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<\/p>\nWood plays a big role in home design. You can find it in a home\u2019s foundations as well as with garden sheds and fences. Preserving wood is the secret to avoiding a rotting home. It\u2019s a natural product so it will be affected by moisture changes. While new-build homes should be constructed with timber preservation in place, we\u2019re not all fortunate enough to build our homes from scratch or have a modern home and because of this, a timber problem may arise. Do you know what to look out for and how to deal with the fallout from less than perfect timber?<\/p>\n
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Problems arise because moisture has come into contact with the wood. Wet rot and dry rot are both caused by damp timber \u2013 a 20% moisture level for dry rot and 28-30% moisture level for wet rot. Once you have a problem, you only need a 20% level for both problems to stick around and a nice patch of damp wood in a humid home is the perfect home for common woodworms or beetle larvae that love to breed within the wood before making a 1.5-2mm hole from which they escape.<\/p>\n
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Dry rot is caused by the Serpula Lacrymans fungus breaking down wood cellulose, which causes the timber to become dry. The fungi grows and effectively eats the timber until it \u201cfruits\u201d and reproduces more fungal spores for the process to start again. It\u2019s tricky to spot because the timber won\u2019t feel damp to the touch but you may spot a white growth over the timber which will emit the dark red spore dust. You can purchase sensors such as Fugenex for under \u00a310 to be sure. Drill a small hole into the wood and watch to see if the sensor changes colour. If it does, you\u2019ve got a problem that needs addressing.<\/p>\n
Wet rot is caused by multiple fungi and may or may not feel damp depending on if your timber\u2019s painted. If it doesn\u2019t feel wet, try to push a knife into it. Rotting timber will feel spongy and look darker than the wood that surrounds it. It\u2019s difficult to push a knife into healthy wood.<\/p>\n
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Holes in the wood are indications that you\u2019ve had woodworm but that doesn\u2019t mean that you still have an issue. Check for dust around the holes, as this is a tell-tale sign that the critters have bored recently and are very much alive. If you\u2019re unsure, scrape off a layer of wood and look for moving larvae.<\/p>\n
No matter which treatment you try, it won\u2019t last for long unless you identify and banish the source of the damp. A leaking roof, overflowing pipe or a badly sealed bath are all common causes, so make sure that the room is well-ventilated and hire in a tradesperson to help you fix the problem or indulge in a spot of DIY if the remedy is something that you can legally and confidently perform. If you\u2019re not sure what\u2019s causing your damp, hire in a specialist tradesperson to investigate!<\/p>\n
Depending on how serious the rotting problem is, you\u2019ll either need to apply a chemical treatment or replace the wood completely with a pre-treated wood to guard against future attacks. Finishes containing fungicide such as zinc oxychloride are often used to form a barrier around the timber, to prevent moisture from passing through and damaging the wood but you may find that a different treatment would work best for you.<\/p>\n
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Wood can be shut off from moisture by physical barriers such as masonry sterilisation as well as by inserting water-soluble borate rods into the timber itself. Unless you\u2019re skilled in the art of timber preservation and rot, you\u2019ll need to bring in a tradesperson to help, or else you could waste both time and money on a treatment that won\u2019t do its job. Water-soluble borate rods are great for preventing rot but they won\u2019t work on a damp problem that\u2019s progressed to an advanced stage.<\/p>\n
The same approach goes for live woodworm. There are different types of woodworm, so you’ll need to identify which type you have before you attempt to treat the problem. On average, you can expect to pay between \u00a3500-\u00a31000 to treat an average 4-bed home but lighter infestations that only affect a small area can be treated for around \u00a328 per 25 square metres. If there’s no sign of live woodworm and you’re certain that the holes in wood are the mark of an old problem, varnish or paint the wood to stop them from returning and boring through and ventilate your home as much as possible to keep the humidity level low.<\/p>\n