Woodworm quote Vs DIY option

Rexxel

We had a pest control company come out recently to do a survey on our house after i discovered a couple of holes in our skirting boards with a pile of sawdust looking debris on the floor (found out this is called "Frass"). Company confirmed there is a problem but could only find any sign of it in half the skirting boards in one room of the house. They said that it has not spread further.

They have since quoted almost £1000 to treat half the room and a door. This seems really expensive.

I have seen some products available to treat woodworm at B&Q and wondered if anyone could offer any insight on whether this would be a worthwhile option?

Could we remove the infected skirting boards treat the wall & replace?

Thanks

Supersonos

Read about woodworm.  They fly.  You could try and kill the ones that are in there, but it won't stop more flying in in the summer.

I wouldn't worry about it.

grumbler

Rexxel said:

Could we remove the infected skirting boards treat the wall & replace?

What sort of wall is it? You need to treat the wooden parts - the skirting boards and, possibly, the floorboards, the joists etc. What exactly did the company promise to do for £1K?

And IMO it makes little sense to spray painted wood, although you can use a syringe and inject the solution into the holes.

Rexxel

Mickey666 said:

Woodworm might be the least of the problem because the little blighters will only live in moist wood.  If the house is warm, dry and well ventilated to prevent humidity building up then any such wood will not be attractive to woodworm.

Assuming this is a case of a live infestation and not just historical then I would investigate whether there is any penetrating damp coming through the walls and increasing the moisture content of the skirting board.  A classic reason for this could be raised external ground level above the DPC (if there is one) or hard paving right up against the wall allowing rain to splash up above the DPC.  Also, tongs like overflowing gutters and/or downpipes and drains/gulleys.   

Basically look for anything that might increase moisture content because that will likely be the root cause of the problem.  Let the wood dry out and any woodworm will die off without needing to resort to chemical warfare.  Lots of info online and worth investigating.  Eg: http://www.askjeff.co.uk/woodworm-the-hole-in-the-argument/

Thank you @Mickey666 ! I am in the process of getting quotes to have a DPC in the cupboard under our stairs. This cupboard happens to be right between the affected skirting boards. I posted photos of the cupboard on another post last week here. It sounds likely that this is the cause? The wood is softest nearest to the cupboard door, to the point where it is crumbling at the bottom.

Rexxel

grumbler said:

Rexxel said:

Could we remove the infected skirting boards treat the wall & replace?

What sort of wall is it? You need to treat the wooden parts - the skirting boards and, possibly, the floorboards, the joists etc. What exactly did the company promise to do for £1K?

And IMO it makes little sense to spray painted wood, although you can use a syringe and inject the solution into the holes.

Thank you @grumbler ! Its the skirting on the wall that is between our house and next door as well as the wall that connects to our cupboard under the stairs (picture below)

The company said they will spray all of the wall and skirting boards as well as the door and frames. Then they will come back a few years later to check. This includes a 10 year guarantee.

Good point about the painted wood - it's covered in probably 5 coats of gloss from the looks of it!

FreeBear

grumbler said: you can use a syringe and inject the solution into the holes.

The hole are from where the larvae have bored out of the wood and have taken flight as fully grown beetles - Pumping chemicals in to the holes will do little to kill them. That said, the solution will penetrate a short distance in to the wood and might kill a few of the larvae remaining.

Tip for getting hold of syringes - Pop in to your local chemist and ask for a pack of 2ml syringes under the free Needle Exchange programme (the 1ml syringes have needles attached).

Rexxel

FreeBear said:

grumbler said: you can use a syringe and inject the solution into the holes.

The hole are from where the larvae have bored out of the wood and have taken flight as fully grown beetles - Pumping chemicals in to the holes will do little to kill them. That said, the solution will penetrate a short distance in to the wood and might kill a few of the larvae remaining.

Tip for getting hold of syringes - Pop in to your local chemist and ask for a pack of 2ml syringes under the free Needle Exchange programme (the 1ml syringes have needles attached).

@FreeBear

The surveyor only found signs of infestation in the skirting boards surrounding our under stairs cupboard. If we removed these affected skirting boards and replaced with brand new, would this cancel out the need to treat with any chemicals? Thanks

FreeBear

Replacing the skirting board will certainly remove the need for chemicals. But... You need to fix the root cause of the damp, and you may struggle to find a matching length of timber.

Judging by the door, a pre-war property ?

A local building salvage yard might have a suitable length of reclaimed timber, or you could try a few of the local independent timber merchants.

twopenny

Don't understand why you'd do the walls unless they are wood. Is it drywall with wooden battons?

If this is a small area of skirting and you only have 2 holes I'd be inclined to replace the skirting. When the old skirting comes off check the wall for damp. That would give you the oportunity to see what's going on there.

Treat the bare wood skirting with the wood worm treatment including the cut ends and allow to dry out before painting and replacing. saw into the old skirting once removed to see if there was much damage inside. They usually need a crack or hole to start digging.

These little critters emerge April to October time. However a renowned antiques restorer recommended treatment around March when the grubs would be getting ready to emerge.

Meths can work too.

But check around the floor boards and such. It sounds to me like you found it in time and it's only just started.

Once you have clean wood there you could wipe lavender oil over it or spray the back if you can get to it from the cupboard to deter insects. It would be a pain to keep doing regularlly all summer but just to begin with it could be peace of mind that they will not return to their old haunt/

Rexxel

FreeBear said:

Replacing the skirting board will certainly remove the need for chemicals. But... You need to fix the root cause of the damp, and you may struggle to find a matching length of timber.

Judging by the door, a pre-war property ?

A local building salvage yard might have a suitable length of reclaimed timber, or you could try a few of the local independent timber merchants. @FreeBear

The house was built in 1895 (I bought the doors a few years back from another house). 
We have a timber merchants nearby who should be able to supply new skirting. I think in this case then, the root cause of the damp is likely the cupboard under the stairs. If we get a DPC in this space and replace the skirting, this should stop the issue in its tracks?

Rexxel

twopenny said:

Don't understand why you'd do the walls unless they are wood. Is it drywall with wooden battons?

If this is a small area of skirting and you only have 2 holes I'd be inclined to replace the skirting. When the old skirting comes off check the wall for damp. That would give you the oportunity to see what's going on there.

Treat the bare wood skirting with the wood worm treatment including the cut ends and allow to dry out before painting and replacing. saw into the old skirting once removed to see if there was much damage inside. They usually need a crack or hole to start digging.

These little critters emerge April to October time. However a renowned antiques restorer recommended treatment around March when the grubs would be getting ready to emerge.

Meths can work too.

But check around the floor boards and such. It sounds to me like you found it in time and it's only just started.

Once you have clean wood there you could wipe lavender oil over it or spray the back if you can get to it from the cupboard to deter insects. It would be a pain to keep doing regularlly all summer but just to begin with it could be peace of mind that they will not return to their old haunt/

Thanks, I don't either to be honest, that's just what the company have said. It's a normal solid plastered wall.
I've noticed the frass in 3 or 4 points across separate pieces of skirting board. In the photo i posted in another comment, it's the skirting behind the TV and the skirting at the very back wall. The floor is solid concrete with Karndean laid on top. Thank you for the advice on treating the new wood & the lavender oil.