Allergic to “Raw” woods - Anyone else?

[Carissa]

I thought I’d see if anyone else has this issue because its so weird! 

I’ve discovered I’m allergic to raw woods, meaning wood that hasnt’ been sealed by paint or sealer. I had to sell my Beacon Hill Dollhouse (so sad) and realized I’m also reactive to the wood shingles on my Princess Anne Dollhouse. So ridiculous! I even sealed the shingles but somehow still am having reactions but as long as its not in the main area of my house I’m okay. Hopefully in time I won’t react…..

But luckily I’ve discovered I’m not allergic to MDF and I can use Versi-Tiles for the roofs. I just wondered if anyone else had this issue?

 

[Mid-life madness]

My husband has been in the woodworking profession for over 25 years and is allergic to saw dust.......Red itchy eyes, excessive sneezing. It hasn't gone on to irritate his lungs yet.

Maybe you should have someone scrape off the wood shingles and apply the new ones.....Asphalt shingles are another option. https://www.miniaturemarketplace.com/BUILDING-SUPPLIES/SHINGLES-ROOF-MATERIALS/ASPHALT-SHINGLES

 

[Kari Lynn]

I am allergic to raw woods, mostly pine. At first I thought I was just reactive to Christmas trees because when we would get a real tree for Christmas I would always get slight allergies and was told that the trees can harbor a certain amount of mold spores and that was what was probably affecting me. But, then we put an addition on our RL house and had the cathedral ceilings covered with pine boards. I got a terrible cough and sore throat that wouldn’t go away, the doctor tried to tell me it was probably from acid reflux and gave me a prescribed proton pump inhibitor that did nothing for me except cause me to be stuck on them twenty years later(sorry,that’s so off topic) The symptoms eventually went away about four months later. 
 

Okay, sorry for the extra details, but yes, I have allergies to raw woods too(get them whenever I go into Home Depot). And, yes, whenever I have to put a dh together I get them, I deal with it as long as possible then give in and take allergy meds. After the house is done and painted I am usually fine. 
 

Sorry to hear that you had to sell your Beacon Hill. ☹️

[Kells]

46 minutes ago, Kari Lynn said:

I am allergic to raw woods, mostly pine. At first I thought I was just reactive to Christmas trees because when we would get a real tree for Christmas I would always get slight allergies and was told that the trees can harbor a certain amount of mold spores and that was what was probably affecting me.

I am not allergic to raw wood, thank goodness, but like you I am also allergic to pine trees. Or at least pine needles. Just brushing up against them makes that spot break out in a rash. I grew up right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park so guess how bad that was for me?? Live Christmas trees are never an option. I don't know what I'd do if I were allergic to wood! Suffer through for the sake of dollhouses, probably, haha.

[Kari Lynn]

1 hour ago, Kells said:

I am not allergic to raw wood, thank goodness, but like you I am also allergic to pine trees. Or at least pine needles. Just brushing up against them makes that spot break out in a rash. I grew up right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park so guess how bad that was for me?? Live Christmas trees are never an option. I don't know what I'd do if I were allergic to wood! Suffer through for the sake of dollhouses, probably, haha.

Oh, wow, living that close to all that pine when you’re allergic sounds awful. As far as the live Christmas trees, I never had one growing up so of course as an adult I couldn’t wait to finally have one. The allergies weren’t that bad at first but got worse through the years but for the sake of my kids ,who loved the live trees and the walking around the tree farm looking for the right one we kept getting them. But, the kids are grown now and sadly no more live trees for us. 
 

As for the wood allergy, I do as you say you would,”Suffer through for the sake of the dollhouse.” Plus, a little help from allergy medicine. It’s worth it. 

[Carissa]

Yes I get the sore throat and then start coughing too. Going forward I’ll just use other materials but at least in time I should be ok with the wood shingles on the Princess house because we have a cabin and at first I had the same reaction. But now I’m totally fine there. I Think it just takes time for the oils? or whatever it is to dissipate. And then I”m fine. 

Allergies are so odd! Also, this time of year makes things worse for me. Its fall and there is a lot of mould around from the leaves and dust mites. 

Thank you for the tip about the asphalt roofing, thats a great idea.

[ShariDubois]

I find wood dust very irritating also. I wear an N95 mask, safety glasses and gloves when I’m doing anything with sanding or cutting. I clean up surfaces thoroughly after I’m done with damp towels and run an air purifier for a few hours.  If I do these things I usually don’t have any problems.  

[IndyCindy]

On the topic of wood/sawdust allergies, I thought my dear mini friends with wood allergies might appreciate this. I recently read an article about the late, great Ferd Sobol and it explained that the whole reason he got into making minitaure furniture was because he developed an allergy to sawdust and the agreement/compromise between him and his doctor was that he would reduce his amount of sawdut exposure. . . which led him down the path of making miniatures! The rest, as they say, is history, but if you are familiar with his work it is clear that he embodied the idea of turning lemons into lemonade! 

[havanaholly]

5 minutes ago, IndyCindy said:

...the late, great Ferd Sobol...

When?  I had not seen that he had passed.

[IndyCindy]

48 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

When?  I had not seen that he had passed.

I believe he fell ill in October 2021 and passed a month or two later. There was a lovely feature article written by his daughter Lynne in the latest issue (Issue 86, 2022) of Dollhouse Miniatures magazine. 

[havanaholly]

I haven't seen a copy of Dollhouse Miniatures in many years!  Thank you, Ferd is one of my idols.