Woodworm - sorry, long post - bit off topic

[Invisible Man]

Hello. I am a newbie here.

The following was previously posted to free.uk.diy.home Someone there suggested that I post it here.

Yes I did get a homebuyers inspection when I bought the place but the woodworm was hiding under plywood under hardboard under vinyl floor covering which could not be easily lifted.

Many thanks for any advice.

Bought 40 year old house a couple of years back. Kitchen floor now uneven under vinyl covering. A few months before bought it there was a major escape of water when occupiers were in Spain. Ply & hardboard flooring now found to be warped.

Having moved bits under fitted kitchen, rolled back vinyl and levered up part of floor found evidence of woodworm. Hole size and shape suggest common furniture beetle.

Stuck some tissue across some of the holed areas to see if infestation is still active.

Since found some holes under under stairs cupboard and cloakroom - all on the same side of house. Before discovering this I had lifted one or

2 boards in lounge and diner and saw no evidence. These latter 2 rooms are immaculately decorated, furnished and newly carpeted and I would rather not disturb them.

If infestation is active presumably enough boards will have to be taken up to allow spraying of all the joists etc.?

Some sites suggest getting moisture content below 12 percent would cause the outbreak to die out. Doesn't seem damp under the floor but I would have to hire or buy a meter to find out. Air bricks are all clear. House is in Essex where it is relatively dry.

Anyone got any advice?

Work will be a little delayed whilst we find the money to: Get the woodworm treated if necessary. Replace the kitchen floor Get a new consumer unit and re-wire the kitchen Source and fit new kitchen including moving plumbing and gas Repair and skim kitchen ceiling (changed lighting) Over-tile walls

I have done quite a bit of diy over the years but do not play with gas, am hopeless with plaster and am not Part P or whatever so am now restricted on wiring. Given that I suffer badly with stress and we do not want the kitchen out of action for months would it be best to find someone to project manage this? If so where do I start?

TIA for any advice. I have refitted a kitchen before but this I find a bit overwhelming given that it will all have to be completed in a fairly short timescale.

Thanks again. Is there anywhere more appropriate I could post this?

[Invisible Man]

Hello. I am a newbie here.

The following was previously posted to free.uk.diy.home Someone there suggested that I post it here.

Yes I did get a homebuyers inspection when I bought the place but the woodworm was hiding under plywood under hardboard under vinyl floor covering which could not be easily lifted.

Many thanks for any advice.

Bought 40 year old house a couple of years back. Kitchen floor now uneven under vinyl covering. A few months before bought it there was a major escape of water when occupiers were in Spain. Ply & hardboard flooring now found to be warped.

Having moved bits under fitted kitchen, rolled back vinyl and levered up part of floor found evidence of woodworm. Hole size and shape suggest common furniture beetle.

Stuck some tissue across some of the holed areas to see if infestation is still active.

Since found some holes under under stairs cupboard and cloakroom - all on the same side of house. Before discovering this I had lifted one or

2 boards in lounge and diner and saw no evidence. These latter 2 rooms are immaculately decorated, furnished and newly carpeted and I would rather not disturb them.

If infestation is active presumably enough boards will have to be taken up to allow spraying of all the joists etc.?

Some sites suggest getting moisture content below 12 percent would cause the outbreak to die out. Doesn't seem damp under the floor but I would have to hire or buy a meter to find out. Air bricks are all clear. House is in Essex where it is relatively dry.

Anyone got any advice?

Work will be a little delayed whilst we find the money to: Get the woodworm treated if necessary. Replace the kitchen floor Get a new consumer unit and re-wire the kitchen Source and fit new kitchen including moving plumbing and gas Repair and skim kitchen ceiling (changed lighting) Over-tile walls

I have done quite a bit of diy over the years but do not play with gas, am hopeless with plaster and am not Part P or whatever so am now restricted on wiring. Given that I suffer badly with stress and we do not want the kitchen out of action for months would it be best to find someone to project manage this? If so where do I start?

TIA for any advice. I have refitted a kitchen before but this I find a bit overwhelming given that it will all have to be completed in a fairly short timescale.

Thanks again. Is there anywhere more appropriate I could post this?

[George (dicegeorge)]

i've got lots of woodworm holes, some of it is live, with dust. i believe you're right to dry the wood out first. and it doesnt seem your house is going to collapse so you can relax.

I've dug a trench round my house to help it dry out, the flowerbeds were blocking the air bricks and above the damp course layer!

I believe woodworm firms like to treat the whole house in one session, but i wonder if it is possible to DIY it as I want to do one room at a time.

Is it possible to drill holes and spray using a plastic garden sprayer? or use a brush?

how poisonous are the chemicals?

[george]

[meow2222]

Woodworm is common in old properties, and rarely a threat to anything more than appearance. It takes severe worm damage to render timber unfit for its job.

Whats needed is to dry the place to stop further attack. A dehumidifier works. Exposing the damaged floor would enable it to dry promptly. And thats it - the rest of your list shouldnt be needed due to the woodworm, but maybe is for other reasons. Kitchen cabs can be refitted of course.

All the panic is great for sales though

NT

[mail]

Dear ? (can't see who you are!) Comments are as follows

Bought 40 year old house a couple of years back.

Comment A house that young may well have active woodworm as it will not have had time to die out naturally from lack of subtstrate (sapwood) and natural predators

Kitchen floor now uneven under vinyl covering. A few months before bought it there was a major escape of water when occupiers were in Spain. Ply & hardboard flooring now found to be warped.

Comment Not really pertinent to viability or not of a CFB attack

Having moved bits under fitted kitchen, rolled back vinyl and levered up part of floor found evidence of woodworm. Hole size and shape suggest common furniture beetle.

Comment Check the frass. (Faecal pellets). If they are gritty and the holes are normal 1 to 1.5 mm size - chances are you are right If it is hard wood and the frass is like talcum powder you are wrong and there is not a long-term problem

Stuck some tissue across some of the holed areas to see if infestation is still active.

Comment Uncommonly bright idea - well done. You are a jump ahead of 99% of the population. Wait until September for the end of the flight season. Ideally wait for 3 years to be sure of no further activity.

Since found some holes under under stairs cupboard and cloakroom - all on the same side of house. Before discovering this I had lifted one or

2 boards in lounge and diner and saw no evidence. These latter 2 rooms are immaculately decorated, furnished and newly carpeted and I would rather not disturb them.

Comment If you end up having to treat them - they could be treated with a fogging machine to avoid taking up the floor or by a variety of other non-destructive methods of which I could advise at the time

If infestation is active presumably enough boards will have to be taken up to allow spraying of all the joists etc.?

Comment It depends on just how active it is. I would (as a professional) be obliged to do a COSHH assessment. You can get away with much less in the "must do" department. Just follow the advice on the can! If there is minimal activity - a few holes- then partial treatment folllowed by monitoring is reasonable (look at the advice on the Codes of Practice for treatment from the HSE)

Some sites suggest getting moisture content below 12 percent would cause the outbreak to die out.

Comment I disagree. I have seen active woodworm in furniture at a much lower mc than this and I suspect such sites are the result of reading books written by so called "academic" experts who operate from a lab (if they have done any work at all!) and have not done much field work. The discussion is pointless as you will never get the mc that low all year in a structural GF building timber.

Doesn't seem damp under the floor but I would have to hire or buy a meter to find out. Air bricks are all clear. House is in Essex where it is relatively dry.

Comment Not pertinent- mc reduction will only reduce the rate of attack not total control

Anyone got any advice?

Comment Carry on monitoring Let me know if it is soft or hard wood and a rough idea of the % of sap v heart The number of holes per 100 mm square whether or not it is confined, scattered or generally spread about

Work will be a little delayed whilst we find the money to: Get the woodworm treated if necessary.

Chris George

[Invisible Man]

Many thanks for this Chris. It is difficult to get the floor up and the vinyl suffers more damage each time. I will wait until September when I will check if there is any evidence of new flight holes. The tissue idea I found suggested in a couple of places on the web amongst heaps of dubious other ideas. The holes are in joists which I assume are softwood. There are dozens rather than a handful. To my inexpert eye does not look enough to be a structural problem at the moment.

Thanks again.