Timber Treatment
A full treatment service for everything
from dry rot to wet rot, to wood boring insect infestations
Dry Rot (Serpula lacrymans)
Dry Rot is an eighteenth century term for a brown rot. The term was used because the damage was thought to be caused by internal ‘fermentations’ rather than water.
Dry rot is a decaying fungus that often causes extensive damage. There are several different forms of dry rot all with slightly different characteristics, however they all rely on the timber to be damp, ie, floor joist ends, wall plates etc. Dry rot is capable of growing through bricks and mortar. Fungal strands (mycelium) can transport moisture from damp areas allowing the
spread of the fungus to dry wood in unventilated conditions.
Specialist treatments including fungicide sterilisation of the brickwork will be required.
Wet Rot (Coniophora puteana)
Wet rot, or cellar fungus is the commonest form of decay in woodwork which has become soaked by water leakage. Typical characteristics are darkened wood with cracks along and across the grain, but usually less deep than those caused by Serpula lacrymans (dry rot, above). Where conditions cause drying of the wood surface, an apparently sound skin of timber often remains which crack longitudinally as the decay progresses beneath.
Woodworm (Anobium Punctatum)
The term 'woodworm' is used generally to describe most common species of wood boring insects. Infestations are recognised by the appearance of tiny holes in furniture and structural timbers within the property accompanied by the presence of bore dust or 'frass'. These signs indicate that woodworm 'grubs' are actively tunneling inside the wood causing internal structural damage. Treatment following professional diagnosis normally requires modern insectisidal fluids to be applied to all exposed areas of timber. Deep penetrating emulsified wood paste preservative may be required or heavy dimensional timbers.
Don’t take the risk-always use a PCA registered contractor and ask for a CSRT qualified remedial surveyor.
