Advice for ware boards getting moldy?

[Liat]

Hi, 

i recently started hand building at home. The studio I go to has ware boards in various sizes and materials. I got some cheap plywood and used that for ware boards at home, but they very quickly got moldy. Any recommendations for how to prevent this issue? 

[Mark C.]

Are they real wood or flake board (composite) . Ware boards usually are pretty dry so your must be getting them wet. Describe your use-are you keeping wet clay on them?

Edited January 8, 2023 by Mark C.

[Kelly in AK]

I see you’re in Brooklyn. Philadelphia was where I learned how mold grows in crazed glazes on earthenware. When I say learned I mean saw. My dishes. If it’s porous and holds moisture it will mold. Of course mold needs something to eat, maybe your boards are particularly tasty. 

Clean the boards with HOT water, put them in a place with good ventilation stacked separately so all sides can dry. If it were me I’d douse them liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Bleach is a nuclear option, but it’s harsh and it stinks. “Dry” means dry through and through, not just the surface. Cycle through boards so they have a chance to dry out.

 I use Hardiebacker cement board for ware boards. Stays flat, haven’t had any problems with mold. 

[Jeff Longtin]

Welcome to the forum Liat. Most potters I know use plywood boards as well. 3/4" usually. To pick up on Mark and Kelly's point: I would say its mostly about allowing your boards to dry at some point. Rotating them might reduce/eliminate the problem. Not sure what constitutes "cheap plywood"?  Are you referring to particle board? (composite board) The first boards I used were particle board. For some reason the surface would become raised and pebbly, after a pot sat on it for a few days, so I tossed those and went with plywood instead.

[oldlady]

liat, you might try some drywall.  i use the 5/8 stuff for shelves and work and drying surfaces.   some people put tape on the edges, my main storage shelves are in a bakers' rack like you see in the supermarket bakery section.   since i work alone in my own studio i have  never wasted time with tape.   cutting drywall correctly is so simple that once you learn it, the tape is not necessary.   

 

[shawnhar]

Drywall will mold too, I use it for wareboards and if I wrap up some wet stuff for later, it will mold in a couple of days.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If your wareboards are moulding while you’re using them, you might be covering your pieces for too long. If you have to leave your pieces covered due to time constraints, put the plastic under the piece so the moisture isn’t getting to your plywood. It’ll also help to slow the drying down. If you can get back to your piece and finish it in good time, you might be wrapping it too tightly. 

[neilestrick]

Even plastic bats will grow mold if you keep pots on them covered for a long time. At some point you've got to let them dry.

[oldlady]

it never occurred to me that you might work so wet.   i save things for later to carve into slips but i use a plastic bag from walmart or somewhere and cut off the handles.  that leaves me with a bag that will sit with its bottom up in the air and the edge that i cut surrounding the pot.   like putting a domed lid on a cooking pot.  some of those bags are 20 years old.  they are for saving overnight.   if i know i won't get to it for several days, the bag goes on its bottom with the top edge pushed down inside the pot.  never tight.