Can you get Woodworm in MDF skirtings??

royb

I`m looking at replacing some skirting boards in my ground floor bathroom and suspect that the old ones may have signs of woodworm infestation as well as some damp rot..

I have heard that woodworm will not enter mdf board and seen them for sale ready primed/undercoated.

Can anyone tell me if this is true please?

greatgimpo

I can't see any self respecting insect wanting to chew all that glue/binder for a meal.

Davesnave

....But if you still have any sign of damp, MDF probably isn't the best choice.

Woodworm like new, internally juicy wood, so dry, powdery MDF wouldn't hold any attraction even without the chemicals.

PasturesNew

I've got MDF doors/skirtings... seriously thinking about swapping them out for wood because the bottom of one door's spread/warped where a previous owner's been over-enthusiastic with mopping the floor (at a guess) ... and they don't half chip and dent easily! In my limited experience (never seen/had them before here), they don't have a long life span.... just long enough for the developers to have sold them on.

Davesnave

They can be hard to get a good finish on, because despite having no knots, if you screw them on and apply filler, the water in the filler makes them swell locally around the hole, so then you spend ages rubbing them down, or risk a slight raised area.

I wouldn't use them in damp places, like bathrooms, either.

missile

You really need to consider treatment for woodworm and rot.