It can be foamed into wall voids, or sprayed or painted directly onto raw, untreated wood only. If you cannot directly access the wood that needs to be treated, foaming with Bora-Care normally is the best solution, although it will only penetrate into wood that it is directly contacting.
Per the product label, "Bora-Care solutions may be used on all non-food contact surface cellulosic materials including wood, plywood, particleboard, paper, oriented strand board (OSB), cardboard (non-food packaging material), wood composite structural components, concrete, block, brick, metals, PVC plumbing pipes and other non-cellulosic materials found in structures. Apply Bora-Care solutions only to bare wood, plywood, particleboard and other cellulosic materials where an intact water-repellent barrier, such as paint, stain or sealer, is not present."
It is recommended to apply Boracare to all sides of the wood for best results.
Wood should be sanded and treated with Bora-Care prior to staining, painting, sealing etc. Please wear protective gear included in our Professional Safety Kit when applying the product. You should wait a few days after application has dried.This will allow the product to soak through the entire piece of wood. Do not wait longer than six weeks to re-sand/stain/seal.
Bora-Care will only penetrate the wood it is applied to. For floor that is stained you will either have to pull it up and treat the unfinished underside or sand down the top to the raw wood and apply.
You need to be very careful about using any kind of termiticide around a body of water that contains fish or other aquatic life since most termiticides could harm the fish. If you are removing the infested pieces of wood, then you may not need any other treatment for active termites. Something you can do is to use a wood treatment on the new wood and any other raw wood on the bridge and/or the pergola. Boracare can be used on raw wood, then once the Boracare is dry, you would want to use a water sealant to protect the treatment. Be sure that you apply the Boracare away from the water so there is no runoff, overspray, etc. into the water.
Bora-Care is safe if it is applied to raw wood when the pets are not present. Once the treated surfaces have completely, it is safe for them to returned to the treated areas/surfaces.
Yes, after the Bora-Care has dried, you can sand and finish the wood. It usually takes 24-48 hours to fully dry. Nothing harmful is released into the air in doing so.
Yes, you can use Boracare to treat a wooden fence as long as the wood is raw, meaning it has not been painted, stained, or treated with any type of water sealant. Be sure you are diluting Boracare at a 1:1 ratio with water for active insect infestations. You would need to use a water sealant after the Boracare application is completely dry if you are treating wood that is exposed to rainfall. If the wood is not raw wood, then you can spot treat termite activity with a ready-to-use termiticide such as FUSE Foam.
