We have a handyman repairing some broken floor boards in a bedroom in our house. He has just informed us we have woodworm.
Do we need to get this treated? How much will it cost? What will happen if we don't get it treated? How do we find out how wide spread the problem is?
The house is approximately 100 years old.
Any advice appreciated.
2006-11-19 22:30:42 · 6 answers · asked by lisaandmax 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You definitely need to treat it.But don't panic, house isn't about to fall down around you. Yesterday maybe you didn't have woodworm, today you've found you have. So what's changed? nothing, except you've got a job that needs sorting. :-) Check out ALL timber that you can get at visually, everywhere. every room, cupboard, loft. See what you find. ("live" worm will normally have frass (wood dust) around or near the holes) If you don't find too much you can treat local areas with a brush or garden sprayer using proprietry woodworm fluid. If the worm is extensive in places you may have to remove floorboards, architraves, joists etc. to replace and/or gain access for sprayer. Fluids used to be solvent based and stunk a bit, not ideal if you had to use gallons of the stuff and the house is occupied. You can now get water based woodworm fluid, (check out "screwfix" site) It's actually a beetle that flies which is the start of the problem, it's their grubs that are the woodworm.
I had localised worm here and there in 1920's house, not extensive and treated with fluid was easy enough to fix. On the other hand the cottage I'm in now, built 1800 hundred and something, I had to replace the whole top floor and roof timbers, big job! But as the place was gutted I was able to treat all new/old timbers with 55 litres of woodworm fluid.
Of couse you can get a firm in to do the job and get a guarantee, trouble is there are so many fly by night firms about they'll likely have disappeared well before the guarantee expires. Not all of them I know, but I have known a few, so bear that in mind. Good luck.
2006-11-19 23:22:02 · answer #1 · answered by Dick s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get it treated and don't leave it fester. You can buy stuff from B&Q that you can spray on yourself or just paint it on, it sinks into the wood and treats it and kills the woodworm. I lived in a house my friend was developing and it was everywhere. Luckily the joists were not affected but we had to change every single floorboard upstairs.
2006-11-20 06:41:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
we had a problem with woodworm.17 years ago we moved in to our house ans decorated i saw the wood on a window sill and got told just to paint over it that would kill it. 5 years ago my ceiling in the kitchen caved in the bathroom floor had collapsed. all this was due to wood worm the joyces were rotten with the wood worm.all the house had to be treated it was a nightmare.we had to have a new bathroom floor and the kitchen ceiling repaired.my advice to you is get it treated. dont leave it it will spread.good luck
2006-11-20 06:37:10 · answer #3 · answered by wendywoo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first check that it is fresh woodworm and hasn't been treated already ..you can tell by the fresh looking holes and slight traces of powdery wood at the edge of the hole. ..if it is fresh get somebody like e rentokil in to estimate damage. do it asap because they will eat any wood they meet including your furniture.
2006-11-20 06:42:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes call in Rentakill
2006-11-20 06:40:15 · answer #5 · answered by bty937915 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well if you do not get it treated
you know the old saying
ashes to ashes, dust to dust !
my house will crumble and me pipes will rust !
2006-11-20 06:41:49 · answer #6 · answered by rottentothecore 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋